Past consultations
2011
European Commission consultation on Trade and Development Communication
The European Commission consultation provided interested parties with the opportunity to present their views and contribute to set the agenda for European Trade and Development actions in the coming years.
The main aim of the Trade and Development Communication is to give a clear picture of how the EU can best support developing countries that do not currently benefit from international trade, or do so only marginally.
Public Consultation on a new Trade and Development Communication 2011
The Economic Impact and Effectiveness of Development Aid
The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee has launched a new inquiry which will ask what impact official development aid has on the economic growth and development of recipient countries. The inquiry will not address humanitarian aid. For further details please click here.
The deadline for submitting written evidence was 30 June.
DFID Business Plan Consultation
DFID has now closed its consultation on the new Business Plan. The updated version of DFID’s current Business Plan is available here.
DFID Humanitarian and Emergency Response Review
The UK Government has now published the Humanitarian and Emergency Response Review. The Bond Disaster and Risk Reduction Group submitted a consultation paper as part of the review focussing on the issue of Disaster Risk Reduction. You can read the submission here.
Independent Commission on Aid Impact (ICAI) Consultation
The Independent Commission for Aid Impact has now concluded its 3 year work-plan consultation. Bond submitted a consultation paper signed by over 25 Bond members as part of this process. You can read the paper here.
The Independent Commission for Aid Impact was officially launched by Andrew Mitchell and Chief Commissioner Graham Ward on 12 May. At the same time the Commission’s three year work-plan was also published. You can access the full work-plan here.
DFID Multilateral and Bilateral Aid Reviews
On 1 March 2011, the Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell outlined the findings of both the Multilateral and Bilateral Aid Reviews. Click here for more information.
On the MAR, as well as submitting a joint letter and briefing paper signed by 44 Bond members to the Secretary of State, Bond also convened a consultation afternoon with DFID in September 2010 where NGO representatives were given the opportunity to discuss the Multilateral Aid Review and the consultation process.
Read the full Bond letter and briefing paper.
Regarding the BAR, Bond managed the NGO consultation with 21 written submissions from members. Bond also submitted its own paper on the BAR.
Read the Bond paper and the accompanying letter to the Secretary of State.
European Commission consultation on the future of EU development policy
This consultation closed on 31 January.
The Green Paper intends to promote a debate on how best to adapt EU development policy to the needs of developing countries and to the added value of EU action. It proposes four main areas of debate:
- The impact of EU aid
- Facilitation of more, and more inclusive, growth in developing countries
- The promotion of sustainable development
- Durable results in the area of agriculture and food security
For further information or to verify ways to contribute, please see the EC Consultation page.
Both Bond and CONCORD submitted a response to the consultation:
Read the Bond submission
Read the CONCORD submission:
CONCORD Narrative on Development
Charity Commission Strategic Review Consultation
The Charity Commission, which faces 33% budget cuts over the next four years, is currently carrying out a strategic review, which included a consultation with charities on the risks they face and the Charity Commission's role in addressing those risks.
The consultation closed on 14 January 2011. Bond submitted a response representing the priorities of the international development sector, as reflected on a survey carried out with 21 organisations.
Read the Bond submission to the Charity Commission strategic review
Read more about the Charity Commission consultation on its future role
and focus
2010
Big Society Consultation
On 6 January 2011 the Government closed the consultation on improving support to frontline voluntary and community organisations, which had been running since October 2010 as part of its Big Society strategy for charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises.
Bond submitted a response to the consultation highlighting that, in order to tackle the challenges of the 21st Century, we need to recognise that we are part of a global Big Society, as well as the importance of investigating how the development sector can itself participate in realising social progress through the Big Society.
Read: Bond response to Supporting a Stronger Civil Society
Bribery Act Consultation
The Ministry of Justice launched a consultation on the guidance about procedures that commercial organisations can put in place to prevent bribery. The Bond Anti-Corruption Group, a sub-group of the Governance Group, is concerned that the recently-announced public consultation will result in the Bribery Act being weakened. It is therefore important that civil society is seen to express this concern during the consultation.
The closing date of the consultation was 8 November 2010. For further information about it, please visit the Consultation page.
Read the Bond Governance Group submission to the conslutation.
DFID Consultation on UK Government Policy on reproductive, maternal and newborn health in the developing world
DFID is currently developing their business plan to improve reproductive, maternal and newborn health. They have ran a consultation for interested groups to participate in this process, for which the deadline for submissions was 20 October 2010.
For more information on the process, please visit the maternal health consultation page
DFID Consultation on malaria
DFID held a 12 week consultation on malaria, a disease that kills 863,000 people every year. This consultation was also part of DFID's new business plan to improve reproductive, maternal and newborn health.
This consultation closed on 25 October. For more information visit the malaria consultation page.
