In 2011, more than 3000 delegated participated in the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held in Busan to evaluate progress in international cooperation related to the provision of aid, enhancing developmental actions around the world, and the drafting of collective plans for the future of aid and development efforts by all stakeholders and actors. The Busan forum was preceded bysimilar high level forums (on the governmental level) on aid effectiveness, held in Accra 2008, Paris 2005, and Rome 2003. The concept was later developed to become Development Effectiveness. As one of the stakeholders, civil society considered the Busan High Level Forum to be an important
milestone recognizing that “Civil society organisations (CSOs) play a vital role in enabling people to claim their rights, in promoting rights-based approaches, in shaping development policies and partnerships, and in overseeing their implementation. They also provide services in areas that are complementary to those provided by states.” Recognising this, civil society will: a) Implement fully our respective commitments to enable CSOs to exercise their roles as independent development actors, with a particular focus on an enabling environment, consistent with agreed international rights, that maximises the contributions of CSOs to development. b) Encourage CSOs to implement practices that strengthen their accountability and their contribution to development effectiveness, guided by the Istanbul Principles and the International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness.”

The CSO Open Forum adopted the Istanbul Principles in 2010, following intensive Consultative meetings on the regional and national levels held with civil society stakeholders from around the world. More than 3500 organizations participated in the process. The common framework of the Principles sets out effective practices by CSOs to achieve development and clarifies the minimum standards for establishing an enabling environment for civil society work. It also reflects a developmental vision and a basis to enhance development effectiveness and practices by CSOs.