ISSUE #11 | JAN-FEB 2015
ISSN: 2312-0924
www.asianngo.org
S U M M I T
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THE PATHWAY TO ASEAN AND GLOBAL MOBILITY
Funds | Partnerships | Learning
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Since the end of the decade-long conflict in 2006, Nepal still experiences erratic political disputes, and issues on accountability and transparency. More pressing is its issues on human rights, gender inequality and social exclusion; while being one of Asia’s most vulnerable to the extreme effects of climate change, including earthquakes, flash floods and landslides. With the scars of the conflict still fresh in the social and political landscape of the young democracy, how is development attainable? The bumpy road that has been Nepal is also threatened of a delay in its transition from the recent end of conflicts, to strengthening its public institutions. Some point to weak governance and poor sustainability of assets – making the system even more vulnerable to possible disruptions of its efforts to unify and succeed.
COUNTRY FEATURE
NEPAL:
At a local level, there is certainly more work needed to achieve MDGs on employment, adult literacy, gender equality in higher education and employment, and universal access to treatment of HIV/AIDS. A deepseated social inequality and discrimination are rampant, leading to a disparity in access to resources and opportunities: employment, fair trial in the justice system, ownership of land titles, and representation in political platforms. There is also a heightened tendency of domestic violence, forced child marriages, illegal child labour and human trafficking as a result of this poverty.
the journey to peace and the road to development
The turn-of-the-century insurgency thus saw a high direct involvement of women largely because of this lack of access to socio-economic and political tools for them to thrive in decent work; and from the discrimination and violence. That disparity has hardly made any drastic improvement to date. Page 4
Image: Sam Gellman
IN THIS ISSUE Featured Grants
AsianCSR Special: 2014’s Top 5
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Page 7
Women changing philanthropy
Grants and Project Opportunities
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Page 16
......................................... Upcoming Events: CSR Asia, MDF International
Featured Local Insights from Nepal Page 4 - 5
Page 9 and 13
Book Reviews, other learning resources Page 13
FEATURED PROJECT
Bringing life back to Haiyan survivors through football In November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan was the strongest typhoon to ever make landfall worldwide, devastating Central Philippines and leaving a lot of children vulnerable. Local and international organisations delivered support to displaced families and communities in the areas affected. Along with these relief efforts, ASSIST and FundLife launched Football for Life (F4L) in Tacloban City in July last year, to rehabilitate young survivors back into normal living through football. Financed by UNICEF, the initiative hopes to bring a sense of normalcy to the victims and survivors of Haiyan.
"The best solution for those who feel helpless is for them to help others."
Aung San Suu Kyi
"There is no development strategy more beneficial to society as a whole - women and men alike - than one which involves women as central players." Kofi Annan
Southeast Asia in 2015 Southeast Asia enters 2015 facing a number of critical challenges that will have a bearing on its future: can economic integration be achieved among all 10 members of ASEAN? How might maritime security disputes unite or splinter ASEAN? Will democracy in Myanmar continue to develop apace? Will democratic development in Thailand be further weakened? Also looming large is the question of whether the US can ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a key economic ingredient in the country’s re-balancing strategy toward Asia.
F4L is designed to provide emotional and psychological solace by offering alternative education and lifelong learning through football. Among the activities conducted in line with the project are free football sessions where in different locations across
The ASEAN Economic Community Since the promulgation of the ASEAN Charter in 2008, 2015 has been billed a transformative year; with the bloc expected to form an “ASEAN community” and integrate based on three pillars – political, economic, and sociocultural. Of these three, economic integration is the most developed; but one that is predicated on a singlemarket and a single-production base is a long way off.
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EDITORIAL Editorial
On giving: more of the good, on with the new
MIKE SAYCON mike@asianngo.org
We kick this year off on a highly positive note: the magazine is seeing some upgrade [for lack of a better term] with regard to content and design. As young as we are (less than two years), we feel it’s good to start the year with an AsianNGO packed with some more goods for our readers that takes into account the experience we have had, most of which are the learning curves and positive surprises we meet along the way.
One of the biggest lessons that we, as a team, can collectively pat our backs for having done and will continue to do even more of this year, is collaborating with partners whose works are anchored on helping the small and medium-sized NGOs across the region. The enablers of enablers, we like to call them; they who not only work hard to achieve their missions but also inspire the communities. In particular, it is an exciting year ahead as we will be launching a series of learning resources on fund-raising and managing a donation drive, volunteerism, among others (see related blurb on Page 13). These materials have been generously shared with us by partners, old and new, to cascade to our readers who not only benefit from the lessons they get with each booklet we release; but also find more meaning and even trigger their creativity to pursue their own fresh ideas. Although there are so many ways to raise funds – like direct mail and solicitation letters, pledges in smaller groups, selling goods or by hosting benefit events – there is still a standard to set as guiding principles in fund-raising. In creating a sort of standard to engage donors, we believe it is even more important to carefully manage the relationships with donors whose goodness we count on. That’s because while there is a
genuinely strong interest to help, there are also differences in people’s and institutions’ attitudes about giving. One of the early issues of the magazine featured an interview with a very strong believer of and highly successful in fund-raising, Marianne Quebral (now VP for Institutional Advancement at the Asian Institute of Management in Manila). Mayan, as we call her, shared that in her prior UNICEF years they did a survey across the region – including Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Indonesia – and found that majority of Asians donate because of ‘compassion’. In some countries, giving stems from religiosity. This may be different from the culture of fund-raising or soliciting for donations in other regions; but that makes our [culture] in Asia very distinct, too: one that only we can work around with. As I write this, much of the Christian communities in Asia had just capped the celebration of Christmas and the season of heightened generosity. Even in non-Christian countries like Malaysia and Vietnam, Christmas transcends its being a Christian occasion and has become the season to re-connect with families and the community – and with the latter it was beyond simply a family affair. On a larger scale, NGOs, the private sector and even government agencies took to gift-giving visits and donation drives for marginalised groups. At an individual level, some took to social media to launch their own fund-raising campaigns to support NGOs, charities or advocacy groups they strongly believe in. Others rendered some of their time to do volunteer work for smaller NGOs or grassroots community groups over the school break and Christmas holidays for professionals. This leads us to one more subject we are very excited about this year: building resources on volunteerism. For one, our partner NGO, Manila-based ASSIST Asia, has been busy drafting partnership agreements with different institutions to further build a culture of multi-sector volunteerism first, in the Philippines; and later on across the areas that it works in.