International Development Committee inquiry
The International Development Committee concluded an inquiry into the Department for International Development's Annual Report, DFID in 2009-10, and the Department's Resource Accounts for 2009-10.
The Committee called for short written submissions from interested organisations and individuals and was particularly interested in receiving evidence which addresses the following issues:
- DFID's approach to assessing the effectiveness of aid and the role of DFID's new aid watchdog
- Reduction in DFID's administration costs
- DFID's use of technical assistance and consultants and whether reducing this expense could be an appropriate target for the new Government
- The work of CDC, a DFID owned fund management business, which invests in the private sectors in developing countries especially Africa and South Asia.
The deadline for submitting written evidence was 10 September 2010.
Bond worked closely with UKAN and other organisations on a joint submission to the IDC particularly around the effectiveness of DFID's work.
Read the detailed guidance for evidence to House of Commons Select Committees
For further information, please see the DFID in 2009-10 and Resource Accounts 2009-10 inquiry page.
European Commission consultation on voluntary guidelines for non-profit organisations
The European Commission carried out a consultation on voluntary guidelines for non-profit organisations. The draft guidelines will be attached to a Commission Communication, which will go forward to the European Council and Parliament for political approval.
The purpose of the guidelines is to raise NGO awareness of their risk of being abused for terrorist financing purposes and to encourage NGOs to review their internal rules. The draft guidelines cover governance, financial accountability, donor relations, beneficiary relations and the reporting of suspicious activity.
Read the Commission Discussion Paper and draft guidelines
The deadline for responses to the consultation was 15 September 2010.
Bond submitted a response to the consultation. For further information, please contact Katherine Astill, Sector Advocacy Officer, 0207 520 0252.
DFID Poverty Impact Fund Consultation
DFID concluded a consultation on the Poverty Impact Fund, which aims to support organisations that fight poverty with a focus on service delivery in support of the Millennium Development Goals.
Read the Poverty Impact Fund proposal and consultation questions.
Bond made a collective submission on behalf of its members. For further information, please contact Joni Hillman, Donor Advocacy Officer.
Bond strategy 2011-2016 consultation event 21 April 2010
This opening event for the strategy consultation brought together leaders from across the membership to debate keys issues. The event opened with an introduction from Anna Feuchtwang. Nick Roseveare then explained the strategy, its themes, and the process of consultation and sign off. Attendees got straight into the discussion by sharing key sector wide challenges that will influence the strategy and moved on to working on a vision of success for 2016. The rest of the event focussed on addressing some of the questions from the consultation document. Lots of interesting ideas were generated which will be fed into the consultation process. Some highlights include:
• The need for the sector to work together on developing a ‘new narrative’ for development that describes our vision for human progress and help us all positively defend our work, build our self confidence and increase support and pride in the sector
• The increasing pressure and competition between development actors which means there needs to be greater coordination and collaboration so we make the best of opportunities
• The role of Bond as a hub which amplifies members interests, filters the different voices and links people together
Attendees said: “There was strong consensus around key issues.”
“Very well designed and facilitated event, I felt I really had a chance to contribute and be heard. Very well done!”
“Good information and context to take back to my organisation to form our written response.”
“Reinforced current debates – we are on the right track!”
2009
Consultation by the International Development Committee on the 0.7 of aid legislation
The International Development Committee (IDC) conducted a consultation on the recently proposed new international development bill on aid levels of 0.7/GNI. The deadline for written submissions has now passed.
The UK Aid Network coordinated a joint submission to the IDC and will be closely monitoring the process in Parliament. Contact the UK Aid Network to find out more and to get involved in joint advocacy around the bill.
Read the details of the Inquiry on the IDC website.
Controlling costs in defamation proceedings
The Ministry of Justice has sought views on a proposal to reduce the maximum 'success fee' which may be charged in defamation proceedings funded under Conditional Fee Agreements from 100% to 10% of base costs. Views were sought from legal professionals and those involved in defamation cases as claimants or defendants.
This is particularly relevant to campaigning NGOs whose ability to publish reports which 'name and shame' powerful businesses or officials is threatened by their fear of huge legal costs. See our Sector pages for more information on why this issue matters to NGOs.
Joint Bangladesh/UK Parliamentary Climate Change Inquiry on "Climate Change Equity: is it a plan, an aspiration or a fashion statement?"
The All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group and the Bangladesh All Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change and Environment convened an inquiry into the concept of equity in climate change negotiations. Bangladesh will be one of the first countries to suffer from the impacts of climate change; the UK is one of the countries that has contributed most to the problem.
The inquiry aimed at developing a shared understanding between UK and Bangladeshi parliamentarians of their respective burdens and challenges to propose a model for the developed and developing worlds.
For more information, read the briefing note on this inquiry.
Consultation on a refreshed Compact for government-civil society relations
The Compact is an agreement that sets out guidelines for the relationship between government and civil society organisations. It has often seemed more relevant to domestic organisations than to NGOs working internationally. However, it applies to all UK-based NGOs, and an improved Compact could improve the working relationship between NGOs and DFID.
