Publications
Summary
Assesses the relevance and results of AusAID's engagement with civil society in Vanuatu, and to what extent AusAID's approach reflects good donor practice.
Description
The evaluation describes the evolution of civil society in Vanuatu, especially following independence in 1980, and Australia's involvement. The evaluation draws five conclusions: AusAID is engaging usefully with civil society in Vanuatu, with some good development results (e.g. increased access to health services and information, communities mobilised around environmental conservation and waste management, awareness raised about social issues and government policies, and human rights protected and promoted) from individual partnerships; extending the reach of this engagement to a broader range of development sectors and locations is the next challenge; 'tradition' and inherently conservative church groups can risk gender equality and human rights, so careful management is required; AusAID's move towards longer-term, flexible partnerships with civil society reflects good practice; and AusAID's experience in Vanuatu has lessons for other countries and other AusAID offices, in particular to better engage with civil society to support development more broadly, covering all development sectors and coordinated among all stakeholders, rather than in a series of separate partnerships.