Several have taken on this dimension of non-profit work; and we recall another interviewee exactly a year ago, Bobby Tse of Sowers Exchange in Hong Kong, which specialises in designing and co-implementing CSR programmes for corporate clients. One of the strongest and most effective components in their programme designs is integrating their (corporate) clients’ employees to render volunteer time off work, spent in communities where their CSR projects are implemented. Not only has Bobby revolutionised the CSR approach of community engagement; Sowers has also magnified the opportunity for companies to empower communities through their employees’ volunteerism and, in the process, re-invented sustainability policies among corporations. Thus, sustainability reports these days do not only contain purely strategic brand-building objectives; more importantly, the community becomes the core to CSR work. And this is where the intersection of community engagement, corporate capacities and individual desire to help all come together as the new, clearer direction for NGOs and donors to take: one that puts the community at the centre. Its dominoeffect is powerful. So whether it’s giving a faction of your cash or devoting some hours of your day to a good cause, it’s a journey to help build communities for the better – whether you’re aware of it in the process. Mayan’s and Bobby’s journeys have not only changed their careers; but also their organisations and the communities they serve. There’s a very beautiful thing that happens when we take to giving. That’s wishing everyone a more productive, and even more generous year ahead!
EDITORIAL TEAM
Commentary
Post-2015: the road to dignity Last December, UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon published a synthesis report on the post-2015 agenda, stressing the urgency of “ending poverty, transforming all lives and protecting the planet.” The first page spells out a stark alternative: “With our globalised economy and sophisticated technology, we can decide to end the HANS DEMBOWSKI age-old ills of extreme euz.editor@fs-medien.de poverty and hunger. Or we can continue to degrade our planet and allow intolerable inequalities to sow bitterness and despair.” The title of the document is “The road to dignity.” Ban states that 2015 is crucial because UN conferences are set to decide on issues of development finance in Addis Ababa in July; agree on a list of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in New York in September; and conclude an agreement on climate protection in Paris in December. The report emphasises the topics are inter-related, saying the debate on the SDGs has progressed fast and promisingly since it began at the Rio+20 summit in 2012. Ban implicitly endorses the SDG list that was proposed by the UN’s Open Working Group in summer (see box below). He neither suggests to take an item off the agenda, nor to add one. The final decisions will be taken by the special summit in New York this year. To transform the global community, more is needed than goals; and Ban calls for mechanisms to monitor progress and review policies at national and international levels, adding that statistical capacities must be improved for this purpose. With regard to financing and aid Ban makes several points, including the following: • Official development assistance (ODA) will stay important, and should increasingly be directed to the poorest and most vulnerable countries. • All donor nations should fulfill the old pledge of spending 0.7 % of GNP on ODA, while emerging markets must increasingly assume roles as donors. • There is a need for a coherent framework for ODA and climate finance. • More needs to be done in terms of restructuring sovereign debt in a transparent, orderly and participatory way. • Illicit financial flows must be tackled. According to the document, all countries must have access to environment-friendly technology, and intellectual property rights must not become insurmountable obstacles. Tackling climate change is stated to be particularly urgent because global warming exacerbates all other threats humankind faces. Ban’s synthesis report re-confirms the list of Sustainable Development Goals that was proposed by UN’s Open 2
This direction stems from the experience of ASSIST whereby in any project implemented across the region – whether it’s fully a technical programme or more of social service in nature – there are willing and fully able volunteers who lend a hand to get things done, big and small. That’s also thanks in large part to the network that ASSIST has built from over a decade of designing projects, reaching out to partners, and engaging communities.
CEO & PUBLISHER Sreenivas Narayanan
Working Group, which includes 17 goals and more than 120 indicators. The goals are: 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for everyone, at all ages 4. Inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 7. Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 9. Resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries 11. Inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements 12. Sustainable consumption and production patterns 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 14. Conserve use oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 17. Strengthen implementation of and revitalise global partnerships for sustainable development Image: A synthesis report of the UN secretary general on the post-2015 agenda may be found at https:// sustainabledevelopment. un.org.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hans Dembowski has been editor-in-chief since 2004 of D+C Development and Cooperation/E+Z Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit, a media platform funded by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and commissioned by Engagement Global to provide a forum of debate involving governments, civil society, the private sector and academia at an international level. This article also appears on the D+C.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mike Saycon SENIOR EDITOR Karthikeyan Subburaman DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Robert Ferguson PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER Olga Babina PARTNERSHIPS ASSOCIATE Nicole Razo SENIOR RESEARCH AND EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE Chona Montecillo RESEARCH AND EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES Veda Bongalos Kristine Fernandez Ashley Venerable WEB ADMINISTRATOR Chris Daria LAYOUT ARTISTS Rose Ann Dela Cruz Rozelle Tiru CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kelvin Tee For Subscriptions: subscribe@asianngo.org For Partnerships: partner@asianngo.org For Sponsorships & Advertising: advertise@asianngo.org For General Enquiry info@asianngo.org PHOTO CREDITS Flickr www.flickr.com Photo Stock Exchange www.sxc.hu Istock Photos www.istockphoto.com AsianNGO is a publication of Asian Development Media, with address in 21B, Kwong Fat Hong Bldg No.1, Ramsey St. Central, Hong Kong 1226. The print edition of AsianNGO is released on a bi-monthly basis. Opinions expressed in this magazine are solely those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by Asian Development Media. For contributions, please get in contact with the editorial team at info@asianngo.org. For more of AsianNGO and its database of grants, partners, learning assets and events, visit www.asianngo.org.
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FEATURES F E A T UR ED GRANTS
Calls for NGOs: grant to combat poverty in Asia, Africa
so we are interested to hear from social enterprises, researchers, governments and corporate organisations with an idea to deliver development results more effectively, quicker or cheaper than standard practices,” the Global Innovation Fund said in a statement.
USAID grant on accountability, governance and human rights
The application has three stages: (1) initial application, which is composed of the short online form and either a document or slide deck about the project proposal; (2) full application; (3) funding agreement. Only applications shortlisted at the first stage will be invited to submit full application.
(Image: ADB-ASSIST ‘CLICK’ Photo Competition2011)
The Global Innovation Fund invites social enterprises, private firms, non-government organisations, international organisations, researchers, and government agencies to apply for multi-sector grants geared at fighting poverty in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, India, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Tajikistan, and Yemen. Proposed programmes should be dedicated to provide social innovations that eradicate poverty in the developing countries. The grants range from £30,000 to £10m; and applications are accepted on a continuing basis. Applications should be focused to these sectors: agriculture, climate change, persons with disabilities, education, empowerment and accountability, the environment, women and gender equality, health, humanitarian emergencies/disasters, livelihoods, peace and access to justice, private sector/business, technology, trade, and water and sanitation. “At GIF, we believe that good innovations could come from anywhere and anyone Cont. from page 1
Bringing life back to Haiyan survivors through football Tacloban provide psycosocial therapy to affected children. F4L also conducted ‘Hat-Trick’ Initiative Training Seminar with the help of two senior development members of Coaches Across Continents. Almost 100 teachers and coaches came and taught football as a tool for social development. “These coaches and teachers lived through Yolanda, and are the best people who have the vision and enthusiasm on how Tacloban should be rebuilt,” Patrina Kaye Caceres, one of the local coaches, said of the project.
The grant is also open for application from countries in Africa: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
(Image: USAID Cambodia)
GIF is supported by the British Department of International Development, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Omidyar Network, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and Australia’s Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) invites Cambodian organisations to apply for grant to support its works in public accountability, good governance and respect for human rights. Amounting to a total of USD1.5 million, USAID will fund multiple awards to local organisations in the country. Applications close on 10 April 2015.
