The sustainability of the Philippine CSO sector slightly declined in 2021, according to the recently published 2021 Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index for the Philippines. The sector’s sustainability remains “evolving,” at 3.8 from 3.7 in 2020.
The CSO Sustainability Index was developed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2014 with the Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) as local partner. It reports on the strength and overall viability of CSO sectors in more than 70 countries.
CODE-NGO led the research through an online survey and deep-dive discussion with a panel of Philippine CSO experts on seven (7) dimensions of CSO sustainability – legal environment, organizational capacity, financial viability, advocacy, service provision, sectoral infrastructure, and public image.
According to the report, the legal environment and financial viability of CSOs continued to decline in 2021 as organizations faced further harassment and restrictions from the government and scarce financial support. Organizational capacity recorded a slight improvement as CSOs were able to better adjust their operations and technological capacities to the challenges presented by the pandemic. CSO advocacy, service provision, public image, and the infrastructure supporting the sector remained unchanged.
You may read the full report here.
