Article 14 Non-State actors and local authorities in development

promote an inclusive and empowered society in order to:

1. (i)

   benefit populations out of reach of mainstream services and resources and excluded from policy making processes;

2. (ii)

   strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations and local authorities in partner countries, with a view to facilitating their participation in defining and implementing poverty reduction and sustainable development strategies;

3. (iii)

   facilitate interaction between State and non-State actors in different contexts and support an increased role for local authorities in decentralisation processes;

increase the level of awareness of the European citizen regarding development issues and mobilise active public support in the Community and acceding countries for poverty reduction and sustainable development strategies in partner countries, for fairer relations between developed and developing countries, and reinforce civil society and local authority roles for these purposes;

achieve more efficient cooperation, foster synergies and facilitate a structured dialogue between civil society networks and local authorities' associations, within their organisations and with Community institutions.

interventions in developing countries and regions which:

1. (i)

   strengthen participatory development and processes and inclusion of all actors, especially vulnerable and marginalised groups;

2. (ii)

   support capacity development processes of the actors concerned at country, regional or local level;

3. (iii)

   promote mutual understanding processes;

4. (iv)

   facilitate citizens' active engagement in development processes and at strengthening their capacity to take action;

raising public awareness of development issues and promoting education for development in the Community and in acceding countries, to anchor development policy in European societies, to mobilise greater public support in the Community and acceding countries for action against poverty and for fairer relations between developed and developing countries, to raise awareness in the Community of the issues and difficulties facing developing countries and their peoples, and to promote the social dimension of globalisation;

coordination and communication between civil society and local authority networks, within their organisations and between different types of stakeholders active in the European and global public debate on development.