For more information: https://www.gov.uk/ international-development-funding/globalinnovation-fund.
The application is open to Cambodian nonprofit, non-governmental local organisations,
SIDA grants on women in conflict and post conflict areas The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) invites nomination from organisations working on human rights and security sector in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, OPT and Yemen to join the upcoming International Training Programme: UNSCR 1325 Women, Peace and Security on 5-23 October 2015 in political processes during conflict and postStockholm; with a regional follow-up on 4-15 conflict reconstruction, address the needs April 2016. Applications close on 30 March 2015. of children and women in conflict at postconflict areas and induce organisational Nominees and applicants should be senior change in their home organisations, and and mid-level officials who are mandated contribute to the implementation of UNSCR to contribute in the reformation of their 1325. home organisations, with the aim to improve institutional and capacity development in UN SCR 1325 acknowledges the impact their respective countries in the long run. of war on women and their role in conflict resolution. The training programme includes The training aims to raise women three weeks training in Sweden, a sixparticipation in decision-making and
faith-based groups, foundations, professional associations, and coalitions of non-profits. “USAID believes these funding opportunity and programmes that encourage democratic institutions, respect for human rights, and good governance are crucial to the sustainable development of Cambodia,” the US Mission in Phnom Penh said in a statement. The USAID seeks to engage civil society in Cambodia in these works while also involving youth and gender equality as themes in all programme activities. USAID anticipates issuing multiple awards under this annual programme statement. Each award will vary between $100,000 and $1.5mn with a two- to three-year periods of performance. The total estimated funding amount for the duration of this APS is $3-5 mn, subject to availability of funds. Aside from funding, USAID also intends to support capacity-building of the awardees. In running their proposed programme, they will be assisted through implementing training, providing tailored technical assistance, mentoring and monitoring and evaluation. The application process consists of two stages: submission of a concept paper and, upon invitation by USAID, the submission of a full application. To know more about this grant, visit the USAID website at www.1.usa. gov/1BWhhKq (Image: Pete Stasiewicz/Flickr)
month interim period to develop the project assignment, the two-week regional follow-up, and continuation of the project assignment. Twenty-five participants will be selected to attend the training programme. SIDA will cover the training costs, accommodation and international travel costs. To view more information and download the full application package, click on https://itp.sida. se/itp/Programcatalog.nsf/0/B9BBCD115A30 B7CBC1257D51003FAEC0?opendocument.
Aside from the regular trainings, F4L held the Leyte Football Festival attended by football teams from around Region 8 and new football players enrolled in F4L programme. “The activity gives a sense of normalcy for us football players; especially as this is the first major football tournament after that super typhoon,” one of the participants said. Also under F4L, the Light Up Tacloban event was held last December. The F4L team donated lights to RTR Plaza to provide a safe space for the children to play. The lighting ceremony gathered kids from the trainings in different locations. Along with the lighting ceremony was a Christmas programme where special guest, former Philippine Football Team player Chieffy Caligdong spoke and facilitated drills and games. By establishing a presence in the hardest-hit area, the Football for Life project would fasttrack the delivery of aid for children, create conditions for resilience-building, and enable long-term recovery. www.asianngo.org
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COUNTRY FEATURE Cont. from page 1
against the trafficking of young girls into forced labour or prostitution rings; female workers in Gorkha mediating the disputes caused by domestic violence; and inter-faith group in Banke that monitors tensions from The issue resulted in a call for compliance and among different religious denominations. review of the project plan and implementation In Morang there are youth groups and rights blueprint. In the end, the local community advocates that arbitrate disputes among was fairly compensated for the damages they young people, ethnic groups and labour claimed the project caused them; and the unions; NGOs in Baitadi that patrols cases project proceeded as planned. of discrimination against certain groups; and overall a community drive among local While ADB – key player in Nepal’s businesses to empower women with jobs. development along with the World Bank and other international organisations – has “As NGOs usually have the technical knowledge increased its project portfolio in gender and manpower to support initiatives like mainstreaming programmes and helped this, engaging them is necessary to define institutionalise [gender equality] in the government’s development plans, NGOs now the direction of training programmes for communities, facilitate these programmes and have the opportunity to compound efforts frame the monitoring tools, assess ongoing to improve the country’s overall civil society progress of the projects and ensure the environment. In the drafting of country standards of peace-sensitive implementation,” partnership strategies, NGOs can help drive says Sharada Jnawali, author of ‘Engaging the direction for their governments to take – guided by the common goals for and interests Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations’ (December 2014). of their community. As the Nepali government receives technical A previous study of the Norwegian Agency assistance contracts, cooperative agreements, for Development Cooperation (NORAD) also contends that Nepali society would see NGOs loans and grants for projects that directly gradually shifting their roles from servicecascade locally – and whether at a policy or delivery to being more active in advocacy and at implementation level – from an NGOlobbying, and to be watchdogs of governmental standpoint, engaging donor organisations is policies. “Civil society members should not the best first-step to drive policy-making to only be seen as working on behalf of donors benefit local communities. […]; rather, there is a need to re-visit its role against what we expect from the state. [Civil Towards local peace-oriented development society] thus has to contribute to enable the Finally, developmental progress in Nepal needs a conflict-sensitive – or, in the words of state to function, not weaken it and usurp some the UNDP, peace-sensitive – approach with an of its roles for itself,” Devendra Raj Pandey said. understanding of the local context in which programmes are implemented. It also keeps in Nepal’s decade-long civil conflict was caused mind all the future risks and any possibility of mainly by widespread poverty, deeply-rooted conflict. That’s because peace and development social exclusion and economic inequalities. The wave of developmental and political are closely linked. While a core thrust for local NGOs is to close the gap between gender challenges that followed only shows that peace disparity and unequal access to opportunities, is the only way to achieve the country’s goals of peace process and real progress. This can taking a reconciliatory approach in projects only emanate from an empowered civil society can lead to development – starting from the – with an independent and vigilant NGO grassroots communities. sector, which at the peak of the conflict was the sole reliable implementor of international Among the local works that have actively donors’ local programmes but have now augmented large-scale efforts are a women’s morphed to be force in driving policy. network in Parbat that acts as a watchdog
The journey to peace and the road to development “Although more than half of the population are women, participation in decision making is very low. Sexual abuse and domestic violence cases are severe; and mothers survive through difficult environments that then create a cycle of unhealthy growing up years for children,” says Bina Kumari Wagle Silwal, executive director of Kopila-Nepal, a local NGO that works on marginalised groups of children and women (see related interview on page 5). Leveraging the current opportunities But it is not all gloom for Nepal. In an interview with ADB-Nepal Mission’s Binita Shah Khadka, 30-year-old Jagat Bahadur Bham says “things start to look up: roads have been built, connecting us to the district headquarters.” An agriculture specialist, Bham says people believe that once the road is built, “development will come like a bus, and we hope that soon we can also ride on it.” In the ADB’s three-year plan for Nepal that commenced in 2014, the government seeks to pursue reforms in its governance, democracy and citizenship participation – to bring investments to the country’s energy sector. As this is a finance-heavy industry, public financial management is a key agenda, with focus on regulation and legal frameworks of transparency and accountability. Much of the development assistance into Nepal will flow into three core sectors: energy, transport, and infrastructure build-up for urban centres. As in many parts of Asia, these same sectors have also been traditionally susceptible to corruption; thus re-enforcing the need to prioritise a PFM-watch. Likewise, it amplifies the need for a civil society with pro-active attitude in engaging foreign donors in the pursuit of safeguarding its community’s interests. A 2004 case of a donor project that was found to have adversely affected local homes and livelihoods proved to be another highlight that community engagement – along with vigilance of their rights as citizens – is key to development work.
