This edition of the Reality Check tackles the critical issues of civil society and development effectiveness. In the lead-up to the Accra High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, CSOs have been challenged to respond to the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness in relation to their own effectiveness as aid and development actors. Rejecting the direct application of the Paris Declaration to CSO development roles, CSOs have focused on their roles as innovative agents of change and social transformation. This Reality Check highlights issues of CSO accountability, support for women's rights organizations in development, political roles, and North/South civil society relationships, among others. In July 2008, about 80 CSOs from around the world launched a two-year Global Forum on CSO Development Effectiveness to discuss these issues and agree upon civil society development effectiveness principles and guidelines to implement these principles.