BOND AGM 2007 and Annual Conference
Collective Voices - Individual Needs
Date: Wednesday, 24 October 2007
Over 170 delegates, representing 117 member organisations, attended BOND's AGM and Conference in London on 24 October. As well as reviewing the highlights and challenges of the past year, delegates heard keynote speaker Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, share thoughts on the relationship between DFID and civil society organisations. Plenary sessions and workshops saw lively discussion on key issues affecting our sector, and a renewed commitment to working together to respond to new challenges and opportunities in our work to tackle poverty.
'I really enjoyed the stimulating range of
issues and feel that BOND is increasingly
responding to the sector's desire to
respond effectively to external demands.'
Delegate at Collective Voice
In a key speech, delivered just over 100 days after taking up office as Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, spoke about DFID's future policy direction, and the relationship with civil society organisations.
Download Secretary of State's speech (word, 62kb)
Workshops in the afternoon gave delegates a chance to go deeper into some of the key issues and challenges facing the sector. Planned and led by BOND's member-led groups, the workshops generated renewed determination to build on existing networks and work together and all six workshops saw wide-ranging discussion and reflection. They included:
Europe and Africa in the 21st century: Jenny Brown of Christian Aid and Romina Vegro of the BOND European Policy Group led a workshop to inform delegates how their organisations can interact with and influence the EU. Recordings from the recent launch of BOND's African Voices publication sparked a lively discussion on a diverse range of issues, including the impact of the proposed new strategy on EUAfrica relations, involvement of civil society in the consultation process and how it can monitor the implementation of the strategy. Delegates left with new ideas on how they can interact and influence the EU.
Youth-led development: David Woollcombe, Chair of BOND's Young People in Development group, kicked off a workshop on youth-led development by outlining the group's vision of young people as 'an asset, not a problem', and as a catalyst for transforming society. Delegates heard ambitious plans for a project in West Africa, where young people are key to transforming society after civil war, and discussed the cost-effectiveness of young people leading projects, and young people's unique ability to educate others. Participants were urged to join the BOND group, which is being revived following the inclusion of a DFID-led youth working group.
Linking evidence to policy advocacy: Naved Chowdhury of ODI led this workshop for the Southern Advocacy Group, explaining that researchers and policy-makers have different notions of what constitutes useful evidence. He told participants that to influence policy, they needed to present data in a way that meets policy-makers' need for timely and politically relevant intelligence. Discussion raised issues of whether evidence is more effective if government-commissioned, and ways of 'beating business and government at their own game' by providing credible evidence.
Climate change: The Development and Environment Group led a workshop on what climate change means for our organisations. Mike Edwards spoke of a 'spiritual crisis' where current lobbying, advocacy and public relations work. Participants discussed the many challenges in this area, including knowledge management, and the tendency for NGOs to feel their work justifies a large carbon footprint. But they also saw opportunities - and there was a large appetite for further urgent joint work on this issue.
Sectoral priorities Participants in a workshop focussing on water and sanitation heard of the mismatch between poor people's and donor's focus on water. Peter Kerby of DFID discussed DFID's Sectoral Policies and Country Led Approaches to aid. He talked of the challenges of measuring spending, and how sectoral targets give a useful focus but risk diverting attention away from outcomes.Daisy Owomugasho of the Uganda Debt Network cited evidence from her country, where, whilst in theory aid is 'country led', poor people's concerns about water are systematically downgraded so that one of the top three issues of popular concern only gets 2.6% of the total budget. Debate in the workshop centred around how to ensure that policy-makers and stakeholder appreciate the value of community views and participation.
Delivering quality work The BOND Quality Standards Group led discussions on the challenges NGOs face in delivering quality development work and ensuring accountability to those they work with in the South. Alex Jacobs chaired a panel that presented some of the initiatives they are taking forward. Mary Ann Mhina outlined the strategic approach she is taking at AbleChildAfrica, Susanne Niedrum (Build Africa) examined the lack of leadership and incentives for accountability, and Robyn Wilford presented a Concern Worldwide project on strengthening relationships. Discussions reflected on the problem of defining 'quality', the tools available to measure it, and the need to build organisational systems for better relationships throughout the aid chain.
Session Reports
Development pathways in a climate constrained world
The hall was packed for a plenary session on climate change.
DFID Head of Growth Paul Mullard outlined his view that economic growth is vital to reduce poverty, that climate change is a threat to growth and that market approaches - such as carbonpricing - as well as measures to enable developing countries to take advantage of new technologies are the answer.
Christian Aid Head of Policy Alex Cobham argued that growth is not an end in itself, but just one of many instruments for development. He challenged DFID to "catch up" with thinking on growth and asserted that while growth in richest countries is re-distributed, in poor countries growth does not benefit the poor.
Peter Hardstaff, Head of Policy at the World Development Movement stressed the equity dimension - pointing out that each person in the UK emits an average 10 tonnes of carbon a year, compared with 0.06 tonnes for the average Ugandan - and argued that sustainable tax revenue is a key part of addressing inequality.
Ian Dickie, Head of Economics at RSPB, said that headline increases in GDP can hide reductions in well-being, and there is a need to properly value services provided by ecosystems, citing studies that show the cost to society when wildlife habitats are destroyed for private gain is 100 times greater than the benefit.
Questions to the panel touched on a wide range of issues, including how countries can choose to 'do agriculture differently' and still compete in the global market, and how NGOs can engage with indigenous people to find solutions to climate change.
Delegates challenged DFID to lead the international process of determining and assessing the burden of climate costs globally, and mapping out what lowcarbon or no-carbon sustainable growth would look like.
The UK and the Global Call to Action Against Poverty
How can the UK take its place on the international stage, and connect to campaigners across the South?
BOND Co-Chair Penny Lawrence introduced a session on the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), a strong, South-led alliance of thousands of organisations in over 100 country coalitions and platforms. On 17 October GCAP and the UN Millennium Campaign mobilised over 40 million people worldwide to stand up and speak out against poverty in a unified 24-hour action.
The UK representative to GCAP, Glen Tarman of BOND, sits on the global governing body elected by Europe. With Alison Woodhead, an international NGO representative of that body, Glen described the alliance and sought opinions on how the UK as a national collectivity should connect with this global movement in 2008 and beyond.
Glen said that the UK NGO community was a key stimulus for the global alliance, which took inspiration from Make Poverty History. The UK closure of Make Poverty History had sent a negative message globally, and its huge success as a brand in the UK presented other challenges here, but it was time now to look forward and find the best plan for the years to come.
Alison Woodhead outlined the burgeoning structure and increasing maturity of the GCAP, and its five pillars: governance and accountability, trade Justice, more and better aid, debt cancellation and gender justice. Climate change as a poverty issue has also been introduced in 2007.
Delegates asked challenging questions about GCAP and its relation to other national and global networks, and whether and how it can include new sectors such as environment organisations and, in the UK, campaigners on poverty in this country.
Glen urged all those interested in joining the consultation on the future way forward for the UK and GCAP to contact him (gtarman@bond.org.uk) and to come to the Campaigning Forum meeting on 11 December where BOND members will explore how they and other UK NGOS and networks can best play a part in the GCAP.
Report and Financial Statements 31 March 2007 (pdf, 1.1MB)
BOND Annual Review 2006-2007 (pdf, 2.7MB)
Slides of Ian Barry's AGM (presentation powerpoint, 36KB)