F R OM T HE FIELD
Jagaran Nepal: power to the (young) people Prabin Rokaya co-founded the NGO Jagaran Nepal, and has seen it transform the lives of communities in his home country through capacity building, livelihood promotion, improving access to drinking water and sanitation facilities, and climate change adaptation. It also works for women empowerment and youth development. The young dynamic leader of Jagaran talks to us about his tireless work to improve opportunities for the youth and women in Nepal. PRABIN ROKAYA
Briefly describe to us the birth of Jagaran Nepal; what inspired you to set it up. The Jagaran Nepal is a result of commitment to make a difference, a sense of shared responsibility, and dedication for societal transformation. We believed we could achieve more on our own than relying on conventional approaches. We wanted to work with youth groups and put them in the centre of socio-economic development. This motivated us to create an independent youth-led organisation working with young people for their and their communities’ empowerment and holistic development.
prabinrokaya@gmail.com
Your works at Jagaran are very youth-and women-oriented. How have other organisations in Nepal caught on with the sector? Socio-economic development and empowerment of youth, women and marginalised ethnic and indigenous groups have been key priorities of many organisations in Nepal over the past decade; and international NGOs working in these thematic areas have accelerated the process. Moreover, the steps taken by Government such as quotas in government scholarship, reserve seats in government employments, and allocation of national budget and local budgets for the welfare of women, youths, and other marginalised groups augmented the efforts. How do you envision the strategies of Jagaran to be also as effective in similar women- and youth-oriented NGOs in neighbouring countries? Most countries in Asia consist of a significant portion of youth and women. Unfortunately, like in Nepal, a large group of them are unskilled, inexperienced or unemployed. This is simply because we have failed in integrate them in our overall national development process over the years. So over the time, they turned into responsibilities for nations. But with just a change of policies, we can change them from responsibilities to opportunities. We believe the strategies we have adopted are quite replicable across the boundaries. At Jagaran Nepal, we do not work for youth or women; rather we work with the youth and women – letting them decide their own priorities and empowering them as agents of change in the communities. Your thoughts on volunteerism and how can NGOs rally career- and urbanisation-driven youth to take action in their local communities? I am strong believer of volunteerism for three reasons. First, it’s an idea of working beyond individual self-interests. Second, it’s a sense of responsibility towards community, and commitment to make it better. And third, it’s an opportunity for personal growth for volunteers. If young people understand that volunteerism is not only a social service or charity work but rather a process in which they themselves can grow in, I think many of them would be interested. Young people need to see the picture beyond the volunteerism: things that they could learn, explore and understand about the communities they grow up in. And it could help shape their career or at least provide some experience for future jobs.
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Image: David Ruiz Luna/flickr Image: UNIFEM/flickr
Image: David Ruiz Luna/flickr
In the long term, NGOs may have to strive to complement the government in providing basic education, public health and agriculture. But at the same time, they will no longer fight bullets; rather, the challenges to overcome in a political transition. That will be an even bigger, more successful development. With excerpts from ADB Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) Paper, October 2013; Sharada Jnawali’s ‘Building Local Capacity for Peace-Sensitive Development’, December 2014; the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation’s ‘Discussion Paper on Donor Best Practices Towards NGOs’, October 2007; Binita Shah Khadka’s ‘Nepal: Will Development Come on a Bus in the Most Beautiful Place on Earth?’, December 2014.
Last year you started a community-based micro-finance cooperative in Rautahat District to scale up youth’s access to affordable loans for entrepreneurship. How do you want to take this forward? Micro-finance is growing over the years and we have been able to achieve many results that would not have been possible without our own financial institutions. Previously if some youths came to us with interesting entrepreneurship ideas or proposals, we could only give them names of other micro-finance organisations that might help them. Now, we are able to support some of them. In our ten-year strategic plan (prepared in 2012), we aim to support 10,000 youths by 2022, with focus on small-scale local employment-generating activities. Although our previous priorities were more of social entrepreneurship and economic growth, we have also started investing in basic needs like drinking water and proper sanitation facilities. Future activities will include further expansion and replication of this model in neighbouring districts. In a young democracy like Nepal, how do you envision your initiatives to complement the gaps in Asia’s civil society post-2015 development? All the activities we have initiated have been based on our vision of collective goals and shared responsibilities. I believe even our small initiatives can have positive impacts at a local level. Further, they are aligned to local and national priorities like access to safe water and sanitation, economic development, youth empowerment and environment conservation. If all the young people decide to act and contribute at local level, collectively we can make significant differences. What are the major challenges youth organisations are facing across the regions? Youth organisations are yet to be institutionalised. There are already youth organisations at different levels; some are self-evolved and others created by larger organisations. What is really needed now is the institutionalisation and further strengthening of these youth organisations. Unless they transcend beyond policy reviews and online campaigns into real offices and communities, both tangible results and sustainability will remain a major challenge. And this will require significant funding. Here, the roles of governments, development banks, intergovernmental agencies and NGOs are even more crucial. How do you think the post-2015 challenges of the region can be addressed? Youth led local initiatives could be part of solutions; but recognising the youth’s role alone cannot solve these complex societal problems. Neither can strong speeches of politicians, civil society or business leaders. However, promoting small-scale, youth-led local innovations can largely contribute on solving some of these issues. Young people are the local ambassadors, activists, campaigners and practitioners and leaders. Inclusive development with keeping the youth’s energy, creativity and enthusiasm in mind would definitely add value in achieving post2015 development goals. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Director of Jagaran Nepal, a youth-led NGO in Nepal’s Rautahat District. Its mission is to improve the lives and livelihood of poor and disadvantaged communities in general, and young people in particular through youth-led, community-based programmes. Prabin has over five years of professional experience in the development sector, having led several grassroots projects in Nepal in the areas of drinking water and sanitation, climate change adaptation, agro-forestry, and youth empowerment benefiting hundreds of local people. He has also carried out short-term consultancies with the UNDP, UN-Habitat, WaterAid, ActionAid and Plan. He also serves as advisor of the Water Youth Network. Prabin obtained an MS in Water Management from the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education in Delft, The Netherlands; and has carried out research works in many large and complex trans-boundary river basins – including the Gash River Basin (Sudan), the Incomati River Basin (South Africa) and the Bagmati River Basin (Nepal). For more information on Jagaran Nepal, visit http://www.jagarannepal.org. www.asianngo.org
FEATURES If the 2015 election to be held later this year will be free and fair, it is expected that Myanmar’s major opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), would win. Aung San According to a recent ADB/Institute of Southeast Suu Kyi, NLD leader, will continue to play a prominent role in the parliament; but she Asian Studies report, too much political is constitutionally barred from becoming opposition and an inadequate institutional president as her late husband and their two sons infrastructure, coupled with the diversity of member states’ levels of economic development, are not citizens of Myanmar. Any constitutional are impediments to the AEC coming to fruition. reforms necessary to allow her to become president will not take place this year. Although 70 percent of ASEAN’s intra-regional trade has no tariffs (average tariff rate is a low 5 Under this scenario, can she, as leader of percent), non-tariff barriers have replaced tariffs parliament, work with the military in 2016 and as protective measures for domestic industries; in beyond to create confidence-building measures other words, a form of economic nationalism. that will enable such reform to take place but with the potential sacrifice of her never Given ASEAN’s near sacrosanct policy of non-interference, it will be difficult to penalise becoming president? In addition, the fact that the NLD has not yet confirmed whether it will non-compliant members as deadlines are even participate in the election brings more viewed more as aspirational than binding. Instead, ASEAN will announce it has reached uncertainty to the election process. a “milestone,” but the liberalisation of freer Thailand’s democratic development capital flows and labour mobility are expected While the Thai military’s seizure of power last to lag behind for some time. year improved political stability, and martial Cont. from page 1
Southeast Asia in 2015
Maritime security Southeast Asia is a critical maritime region for commerce and resources, and its waters are one of the world’s most important sea lines of communication. About USD5.3 trillion of global trade transits through its waters each year; of this amount, $1.2 tn represents trade with the US. Sixty percent of Southeast Asian populations today live in or rely economically on the region’s maritime zones.
