Civil Society organizations are facing increasing pressure to demonstrate their accountability, legitimacy, and effectiveness.

In response, a growing number of civil society organizations are coming together at national, regional, and international levels to define common standards and promote good practice through codes of conduct, certification schemes, reporting frameworks, directories, and awards.

Civil society is being challenged from three directions: internally by the risk of losing public trust; externally by political threats to its right to exist; and by general threats that face mankind generally, such as impact of climate change, violent conflicts, poverty, and inequity.