In yesterday’s strategy session, Fostering Government and Civil Society Collaboration, it became quickly clear that there is great diversity among represented countries in the extent and success of NGO and government partnerships as well as the support and credibility given to civil society by government officials. Cross-cutting challenges identified by civil society leaders included establishing a seat at the table for NGOs in discussions with government ministries, law enforcement and elected officials, and finding a balance between partnership with government and maintaining enough independence to criticize negative government actions. Katerina Chubchenko, the Rising Voice of the group, said one problem was that the government is often not willing to listen…especially not to a 19-year-old woman. She said, “Why does it matter whether the person is a man, woman, or girl and not only what is in your heart? Why can’t I also attempt to make the world better?”

Washington State Senator Kohl-Welles, highlighted her state’s success in passing legislation on sexual harassment and trafficking in persons, which would not have been possible without advocacy on the part of civil society and legislators willing to speak out on the issue. Best practices were also given from Women’s Edge Coalition in Washington, DC which successfully encouraged integration of gender concerns into the Millennium Challenge Corporation, U.S. government agency on poverty reduction. Croatia also has extremely impressive mechanisms in place to ensure gender equality including a Gender Equality Law, a standing Committee on Gender Equality including external members (NGO members and experts), a National Office for Gender Equality which oversees a 4-year gender equality program, and an Ombudswoman to evaluate government efforts on gender equality. Without active advocacy on the part of civil society and a strong network of women’s organizations, these successes would not have been realized.

Moving forward, participants stressed the importance of bringing all stakeholders to the table and promoting dialogue between civil society, government, and law enforcement. Several promising examples of strong partnerships between these groups, even when the police or government officials were originally skeptical about the NGOs’ competence, will pave the way for future endeavors and coalitions.