law has brought a sense of calm on the streets, the coup has not resolved the country’s deep political divisions. For longer-term stability, a key challenge will be how the military-led government addresses the rising expectations of the Thais’s lower classes for more open, representative government; while not just ensuring power of the nation’s traditional elite.
The military is also under pressure to jumpstart the economy from its paltry growth of 0.7 % last year – the lowest since the outbreak of But the region’s seas are also a source of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Last November, tensions that not only threaten prosperity, but the government announced that martial law also place the security of states at risk. These would continue indefinitely, casting doubts include territorial disputes, piracy, non-state that elections will be held this year – as initially political violence, trans-national crime, and environmental degradation. The significance of promised. And perhaps for many years to come, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and maritime boundaries in current international his associates will face a difficult balancing act relations has become increasingly complex in healing Thailand’s political divisions. with the expansion of national limits of maritime jurisdiction over the past 50 years. The United States and the TPP As the year began, President Obama will be In December, Vietnam issued a statement to working with or at odds with a Republicancomplement the Philippines’ submission to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PAC) in dominated legislature. The administration The Hague challenging the legality of China’s wants to move aggressively in wrapping up negotiations by July 2015 in an effort to ratify claims in the South China Sea. In 2015, the the TPP, which would establish the world’s PAC will determine if it has jurisdiction to largest free trade zone with 12 countries rule on the case. China has said it will not constituting a third of global trade. partake in the proceedings and rejects the claims made by the Philippines and Vietnam. While the Republican-led Senate appears prepared to grant the Obama Administration If this were to happen, how can arbitration be used in other cases to peacefully resolve “fast track authority” and Congress must vote up disputes, be they be in Asia or elsewhere, if one or down on trade agreements without being able side elects not to participate in the process? to amend such pacts, some House Republicans Moreover, how will territorial disputes impact may also oppose granting “fast track authority.” ASEAN unity? As one Southeast Asian official In addition, many Senate Democrats oppose the said, “ASEAN may become a community, but TPP and blocked presidential efforts last year we will not have one voice.” to push for such powers amid pressure from organised labour in an election year. Whether Myanmar’s election Its chairmanship of the ASEAN in 2014 helped the president can muster enough votes to ratify the pact remains unclear. bolster international, regional, and internal legitimacy – an acceptance it had not experienced Failure to pass the TPP this year may deprive in decades. Political and economic reforms instituted under a “civilianised” administration of Mr Obama of what would be his most valuable largely former military officers since 2011 has economic achievement in the rebalancing effort to Asia. Consequently, many Asians been impressive – state censorship relaxed, political prisoners released, and more than $9 bn would question the sustainability of his in foreign investment has poured in. administration’s pivot. But are these reforms making Myanmar a peaceful, unified democratic society when the military still remains dominant in both its political landscape and economy? Onequarter of the parliament’s seats are reserved for the military giving it veto power over all constitutional changes. Ethnic and sectarian divisions pose great threats to Myanmar achieving political stability and will likely slow the pace of political and economic reform.
Bina Kumari Wagle Silwal
FR O M T H E FIE L D
Executive Director of Kopila-Nepal What is the present level of participation of civil society – NGOs in particular – in these sectors? The civil society participation is very Image: Renata TM/flickr low for this sector. Though there is some participation, most of them are supporter for political parties; but not directly or properly representing civilian community. Which of these sectors do you think need the most intervention from local NGOs and international organisations in Nepal? Gender equality and women’s rights, and child care – because although more than 50% of the population are women, their participation in decision making is very low. Women are seen as second-class citizens, in many cases both at a family- to state-level; and are treated badly throughout their life. Sexual abuse and domestic violence are severe. As mothers survive through these difficulties, children in turn do not have a proper environment for growing up and they usually end up learning bad habits – something that has become a cycle through generations. So it is important to break this chronic cycle of gender based discrimination. How is your organisation working to improve these sectors? At Kopila-Nepal we work with women and children through capacity-building, encouraging them for self advocacy, providing livelihood and income generation skills and support, giving scholarships for the children from poor families, encouraging children to join youth clubs and promote children’s rights, raising awareness on gender and psychosocial counseling, providing community-based counseling and mental health treatment support, and helping women for legal support. What are current challenges and opportunities for you as an organisation? At a community-level we get threats from those who oppose our advocacies, or those who have been perpetrators of violence and sexual abuse against women. Worse, some community and political leader even protect the perpetrators, and this poses a CONTACT threat to our works. On the other hand, we have benefactors who are very supportive of Kopila-Nepal our programmes; and who reach out to us Pokhara Sub-metropolitan City Pokhara despite the difficulties in logistics. We hope kopila2057@ntc.net.np to get more supporters with this kind of +97 7 61 466403 commitment. +97 7 61 463486
Southeast Asia is indeed facing significant challenges in the year ahead, but when compared to Iraq’s spiraling violence, Syria’s civil war, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Russia’s economic crisis, and a weak Afghanistan still vulnerable to the Taliban, the prospect for the bloc to unite a regional economy of 600 million people and a GDP of $2.5 tn seems within reach – even beyond 2015.
