What is Civil Society? Definition of a CSO The concepts of
‘civil society’ and ‘civil society organisation’ are still
debated but we use these terms as they are most widely
understood internationally. Other common terms are; nonprofit
organisation, charity, NGO, third sector, voluntary sector and
so on. The Centre for Civil Society at John Hopkins University
defines a civil society organisation as: “Any organisation
whether formal or informal, that are not part of the apparatus
of government, that do not distribute profits to their directors
or operators, that are self-governing, and in which
participation is a matter of free choice. Both member-serving
and public-serving organisations are included. Embraced within
this definition, therefore, are private, not-for-profit health
providers, schools, advocacy groups, social service agencies,
anti-poverty groups, development agencies, professional
associations, community-based organisations, unions, religious
bodies, recreation organisations, cultural institutions