The Good Governance Agenda of Civil Society: Implications for ACP-EU Cooperation

In June 2000, 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the European Union signed the Cotonou Partnership Agreement. One of the main innovations of this agreement was its endorsement of participatory development. The Cotonou Agreement opened new spaces for non-state actors to take part in formulating, implementing and monitoring development programmes and projects. Though the Agreement does not address in detail the question of who can participate, it does include a set of basic eligibility criteria: only non-state actors that address the needs of the population, have specific competencies and are managed democratically and transparently will be considered legitimate partners (Article 6.2).