Director of The Asia Foundation's Regional Cooperation programmes, and associate director of the Washington, DC office. He managed the Foundation's quadrennial "America's Role in Asia" project in 2004 and 2008, which examines USAsia relations in-depth and made recommendations on US policy. He also monitors US policy toward the Asia-Pacific region and managing programme activities in Washington.
JOHN BRANDON
john.brandon@asiafoundation.org
A Southeast Asia specialist by training, Mr Brandon's opinion pieces on the region have appeared in the International Herald Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, and other newspapers around the US. He is editor of Burma/ Myanmar Towards the Twenty-First Century: The Dynamics of Continuity and Change (New York: Open Society Institute, 1997); contributor to Burma: Prospects for a Democratic Future (Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 1998); and coauthor of The 1990 Election in Myanmar (Washington, D.C.: The International Human Rights Law Group, 1990).
This piece also appears on The Asia Foundation at www.asiafoundation.org
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GUEST WRITER
NGO utopia and reality as catalyst of development
BISHWA KESHAR MASKAY lahpai.sengraw@yahoo.com
Non-government organisations have already become a part of the overall organisational means of management and governance of human affairs including concerns for development. The logic is simple: no state can attain development on all fronts and meet all the needs of its people on its own.
Given this truth, it is high time that the government of Nepal accepts NGOs as co-partner for the management and governance of public affairs. Records reveal that both the government and NGOs have neither the willingness nor the capacity to negotiate a paradigm of development founded on the principle of co-partnership so that both benefit from their respective comparative advantages. The co-partnership paradigm of development provides a context to re-define and restructure the new axis of relations between the two for better coordination in dealing with unforeseen problems. A mixed type of planning in which macro-level strategies are well-supported by micro-level activities has not taken place just yet. Thus, the imperatives now are to initiate, nurture and institutionalise cooperative work – be it between government and the private sector, or between government and the social work sector. Obligations of each party on matters of social significance are certainly heavier than its interests and stakes – and this development logic dictates that government and NGOs need to negotiate with each other to define and practice collaborative relationships. It is the responsibility of the government to provide the NGO with legitimate space so the latter can best contribute what they can offer. For NGOs to best contribute to Nepal’s development, and qualify themselves as achievers require them to design programmes based on needs assessment; implement these in proper and effective way; enhance professionalism internally; promote citizen participation in their projects; help strengthen grassroots organisations; and open up career opportunities in the social work sector for young generation. But NGOs can never accomplish all these tasks simultaneously. But as a strong institution, they may be able to carry out these tasks – given the will to do so – because these [tasks] may all be subsumed under what is called ‘NGO capacity building.’ Policy liberalisation on the part of the government for what
is called ‘NGO empowerment’ and capacity-building on the part of the NGOs can both bridge the gap between the ‘NGOutopia’ and the reality of NGOs as ‘catalyst of development.’ We have studied the potential conditions that could enable NGOs (in Nepal) to play a ‘catalyst role’ in development, which has to be people-centred. The parameters in investigating were matters related to governmental policies on the utilisation of the NGO force and to the functioning modalities of NGOs themselves. These parameters were twofold: NGO empowerment and NGO capacity-building. The insights gained in the course of the study led to conclusions that NGOs being able to play the role of development actors is only a recently accepted principle in the development thinking in Nepal. Although some level of conceptualisation about NGOs and their development roles is reflected in various documents, the practice of this principle is still in an embryonic stage – not quite assured of blooming to full maturity. There is no easy road to success, largely because of structural hurdles that lie ahead. Abortive forces are aplenty, too: lack of promotional NGO policy measures in real terms; the desire of a corporate will and schemes to institutionally develop NGOs; the highly structured traditions of central governance and social welfare planning, engendering syndromes of dependency, fatalism and inertia among the tradition-directed sections of the populace; and the bureaucracy from central to local levels that evokes a reluctant to be open and fair in its dealings with the public. Thus, there is a long and arduous to take in making the hypothesised role of NGOs as ‘catalyst of development’ in the context of Nepal. The study would welcome policy and empirical studies to explore all possible ways to make this journey a worthwhile one.
Nepal and update information on them, final registration of their entities should take place at the SWC; although initial registration may happen in the districts. It is also suggested that registration be renewed every five (5) years. 5. NGOs should be obliged to maintain transparency with regard to their objectives, programmes and sources of funding. Their financial transactions should be checked by authorised auditors. 6. It is imperative that the National Planning Commission regularly makes aggregate impact evaluation of NGO/ INGO programmes and activities. To develop sustainable systems for self-help organisations, international organisations working in Nepal’s social work sector should focus on capacitating domestic NGOs that in turn complement local efforts to help people help themselves. Meanwhile, basic information on important aspects in the functioning of NGOs in Nepal practically does not exist; and this deficiency constrains research works. Areas with information deficiency are indicated below; and to conclude this article, academic or field- and action plan-orientated research be undertaken in the future: 1. Detailed profile on NGOs/INGOs working in Nepal including chronological information, nature of projects, source and amount of funding, and institutiondevelopment needs; 2. Assess functioning efficiency of NGOs/INGOs, along with impact evaluation of their programmes; 3. Case studies of selected ‘successful’ NGO/INGO programmes, with the objective to identify elements or factors contributing to their success; and 4. Design innovative programmes incorporating elements or factors identified through case studies and experimenting them for wider replication
Exploring matters such as follow-up with leading worldwide networks of NGOs and INGOs taking interest in Nepal should Some essential measures to correct or improve the situation also take into account the areas of interest of cooperation, above emerge as natural products of the study we have made; specialisation, period of involvement and terms of cooperation. and few important recommendations have been made in order of priority: 1. There should be amendments to legal provisions on NGOs violating the Constitution of 2047 (1990) and other Acts, which create impediments to their smooth functioning. 2. NGO representation must be ensured as decisions are made on issues affecting its existence and operations. 3. The term ‘welfare’ affixed to the name of the apex body, the SWC, sounds inconsistent with the image of NGOs as agents of development. It is suggested that this body’s name be changed to Social Work Coordination Council (SWCC). 4. To help keep track of the NGOs and INGOs working in
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bishwa Keshar Maskay is chairman of the Centre for Development and Governance at Bishnu Niwas in Kathmandu, Nepal. This piece also appears on The Telegraph Nepal bearing the same headline (http:// bit.ly/1BtHGBo). Bishwa has written books on ‘NonGovermental Organization in Development’; ‘Search for A New Vision and Development Governance’; ‘and Agenda for Action’.
