BCCIC Sept 24, 2010 Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends SOME THOUGHTS and Questions

1. BCCIC Sept 24, 2010 Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends SOME THOUGHTS and Questions wfeek@comminit.com

2. The Basis for these Ideas: • The Communication Initiative • www.comminit.com • Convene the communication and media for development community • A partnership of 28 organisations (with others interested). • A network of 85,000 plus people and organisations. • 2,500,000 individual user sessions over the past 12 months.

3. Two strong regional processes in Latin America and Africa. • Full geographic and organisational coverage – over 200 countries and over 5,000 organisations • Heavy developing country presence – over 65% in non-OECD countries and fastest growing element of network in those countries is non-capital city, free email address, local language organisational name. • Web 2.0 (3.0) platform – all bells and whistles • Based in Victoria, BC

4. Added Value? • From independent network surveys: • 86 % had used The CI to improve their work • 49% had initiated an exchange/dialogue with peers prompted by a CI ‘item • 88% of that group regarded the exchange as positive for their work • 61% of the overall sample rated the CI as a 7 or better on a 10 point • scale with 1 being “of no value” and 10 being “extremely valuable • ...with 84% rating The CI a 5 or better on that scale • 33% of the sample group of CI network members had contacted someone else in the network - so somewhere in the range of 26,000 to 130,000 contacts for the purpose of network members improving their work.

5. Examples from the Network There are hundreds – just a few • Local Language Media • Government accountability • - India (LSE study) Bangladesh Sanglap Newspapers, Education, Corruption – Uganda (WBI)

6. This Presentation is NOT! A Funding Guide An overview of Funder policies – there are hundreds An introduction to a set of influential funder contacts Sorry – feel free to leave! But will attempt to be (with your help) An insight into overall development funder trends… …your judgments re these is one vital part of your funding and programming strategies… …because you will need to understand the funding agency and/or contact

7. Context Check! “More than a billion people eat fewer than 1,900 calories per day” (IFPRI) "Subtract China from the picture ..the heyday of the Green Revolution saw global hunger increase by 11 percent”.(IFPRI) “In South America hunger grew by 20 percent despite impressive gains in output, driven in part by improved crop varieties” (IFPRI)

8. Context Check! Africa exported 1.3 million tons of food a year in the 1960s, but... today it imports nearly 25 percent of its food (IFPRI) (over past 10 years) there has been an increase in the number of people in Africa living on less than USD 1.25 per day (World Bank) New HIV infections outstrip ARV supply by 5 to 1 (UNAIDS)

9. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Vertical MDGs vs Underlying Issues Base Your Priorities on the vertical MDGs or address underpinning Issues – eg poverty, democratic accountability Trends towards? Underlying – eg UNICEF - Equity

10. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Donor Transparency vs Receiving Government primacy How many times do we hear that it is the receiving “government’s judgment or prerogative – we respect their primacy in their country Trends towards? Donor Transparency (big-time)

11. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Primary accountability to “givers” or “receivers” Accountable to taxpayers and “granters” or to those in whose interests we all claim to work Trends towards? Taxpayers and “Granters” Big Role for You!

12. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Voice of “technical” and “donors” or “people most affected” Whose ideas, analysis and perspectives do you seek to amplify? Epidemiologists and Economists or local farmers and health advocates? Trends towards? Local (just!) cost – principle - challenges

13. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Effectiveness vs Efficiency? Major push – indicators, evaluation, cost-effectiveness, MDG impact Trends towards? Both OECD DAC process

14. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Short Time Frame vs Long Time Frame Two years or ten years? And does the money match? Trends towards? Short Less money – more issues – want better results - quicker

15. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Detailed Planning vs Flexible Response in Context Ohh – Results Based Management – where next? Trends towards? Detailed In guise of transparency, impact, good financial management

16. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Core strategies vs Local Responses Do donors run a global response – eg Polio, HIV, Malaria – or provide resources for local to identify their issues and invest accordingly? Trends towards? Core Combined funds, greater impact, coherent focus

17. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Big basket funds vs Small scale grants GFATM; Presidents Initiative on Malaria; IAVI; etc or micro-enterprise loans and small amounts to lots of Local NGOs Trends towards? Baskets Combined funds, greater impact, coherent focus

18. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Governments vs Civil Society orgs Bilaterals = Governments UN agencies = Governments Foundations = Civil Society Trends towards? No Change Budget support may decline but big money will still go to Govts

19. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Security vs Development Counting security costs within Development budgets – eg DFID possible policy Trends towards? Security Highest public resonance – “complements” military

20. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Technical Support vs Cash Keep emphasis on predominantly “northern” expertise flying “South” or look at cash processes – eg Balsa Familia in Brasil Trends towards? Cash (just) Overwhelming evidence of impact – from Balsa to micro-enterprise

21. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Development Principles vs China China as a very major player with overt interests re primary resources Trends towards? China More direct investment – fewer difficult questions. 2 billion USD BBC World equiv

22. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Crisis vs Development Haiti, Sudan, Tsunami etc – vs poverty alleviation Trends towards? Crisis News – public attention – immediate demand – can see (or not see) response

23. Development Challenges Donor Dilemmas + Trends Large Scale vs Pilot Try things out in pilot processes or go large scale? Trends towards? Large scale Pilots too small to impact and suck up too much energy

25. Thanks Warren Feek wfeek@comminit.com www.comminit.com