“We welcome the launch of the Civil Society Covenant as an important and positive foundation in resetting and reshaping the relationship between government and civil society. It comes from a great deal of hard work, commitment and collaboration from all those who have been involved in co-producing it, including many dedicated voices from across our sector. It reflects principles that we hope both civil society and government will follow.
Whilst the Covenant sets a valuable foundation, it must be understood as a starting point, not the end point. We will continue to challenge, question and push for more because our members and the communities we serve deserve this.
Importantly, the Covenant is also about enabling government to meet its own ambitions. Whether tackling inequality, improving public services or supporting stronger communities, government cannot succeed without a thriving, independent and empowered civil society. The true test of the Covenant will be in how it supports the Government to deliver on these missions in practice, not just in principle.
We are pleased to see the inclusion of government respecting the independence and legitimacy of civil society organisations to advocate and campaign and to hold government to account. This is an essential part of a healthy democracy and speaking truth to power is central to the role of civil society.
The ambition, nevertheless, must not stall at warm words. We are pleased to hear that accountability will be embedded through the Joint Civil Society Covenant Council, which will be tasked with driving implementation, setting priorities and measuring progress through annual reviews. Without a robust way to measure and challenge progress, there is a risk this becomes a missed opportunity rather than a milestone. With accountability sitting firmly within the Council and the strong buy-in we’ve heard coming from across government departments, the foundations are being laid to turn shared ambition into meaningful and lasting progress. We look forward to seeing the establishment of this Council in due course.
We will continue to use our voice to ensure that commitments are matched by action and the lived experience of sector leaders contributes to and shapes decision-making.
We fully welcome the opportunity this moment presents in marking a shift in how government works and in building a truly impactful and honest relationship between civil society and government.”