On global civil society: in pursuit of better partnerships Civil-society activists are not satisfied with how aid is organised. In a recently published report, the Reality of Aid (RoA) Network, an international umbrella organisation, makes suggestions on how to improve matters. Civil-society organisations (CSOs) are big players THERESA KRINNINGER – at least in numbers. According to the Reality theresa.krinninger@fs-medien.de of Aid Report 2014, they “manage approximately $65 billion in development assistance annually.” The authors point out that this sum amounted to “more than half of real official development assistance (ODA) in 2013”. Meanwhile, “real” ODA is defined as the figure provided by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) minus student grants and other funding that is not transferred to developing nations. The RoA Network includes CSOs from developing countries, emerging economies and advanced nations. It argues that the potential of partnerships with civil society has not yet been tapped sufficiently. Effective development cooperation, however, depends on well-designed partnerships, and is therefore an issue both on the agenda of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and in the debate on drafting its follow-through, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Eight principles The report’s authors bemoan that typically “the idea of partnership is given rhetorical significance,” but that such rhetoric does not tend to translate into tangible action. It spells out eight pre-conditions for equitable partnership: 1. All action must be based on human rights. 2. Human rights and social standards must bind not only governments, but also the private-sector. 3. Unequal power relations between stakeholders must be addressed. 4. Effective statehood must provide an enabling environment for a diversity of actors. 6
5. All actors must be held accountable through independent mechanisms and institutions. 6. CSOs must be allowed to fulfil their potential, get access to funding and be involved in policymaking. 7. SDG funding should be guided by actual conditions of poverty and inequality, not by arbitrary per-capita income statistics. South-south cooperation must be designed in ways that serve the poor and marginalised groups. In 2011, the multilateral Busan High Level Forum acknowledged the importance of CSOs when launching the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC). According to the RoA Report, that has not made much difference. CSOs tend to be marginalised by governments, public-private partnerships (PPPs) and southsouth cooperation (SSC), the authors say. The RoA Report includes case studies to prove that point. Moreover, the report also notes some positive cases. In Mozambique, CSOs are increasingly accepted as “equal development partners,“ writes Taurai Chiraerae from the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD. To him, CSOs participate effectively in decision-making, implementation and monitoring in regard to public policies and programmes. Chiraerae stresses that governments and donor agencies can make partnerships effective if they want to. The RoA Report similarly appreciates that CSOs play a strong role particularly in developmental matters in Bangladesh. There are limits, however, as the government does not accept CSO interventions in issues such as human rights, law enforcement and governance in general. This case is made by Ahmad Swapan Mahmud and Farjana Akter of Voice, a CSO, in another contribution. The privatisation of the UN? The RoA Network also finds fault with multi-lateral institutions. The recent publication speaks of a trend towards the “privatisation of the UN agenda; one reason being that ODA is stagnating, so funding is being sought from other sources, including private-sector corporations. Development paradigms are also increasingly geared to private-sector success, activists warn. In his contribution, Christopher John Chanco of IBON International, a Manila-based foundation, argues that ODA conditions concerning issues such as trade liberalisation, investment rules, fiscal austerity and tax reforms
have weakened the Philippines’ socio-economic development over the decades. He adds that infrastructure provided in PPPs often does not grant poor and marginalised people access. The report contributors emphasise the watchdog role of CSOs. In their eyes, there can be no transparent multi-lateral policy-making unless activists monitor the performance of international institutions, governments and other relevant actors. They appreciate that some donor governments want to see democratic ownership in developing countries and insist on human rights. The report praises donors that take a rightsbased approach in regard to things like labour conditions, social responsibility or tax compliance. South-south cooperation is becoming more important, according to the report, with the authors pointing out that some emerging economies like Brazil, China and India have joined the GPEDC as observers; but are reluctant to apply its rules themselves. Vitalice Meja, RoA coordinator, questions whether SSC really brings substantial benefits for Africa. He states that SSC projects too often lead to poor and vulnerable people being displaced from their land. He adds that African governments tend to clear SSC projects without any meaningful prior public participation. To improve matters, Meja wants African governments to implement legal reforms and involve CSOs in policy-making. The RoA emphasises that CSOs at the grassroots level have tremendous experience and a deep knowledge of local politics and social dynamics. Unless this expertise is utilised, the publication warns, the SDGs will not be achieved. Thus, local CSOs in developing countries have an important role to play. (Download the report at www.bit.ly/1KpGNMq) ABOUT THE AUTHOR Theresa Krinninger worked for the German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Malawi in Africa; and holds a Masters Degree in Development Studies from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands. She is now a freelance journalist. This piece appeared on the Development+Cooperation news page, www.dandc.eu.
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CSR
Responsible business for sustainable impact A SI A NCSR SPE C I AL
Top 5 CSR stories in 2014 Awareness of corporate social responsibility is on the rise across the globe, as corporates embed sustainability strategies into their core business and regulators take steps to encourage CSR. To start the year off, Singapore-based EcoBusiness looks back and compiled the five most talked-about CSR stories of the year that has been. Sustainability reporting on the rise Globally, sustainability reporting has become a mainstream movement. Last year the United States advocacy group Ceres – whose Investor Network on Climate Risk boasts more than 100 institutional investors with collective assets totalling more than US$12 trillion under management – proposed to the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) to adopt a uniform standard for sustainability reporting.
money, enhances profitability, and generates more business value. This is backed by a new report released by the nonprofit Carbon Disclosure Project in October, which found that S&P 500 companies that built sustainability into their core strategies are outperforming those that did not. UNDP administrator Helen Clark this year urged wider society to remove barriers that have held women back from taking leadership roles, citing that companies that include women in decision-making perform better. Speaking at the inaugural lecture at the UNDP’s Global Centre for Public Service Excellence in Singapore, Ms Clark said women’s leadership in the private sector is beginning to receive increased attention and that the corporate sector is the “last bastion of male dominance of top positions.”
Founder and editor of Eco-Business, Asia Pacific’s leading publication on responsible business and sustainable development. She is contributor to The Straits Times where she was formerly the political and environment correspondent. She is also an adjunct research associate for the Centre for Liveable Cities, a Singapore think tank focused on creating and sharing knowledge on JESSICA CHEAM liveable and sustainable jcheam@eco-business.com cities. This story is part of Eco-Business’ 2014 Year in Review series, which looks at the top stories that shaped the business and sustainability scene in each of our 11 categories.