The deadline for submissions was 12 October 2009.
HM Treasury consultation on vulture funds
HM Treasury conducted a consultation into the possibility of extending participation in debt relief through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative by legislation that would limit the proportion of debts already contracted by a HIPC that a creditor could reclaim under UK laws (also known as "vulture funds").
Jubilee Debt Campaign was actively involved in this consultation and organised a meeting with the Treasury on 10 August. Please get in touch with Sarah Edwards of Jubilee Debt Campaign if you want to find out more information about this consultation.
International Development Committee (IDC) inquiry on the DFID White Paper DFID and the DFID Annual Report 2009
The International Development Committee launched an inquiry into the new DFID White Paper, Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future, published on 6 July 2009. The inquiry also examined the DFID Annual Report, Better Results for Poor People, published on 16 July 2009.
Read the Bond joint submission to this inquiry made in September 2009, with its strong focus on the DFID White Paper.
IDC Inquiry into DFID HIV/AIDS Strategy
The International Development Committeecarried out an inquiry into the new DFID HIV/AIDS Strategy, Achieving Universal Access, published in June 2008. This inquiry reviewed progress on the issues raised by the Committee last year. In particular the Committee assessed the following:
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the process established by DFID for monitoring the performance and evaluating the impact of the Strategy
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progress on health systems strengthening and on an integrated approach to HIV/AIDS funding
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integration of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care with other disease programmes, particularly tuberculosis and malaria
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the effectiveness of DFID's Strategy in ensuring that marginalised and vulnerable groups receive prevention, treatment, care and support services
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the effectiveness of social protection programmes within the Strategy
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progress towards the commitment to universal access to anti-retroviral treatment and its impact on the effectiveness of care and treatment, particularly for women.
The deadline for submissions was 30 September 2009.
DFID White Paper Consultation
All- Party Parliamentary Group launches Inquiry on Aid Effectiveness
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Debt, Aid and Trade held an inquiry into aid effectiveness.
Organisations were asked to send them submissions by 4 June 2009, with the Terms of References providing guidance on the parameters of the enquiry and instructions below for submissions.
The UK Aid Network (UKAN) sent a joint submission.
International Development Committee (IDC) inquiry into Urbanisation and Poverty
The International Development Committee concluded an inquiry into Urbanisation and Poverty. Key issues for the inquiry included:
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how effectively developing country governments and donors, particularly DFID, are addressing the challenges presented by urban poverty;
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DFID's contribution to meeting the MDG 7 target which seeks to improve the lives of slum dwellers;
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the provision of basic services and infrastructure in slums, including energy, housing, transport, sanitation, water, health and education;
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supporting opportunities for employment and livelihoods for the urban poor;
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the role of property rights in improving the lives of slum dwellers; and
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the implications of the current global financial downturn for urbanisation in developing countries.
The deadline for submissions was 24 April 2009.
DFID Consultation on Evaluation
DFID has developed a new evaluation policy which will set the course for DFID evaluations in the future. They have also produced a ‘topic list' of potential areas for evaluation over the coming 3 years which they consult on.
Bond submission to DFID's 'Building the evidence to reduce poverty: The UK's policy on independent evaluation for international development', March 2009.
DFID Consultation on new strategy with UNICEF
The Department for International Developmnet (DFID) asked for written submissions for its consultation on a new Institutional Strategy Paper with the United Nation Children's Fund (UNICEF). T
Read the Bond submission to the UNICEF consultation.
2008
DFID Institutional Strategy Paper for Europe
June 2008
International Development Minister Gareth Thomas launched the finalised DFID Institutional Strategy Paper for Europe on 23 June 2008. The strategy outlines DFID's vision for working more closely on international development policy with the other EU member states, the European Commission, European Parliamentarians and with civil society.
2007
Consultation on Charities and Terrorism
August 2007
The Home Office consultation, undertaken in partnership with the Treasury, on charities and terrorism ended on 2 August.
Bond submitted a joint response to the Review of Safeguards to Protect the Charitable Sector (England and Wales) from Terrorist Abuse. In total 47 member organisations signed up to the response.
Bond Submission: Charities and terrorism
Consultation on how to ensure Effective Consultation
July 2007
The Cabinet Office has issued a consultation entitled Effective Consultation which examines how government currently consults and asks for views on how this process can be improved.
Bond Briefing: Effective Consultation
2006
DFID Governance and Transparency Fund consultation
November 2006
Back in 2006 DFID announced the creation of a new £100 million Governance and Transparency Fund so that media groups, civil society and others can play their part in improving governance, and helping poor people to hold their governments to account. A consultation on the Governance and Transparency Fund Consultation ran till 8 November 2006.
Bond Joint Submission to Governance and Transparency Fund Consultation
