ICS - International Civil Society Centre
About ICS - International Civil Society Centre
Our Story
Founded in 2007, by Peter Eigen and Burkhard Gnärig, the
International Civil Society Centre was set up to
support international civil society organisations maximise their impact for a
sustainable and more equitable world.
Today, the Centre is owned by 14 of the largest
international civil society organisations (ICSOs), who work across
environmental, human rights, social justice and humanitarian issues.
What is our Vision and Mission?
Our Vision and
guiding star is the achievement of the Sustainable Development
Goals with the ambition to end all forms of poverty, achieve social
justice and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left
behind.
Our Mission is to
strengthen the impact and resilience of international civil society
organisations and to support people to change their world for the better.
Who do we work with?
Our core clientele spans the largest and most influential
ICSOs. We also forge partnerships with other organisations and platforms from
civil society as well as academia, media and social business innovating for
positive change.
How do we work?
Global & impactful: For
more than a decade, the Centre has brought together the leadership of the 30
most influential ICSOs. They engage in the Centre’s events, board and
leadership meetings and co-shape projects in steering committees. No other
organisation is as well positioned to know the hearts and minds of the sector’s
leadership. Based on this trust and commitment, the Centre develops successful
programmes to achieve a joint vision which will create the greatest impact.
Collaborative & inclusive: The Centre’s programmes and activities bring together
ICSOs with leaders from think tanks, media, business, politics and other CSOs.
This intermediary environment allows to leave logos and egos outside and foster
effective knowledge and capacity pooling. At the same time, voices from
communities and local CSOs are an integral part to the Centre’s work and thus
assure truly participatory and self-reflective partnerships.
Thought-provoking & innovative: The Centre offers a trend scanning capacity by
bringing together civil society as well as private and public sector strategist
on the Scanning
the Horizon platform. Inspired by cross-sector learning and best
practice exchange, the Centre aims to challenge traditional business models and
operations in international civil society organisations. Achieving our joint
vision is only possible by preparing for the future.
Agile & responsive: The
Centre has a comparatively small ownership model and
operates on frequent and swift liaisons between Centre and ICSO staff. The
Centre implemented a dynamic strategic direction that allows for rapid
programme responses such as ad hoc convening’s to find joint solutions to
unprecedented challenges in the sector.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
At the International Civil Society Centre, we are devoted to
fostering an inclusive environment within our organisation and throughout our
work, championing diversity, equity, and the elimination of discrimination. We
uphold the universal principles of human rights by appreciating the
contributions of every team member and ensuring equal opportunity for all. Our
commitments encompass creating a respectful and harassment-free space,
providing training and development opportunities, promoting leadership that values
people, and actively amplifying diverse voices while enhancing accessibility.
We actively work to represent diverse voices in our initiatives and acknowledge
the intersectionality of multiple discriminations. Our Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion policy is communicated comprehensively to all stakeholders, with our
senior management fully committed to its implementation, monitoring, and
refinement, reinforcing our steadfast dedication to diversity, equity,
inclusion, and anti-discrimination. Join us on this mission for a more
inclusive future.
What have we achieved?
- Providing an
unmatched platform for exchange and joint action for ICSO leadership,
i.e. Vision
Works retreat, Global Perspectives conference
or Leading
Together meeting
- Coordinating
global multi-stakeholder partnerships, i.e. Leave No One
Behind coalition or the International
Civic Forum
- Incubating
successful sector-wide initiatives such as the Global Standard for CSO Accountability, Accountable Now, the Civic Charter as well as
the Joining
Forces for Children initiative
- Providing trend
scanning and sector innovation via formats such as Scanning the
Horizon, the Innovators Forum or
the Global
Governance Lab on Power Shift
- Offering
consulting on management and leadership skills in the sector, i.e. Managing
Disruption
- Having
facilitated the global multi-stakeholder conference ‘Advancing
the post-2015 sustainable development agenda’ in 2013 in Bonn on
behalf of the United Nations and the German Ministry for Development
Cooperation
- Building an
innovative and resilient business model of shareholder contributions with
a ten-times income
increase in one decade
- Publishing
a frequent blog and a
number of research
reports on topics such as innovative civil society business
models and successful multi-stakeholder partnerships
- Partnering with
cross-sector thought leaders and supporters such as Rockefeller
Foundation, Open Society Foundations, The Swedish Development Agency, the
United Nations, PriceWaterhouseCoopeers and many more
How can we have an even bigger impact together?
We believe in collaboration and growth. Cherishing these
values throughout the partnerships we build, we invite you to join us. Let us
together enable better and more impactful civil society organisations
worldwide
Our owners already provide significant resources to secure
and develop the Centre’s capacity. Yet, a lot of organisational challenges,
such as keeping highly professional staff and staying resilient in the face of
constantly changing, shrinking civil society environment demand further
resources: The Centre invites foundations, development agencies, responsible
corporates and interested private persons to come on board. Become one of our
supporters and let us together solve the global challenges that no single
organisation can and should solve alone.
As a comparatively small organisation with a huge global
lever, every contribution will directly translate into an enhanced sector
efficiency and impact. For us, it is not about getting bigger but
about getting better at what the sector is already good at.