Civil society organisations

The overarching objective of Danish support for civil society is to contribute to the development of a strong, independent and diversified civil society in the developing countries. Danish private organisations, among others, assist with this.

A young woman reading Kuensel, the oldest newspaper in Bhutan, at the market in the capital, Thimphu.
Photo: Mikkel Østergaard

The aim of granting support to the organisations’ development activities is to support democracy and poverty reduction through development of an active civil society in the developing countries.

A vibrant civil society in the developing countries ensures that millions of poor people have a voice and that they play a central role in the struggle to further political, social and economic constitutional rights.

Key documents

• The strategy for Denmark’s development cooperation, ”Freedom from Poverty – Freedom to Change”, provides the general foundation for the work of Danish civil society organisations.
• The strategy for Danish support for civil society in the developing countries, “The Civil Society Strategy”, defines the foundation for cooperation with Danish organisations implementing activities in the developing countries.
• “The General Principles Governing Support to Development Activities Implemented by Danish Civil Society Organisations” describes the overall principles for fulfilling the objectives of “The Civil Society Strategy.” 
• "Danish Organisations´Cross-Cutting Monitoring of the Implementation of the Civil Society Strategy, 2010" focuses on the extent to which the goals defined in the Civil Society Strategy have been promoted through the activities of the Danish NGOs in 2010. Abstracts of the Report in French and in Spanish are also available.