Two hundred Civil Society Platforms and membership Organizations, representing over 10,000 national,
international and Global CSOs have endorsed an International Framework that includes five Standards to respect, empower and protect Civil Society around against negative government and Donor actions.
Known as the Siem Reap Consensus, The International Framework for the first time in the history of Civil Society Movement identifies FIVE standards that must be met by governments and Donors to ensure effective development and equitable partnership with CSOs. They include:
1. Fulfillment of obligations to fundamental human rights that enable people to organize and participate in development
2. Recognizing CSOs as development actors in their own right
3. Structuring democratic policy dialogue and public policies to improve development effectiveness
4. Being accountable for transparent and consistent policies for development and
5. Creating enabling financing for CSO development effectiveness.
The Siem Reap Consensus was adopted amidst an increasing oppression of Civil Society around the world, with ACPPP having documented cases of government oppression or control in over 35 countries. Similar concerns were raised in Asia and Middle East, Latin America, and North America. ACPPP, which proposed amendments to the Consensus Document that if adopted will see the Framework extend protection to individual Civil Society actors has identified five major causes for the shrinking space for Civil Society-emphasis of electoral democracy at the expense of the more inclusive and citizen empowering liberal democracy; CSO Government tensions in post conflict and fragile states; use of Paris Declaration Principles as tools of oppression by Governments, Anti-terrorism rules and blurred relations between development, defense and diplomacy (3D); and the slow pace of CSO Self Regulation and Accountability that has presented governments with entry point for control. Among the Regional and Global umbrella Platforms that are part of the Open Forum/Better Aid Platform that adopted the Framework are AACC, ACT Alliance, ACPPP, AFRODAD, ALOP, , AACC, Asia Pacific Research Network, Berlin Civil Society, Australian Council for International Development, BOND, Canadian Council for International Development, CIVICUS,CONGARD, CSPR,CONCORD, CONGCOOP,Coordination Sud,DOCHAS, Forum SYD, Interaction, Japan NGO Centre, Korean Civil Society, PARTOS, PIANGO and SADC-CNGO. International NGOs included ActionAid, CARE, Oxfam,Save the Children, Terre Des Hommes,Trocaire, World Vision and VSO.