Co-ordination of Non-governmental Organisations
for International Development Co-operation
What is COCIS?
COCIS is a federation of non-governmental organisations
operating in various sectors of development co-operation which share a common conception
based on the promotion of self-development, solidarity among populations and the
centrality of the human being.
COCIS promotes the political agenda of the associated NGOs and provides them with a forum
for comparison, formulation, 
collaboration and joint
representation.
The common political vision, stated in the "Charter of Principles", is based on
the cultural and moral values of solidarity and co-operation among populations and aims at
overcoming the inequalities produced by the current system of international relationships
and by the economic mechanisms supporting it, through:
* the promotion of equitable relationships among populations, genders and cultures, giving
value to differences;
* the promotion of community-based and participatory development processes;
* the promotion of independence and socio-political, economic and cultural autonomy.
What does COCIS do?
COCIS' main activities fall within five thematic areas:
1.
Discussion and joint formulation of guidelines for and definitions of solidarity and
development co-operation aimed at contributing to the definition and promotion of a common
Italian and European co-operation policy.
2. The elaboration of orientations, behavioural codes and principles for a common
development co-operation policy and their dissemination in civil society.
3. Representation in all political and social bodies including international
organisations, national and local institutions and organisations created by the civil
community and active citizens.
4. Active collaboration and co-ordination with all bodies involved in international
co-operation and, in particular, with political and social actors as well as with other
Italian and foreign NGOs.
5. The promotion of operational and methodological tools for the design of increasingly
effective co-operation activities, as well as the implementation of services supporting
NGOs in their planning, training, information and development education activities.
The COCIS NGOs collaborate with NGOs operating in the South, both at the national and the regional or local level, with local organisations, grass roots groups, women's organisations, environmental organisations, native population organisations, local governments and municipalities, research centres and with any organised form by which active citizens express their changing needs which are consistent with the objectives and the priorities of social and environmental sustainability supported by COCIS.
In their daily activities, the COCIS NGOs have developed increasingly effective methodologies, parameters and tools for the support of community-based participatory development initiatives. Through the years, their interventions have contributed significantly to the development of awareness about the problems of underdevelopment and about the interdependency of the North and the South.
In Italy, COCIS systematically collaborates with other NGO federations, social sector associations, local administrative authorities, trade unions and political actors aware of solidarity issues.
In Europe, COCIS actively participates in the Liaison Committee, through which NGOs are represented at the European Union level and works with networks and federations from other countries.
At the international level, the COCIS NGOs collaborate with most of the agencies, funds and development programs co-ordinated by the United Nations: UNDP, FAO, UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO, IFAD, UNRWA, UNIFEM, INSTRAW, OPS, UNHCR, IPGRI.
The COCIS NGOs are operating in almost every country of the world:
In Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Ivory Cost, Ethiopia, Gambia,
Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique,
Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tomé, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda,
Zambia, Zaire, Zimbabwe.In Latin America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay.
In the Mediterranean Basin and the Middle East: Albania, Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, Yemen, ex-Yugoslavia.
In Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam.
COCIS if funded by the annual contributions made by associated and observer NGOs. The individual development projects of the COCIS NGOs are partially funded by the Commission of the European Union, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Nations organisations and local governments. The NGOs are required to provide a contribution for each project both in the form of volunteer work and financial resources which are raised by the NGOs through subscriptions, self-funding public initiatives, private donations, etc.
The
projects carried out by the COCIS NGOs are characterised by the central role given to
human being, people and the community. Particular attention is paid to the human, in
addition to the technical, component in each sector of intervention. The broad range of
specialisation and technical competence available within the COCIS NGOs allows
interventions to be implemented in all development sectors reflecting the diversity of
civil society in the North and South.Each NGO operates on the basis of its own bylaws using its individual project design capability within several principle areas of intervention:
1. Construction and support of democracy: within particularly conflictive areas experiencing higher risks in terms of democracy such as Palestine, Southern Africa, Central America and ex-Yugoslavia, the interventions of the COCIS NGOs aim at fostering respect for fundamental human and citizenship rights at all levels and supporting the development of democratic institutions, the development of civil society and the self-organised efforts of communities in all of their manifestations. Within such areas, COCIS NGOs support the shift from emergency to rehabilitation and development, promoting initiatives aimed at economic and civil autonomy.
2. An ecologically sustainable development: the COCIS NGOs work for the construction of a sustainable society through the active protection of the biosphere and the promotion of sustainable agriculture and other productive activities aimed at human self-centred development. The COCIS NGOs are actively participating in many projects aimed at environmental security, while all of the projects in the agricultural field rest on the principles of sustainable agriculture: enhancement of biodiversity, promotion of food self-sufficiency and, therefore, the production of food as opposed to cash crops, the preservation and initial processing of foodstuffs, village-level hydraulic engineering, the rationalisation of breeding, research, and experimentation with and application of appropriate technologies.
3. Enhancement of women's roles and the removal of obstacles to their equality of opportunities with men: all of the projects of the COCIS NGOs are aimed at guaranteeing to women of all communities access to benefits on equal terms with men, while some are more specifically aimed at overcoming the "gender gap" characterising the condition of women all over the world.
4. Satisfaction of basic needs and especially health needs: the projects of the COCIS NGOs aim above all at guaranteeing access to basic health services to the most disadvantaged segment of the population including essential affordable medical assistance in a form which is acceptable to the community and involves community participation. Prevention activities including health education and dissemination, provision of potable water and training of local health staff are given priority within all projects.
Other projects concern education, mainly in areas not covered by local governments and/or affected by cuts imposed by structural adjustment policies such as vocational training, and the guarantee of minimal conditions of human dignity to refugees and victims of natural disasters through interventions aimed at fostering the resumption of normal living conditions.
5. Development of the local economy: the projects of the COCIS NGOs aim at the development of highly qualified local technicians and use appropriate transferable technologies. The sectors are selected on the basis of the physical, economic and social environment of a particular area. They mainly involve technological innovation, promotion and start-up of artisan enterprises, small scale operational units, renewable energy, marketing networks, co-operative associations, transportation, etc.
6. Communication: the most disadvantaged social groups who are poorer in terms of rights than in terms of resources, seldom have access to means of communication, unless as passive users of processes over which they have no control. The projects implemented by COCIS NGOs aim to allow these social groups, who are often the source of valuable innovations, to use communication tools as active participants whether these be documentation and printing centres or radio or audio-visual media. Quite often the materials produced within these projects are also distributed in Italy during training activities on development, video previews, records sales, etc.
7. Development education: This sector of activity, mainly carried out in Italy and in Europe, may be conceived as the contribution of development NGOs to the formation of an active and democratic citizenship. It is, therefore, an activity aimed at educating new generations though it is not confined only to schools. The central theme is the interaction and exchange with other cultures and the value and richness of differences. The individual subjects are often linked to the overall complex of problems involved in immigration. In addition to the more specialised educational activities, the COCIS NGOs carry out a large number of information activities both through their own communication tools and through the mass media.
All the COCIS NGOs produce books, brochures, special research. In each documentation centre texts, reviews and audio-visuals on international co-operation are available: some concern special subjects: women, immigration, environment, health, agriculture, etc... Most NGOs publish their own bulletin or review.
President: Mario Gay
Vicepresident: Franco Tropini
Via Principe Amedeo 130 - 00185 Roma
Tel. 06/491946
Fax 06/44703354
e-mail:info@cocis.it