Looking ahead at 2012

First of all, happy New Year to all CCIC members and friends!  May our collective efforts take us closer to the more peaceful, just and equitable world that we all work so hard to build.

2012 will be an important year for our sector without a doubt. Changes in the context in which we work are taking form – new players are entering the scene challenging the development discourse that has dominated for decades, looming financial crisis are further restraining support for development in Canada and abroad, and the vision of the role of civil society actors in development is shifting rapidly. All these changes present us with important challenges and also very interesting opportunities. The resilience of our sector will be put to the test!

As the year starts, a series of questions we must address  – what will be our collective response to the changing political and fiscal context in which we operate? How will we respond to the increasingly competitive and directive funding mechanisms that are replacing responsive partnerships with donors? What new forms of collaboration, innovation, funding and organization will we explore to adapt to this changing context? How will we renew our links with the Canadian public in order to garner greater support for international development?  What signals of the “re-imagined” sector will we see emerging as the year progresses? And what role can CCIC play in facilitating and supporting some of these key processes?

Here’s looking forward to working towards finding answers to these and other questions with all of you during 2012.  Stay tuned!

In solidarity, Julia

CCIC member dialogue on CIDA’s sustainable economic growth strategy

On January 23, 2012, CCIC held a learning event in Ottawa, entitled The elusive quest for pro-poor growth? A discussion on CIDA’s Sustainable Economic Growth Strategy . The morning session featured two keynote speakers, Jim Stanford (Economist, Canadian Auto Workers) and Franque Grimard (Professor, McGill University). This was followed by presentations from Fraser Reilly-King (CCIC) on CIDA’s sustainable economic growth strategy, Bonnie Campbell (UQAM) on the role of extractive industries and Linda Jones (Coady International Institute) on women’s economic empowerment. The afternoon portion of the event featured a lively discussion among the 50 participants who representing over one quarter of CCIC’s members. Photos from the event are available on CCIC’s flickr photostream . The CCIC discussion paper that analyzes CIDA’s sustainable economic growth strategy is now available online. Videos of presentations from this event will be available on CCIC’s YouTube channel in early February.

Americas Policy Group at work in Colombia

In mid- January, a delegation of Canadians and Americans  traveled to Colombia to observe the situation in Marmato, a town at odds with Canadian mining company Gran Colombia Gold for its reported lack of respect for the community’s right to free, prior and informed consent prior to any mining activity taking place on its ancestral territories. Delegates met with miners, municipal, departmental and federal government officials, local and regional police, and representatives from various think-tanks and NGOs. Insights and reflections from this trip will be available early February on  CCIC’s blog.

A new go-to source for information about Canadian CSOs

Imagine Canada is launching a new online tool called CharityFocus which can be used for gathering information, interacting with other Canadian CSOs and receiving donations. Profiles have already been created for many CSOs and organizations can expand their profile by uploading annual reports and financial and mission statements, and linking social media feeds to your organization’s CharityFocus profile.

Improving transparency at CIDA: get involved!

CCIC’s Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) met in December 2011 with Réal Lavergne and Alison Robey of the Aid Effectiveness and Country Programs Unit in CIDA’s Partnerships with Canadians Branch (PWCB).  CIDA reported on work they have begun to improve reporting guidelines for PWCB partners, aimed at making reports more useful.   Focus will be on succinct results statements that CIDA can use to meet its aid transparency commitments; better contextualizing projects in time and space; and country-by-country annexes.   Some organizations have already agreed to test this approach in upcoming reports to CIDA.  If your organization is planning to submit a final report, you are invited to contact Réal Lavergne to discuss testing the new reporting framework, on a voluntary basis.  The ERG will be following this initiative, and would like to know if you are in contact with CIDA about it.  To send updates or for more information, please contact Julia Anderson.  The next ERG meeting is March 1, 2012, and new members are welcome.

CCIC member organization Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) was founded in 1984 in response to the famine and health crisis in East Africa at that time. Since then, CPAR has been working in partnership with vulnerable communities and diverse organizations to overcome poverty and build healthy communities in Africa. CPAR uses a holistic, grassroots and empowering approach to respond to key determinants of health: food security and nutrition; clean water and sanitation; essential health services; and secure livelihoods. What makes CPAR unique? For starters, there’s the fact that 98% of CPAR’s staff are African. CPAR believes in the importance of empowering people from local communities where they work, to become agents of change.

Through its Farmers First program, today CPAR is working with small scale farmers in Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi and Tanzania to improve year-round food security. You can find out more at their Putting Farmers First website. As Samson Chitsokwe, who is a community facilitator with CPAR’s Farmers First program in Malawi, explains: “I am grateful to CPAR-Malawi for introducing winter cropping in our area which has helped a lot of people have enough food even when crops have failed in the upland gardens. I am happy that through farmer field school I am able to share my experiences with my fellow farmers.”

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