Nearly 200 civil society organization (CSO) leaders are expected to convene this coming November 11-13, 2015 at the annual Kasali Ka, Sumali Ka! Social Development Celebration (SDC) of the Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) to be held at the Vista Mar Resort, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

Co-hosted by the Central Visayas Network of NGOs (CENVISNET), this year’s SDC will also serve as the 19th General Assembly of the CODE-NGO’s 12 member networks (MNs) which represent more than 1,600 development NGOs, people’s organizations, and cooperatives all over the Philippines.

In line with the upcoming theme of the celebration, “Citizens’ Call: Sustainable, Equitable and Inclusive Development”, the SDC will focus on discussing critical and urgent issues which need to be addressed and reforms which need to be considered as we change leadership through the upcoming 2016 national and local elections.

Prior to the SDC2015 in Cebu, the member networks of CODE-NGO will organize with its member networks (in CAR, R5, R6, R7, R8 and three regions in Mindanao) information sessions and consultations to prepare for the SDC2015 conversations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an ongoing assessment of the government’s performance viz its Philippine Development Plan (PDP) and an assessment of how far the country has gone since a broad cross-section of CSOs presented its Development and Reform Agenda (DRA) 2010-13 and 2013-16 to the current administration. The review of these documents will serve as an anchor for formulating the ‘CSO Reform Agenda’, a set of recommendations for a few critical actions that the next administration should take to sustain the reforms toward inclusive development.

The 3-day SDC2015 event opens with a Learning Visit organized by CENVISNET member provincial networks – Bohol Alliance of NGOs (BANGON) and Kaabag sa Sugbo (Cebu) to feature participatory governance initiatives as actually practiced in their respective partner communities. In the evening, a “Cultural Night and Cebu Festival” will feature the colorful dance and musical traditions of Cebu.

On Day 2, November 12, CODE-NGO will present the highlights of the CSO Reform Agenda and the priority actions that the next administration should take to ensure that citizen participation and governance reforms will be sustained. The presidential candidates’ platform of actions will be assessed viz the CSO Reform Agenda. The Dialogue with 2016 Presidential Candidates is co-organized with CENVISNET and event partner MEGA CEBU. MEGA CEBU is a program spearheaded by the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB), which envisions a wholesome, advanced, vibrant, equitable, sustainable (W.A.V.E.S.) Cebu in 2050. A crowd of 3,000 is expected for this event, composed of representatives of CSOs from all over the country, as well as representatives from the local governments, business, academe and youth sector of Cebu City and Cebu province.

On Day 3, November 13, there will be a Gallery Walk to showcase CSOs’ good practices and simultaneous learning sessions will be organized by CODE-NGO member networks and partners. Some of the topics include: “Scaling Up: PEF Social Enterprise Strategy for 2016-2020”, ACED RA10121 campaign for a more inclusive CBDRRM, Sustainable Urban Develop-ment: Cebu Roadmap to 2050, and CSO Good Governance: “Enabling Environment for Civil Society- Basic Regulatory Requirements”.

The CODE-NGO 19th General Assembly will follow later in the day.

For more information about the details of the program and participation in the event, contact the CODE-NGO Secretariat at tels. +632 9202595, 4356616 or 9268131 or e-mail sdw@code-ngo.org.

Draft Program

Click to access SDC2015-Draft-Program_asof_3Nov15.pdf

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