Support for Civil Society Organizations - 2020 Activity Report

The year 2020 was marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused a global health, economic and social crisis. This crisis mobilized all public, private and nonprofit actors. They strengthened their dialogue and stepped up their action to address the many challenges. Civil society organizations (CSOs) took unprecedented action to provide targeted, innovative and swift solutions for people and public actors at the local, national and international levels.

In 2020, AFD reaffirmed its support for CSOs and maintained the partnership-based dialogue. It devoted €383 million to them (+12% compared to 2019) through its various financial instruments: the CSO Initiatives Fund to support civil society, FISONG (Facility for Sectoral Innovation for Non-Governmental Organizations), the Minka Peace and Resilience Fund and sectoral calls for projects. AFD Group mobilized the recognized expertise of CSOs, especially in crisis situations and for key issues such as gender equality.

The strategic dialogue between AFD and civil society was marked by a number of meetings focusing on various strategic issues. These include social cohesion and human rights, and international events, such as the Finance in Common Summit organized in November 2020.