In another indication that sustainability is a serious financial concern, assets under management by signatories to the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI) now stand at more than $45 tn, up from $4 tn at the PRI’s launch in 2006. In another indication that sustainability is a serious financial concern, assets under management by signatories to the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI) now stand at more than $45 tn, up from $4 tn at the PRI’s launch in 2006. Meanwhile, the Singapore Exchange announced moves to mandate sustainability reporting for all listed companies, following countries in Asia like China, Taiwan, and Malaysia, where bourses already require listed companies to publish some form of sustainability reports. Asian awareness on sustainability on the rise The clearest indicator that the conversation on sustainability is maturing in Asia was the launch of the region’s first sustainability index by Singapore broadcaster Channel NewsAsia (see previous issue of AsianNGO magazine, CSR Special). It identifies firms leading in corporate sustainability across Asia: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. The index, developed in partnership with CSR Asia and Sustainalytics, selected companies based on their performance across a broad range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) indicators tracked by Sustainalytics. The overall top three positions went to India’s Tata Consultancy Services, Singapore’s City Developments and Unilever Indonesia respectively. Materiality matters In 2014, companies had to prepare for new international standards for sustainability reporting: the new G4 Guidelines published by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), an international non-profit organisation that develops sustainability reporting standards for use around the world. Applicable to all sustainability reports published after 31 December 2015, the guidelines are notable for several new requirements: most importantly, reports following the G4 Guidelines must focus on materiality – an accounting principle that describes how important something is. In sustainability reporting, this means the report should focus mainly on those issues that are most important to the business and its shareholders. Movement against corruption In June, the UN Global Compact (UNGC) launched a new initiative urging governments to implement anti-corruption practices and support good governance systems. The campaign, ‘Call to Action: Anti-Corruption and the Global Development Agenda’, marks a decade of the inclusion of the tenth UNGC principle, which is focused on anti-corruption. “Corruption continues to be a critical challenge for businesses. It was clear a decade ago – and still remains today – that corruption so profoundly corrodes sound business practice and good governance; and thus our ability to realise the other nine principles,” noted UNGC Executive Director Georg Kell. The UNGC, which was formed in 2000, seeks companies’ support to implement and adhere to its ten principles – centred on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Business case for responsible business There is growing evidence showing that improving a company’s social and environmental performance saves www.asianngo.org
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ASIAN CSR
Billionaire, keen CSR advocate William Heinecke has been the prime mover of the fast food industry in Thailand, and notable for managing the hotel and restaurant group, Minor International. But beyond his billionaire-success, he is an active CSR advocate. He had launched a formalised family foundation, Heinecke Foundation, to support underprivileged children in Thailand. The foundation grants scholarships to poor children in communities residing near the locations of the company’s hotels. Scholarships are also given to children of low-earning staff at Minor International. Recently, Minor International has been a part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for Emerging Markets. “The company’s charitable focus extends beyond CSR to sustainability,” says Chompan Kulnides, vice-president for investments at Minor Holdings Ltd., adding that the
company actively engages its employees in its CSR activities. “It is important to inculcate a sense of social responsibility in an employee’s mindset to ensure company’s sustainability,” Kulnides notes. Aside from these, the company also manages its environmental footprint. Along with the Heinecke Foundation, Heinecke also runs two other foundations, administered under the sponsorship of the company. The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, focuses on programmes protecting the welfare of elephants and aids the livelihoods of the mahouts who ride them. Through this foundation, Heinecke holds an annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament that has raised more than $750,000 for enhancing the well-being of Thailand’s elephant population. Another foundation Heinecke initiated was the Maikhao Marine Turltle Foundation in Phuket, which helps in conserving turtles in Thailand. Heinecke was among the Forbes 48 "Heroes of Philanthropy" in Asia in 2013. (Credit Suisse/ The Economist)
Nippon Paint expands China CSR through ‘Society Care’ Nippon Paint China (NPC) launched November 2014 its latest “Society Care” programme to nine of the biggest cities in China to expand its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Society Care, one of NPC’s five CSR programmes this year, eyes on helping vulnerable groups such as the elderly, persons with disabilities and students with financial difficulties. The company has launched 15 activities under the umbrella of Society Care including repairing schools, renovating residences for the elderly, health care to patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and building houses for the underprivileged villagers of Sichuan Province. Over 1,000 staff from seven business sectors of NPC volunteered for the projects under Society Care. One of the volunteers, Liu Wei who is also general manager of NPC’s Lang Fang office, said “charity is not inaccessible, nor is it only the privilege for celebrities; as long as there is a heart for helping others, everyone can do their part.”
Honda CSR campaign promotes road safety
The growth of the programme from 2013 has been considerable not only because of the increased number of cities but also with the volunteers who participated. NPC’s PR, brand communications and CSR director Ariel Wu says “one act of kindness is not difficult; what is difficult is to continue doing and spreading it. Having everyone from Nippon Paint China help vulnerable groups, for them to become a person of responsibility and kindness, is never too hard. Their effort and dedication embodies the company’s ‘spirit in their selfless work’.” The 2014 Social Care programme was also supported by the China Youth Development Foundation, China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, Shanghai United Foundation, Habitat for Humanity China and China Next Generation Education Foundation. And since 2009 NPC has highlighted its social public welfare programme that kicked off during the start of ‘Color, Way of Love’, a move to renovate and improve the learning environment of schools in rural desolate areas in the country.
Etihad brings ‘Next Era of Smiles’ in Vietnam Image: Andreas Jenni/Flickr
Image: Ivan Lindeboom/flickr
Honda Nepal launched a road safety campaign in September as part of its corporate social responsibility, noting that road traffic as the number one cause of death among young people worldwide. The company designed the competition 'Jimmewar Chalak Ma' inviting students to submit their ideas on how to make the road of Nepal safer.
At the grand finale on September 20, the winners were selected: taking third place was a team from Himalayan Whitehouse International College who thinks that a safe road should have decent pedestrian crossings.
A total of 17 teams were selected from different colleges. After two levels of screening, seven teams progressed to the next level. Ideas of the selected teams were converted into infrographics and were made available to Honda Nepal's Facebook.
Finally, the grand winner was the team from Kathmandu University School of Arts who emphasised on the importance of educating the youth about road safety. (Himalayan Times)
Singapore firm Asia’s first in global top 10 for corporate sustainability
The 100 most sustainable companies in the world revealed this month in Davos, Switzerland lists Singapore real estate developer Keppel Land in the top 10 of the annual ranking. A first for an Asian firm in the ranking’s 11-year history, Keppel Land ranked fourth on the 2015 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World index (Global 100); released by Canadian investment advisory firm Corporate Knights at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting. Other Singapore companies that made it to the index were telecommunications company Starhub (24), real estate developers City Developments Limited (34) and CapitaLand (84). Further, 11 other Asian countries made the top 100 list: Chinese computer company Lenovo, Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Bank, and South Korean electronics manufacturers LG Electronics and Samsung.
Volunteers from Etihad Airways’ Vietnam and Abu Dhabi offices helped Operation Smile’s medical mission in Vietnam, in support of the NGO’s 25th year of providing charitable work in the country. Etihad’s CSR initiative contributed to Operation Smile’s biggest medical mission in Asia, ‘The Next Era of Smiles,’ which has helped more than 5,000 children with facial deformities and dental problems. Some patients travelled for days to receive free cleft lip and cleft palate surgery, including postoperative medical therapy.
That Singapore has such a large representation on the index despite its small size is a testament to “the island state’s ethic of resource productivity and transparency, which Frederic Huynh–Quan-Dat, Etihad Airways’ are underpinned by good public policy”, said General Manager in Vietnam. “Our hope is that these corrective surgeries will improve the Toby Heaps, chief executive of Corporate physical, mental and social well-being of each Knights. Heaps noted that the presence of child who was treated.” Asian firms on the list has grown significantly since the index was first launched in 2005, Viet Nguyen, Operation Smile’s Vice President adding that not a single Asian country except for Development in Asia, expressed his for Japan featured on the list in its first year. gratitude on the support that the mission received from different countries all over the world, saying the “‘Next Era of Smiles’ proves “I expect this upward trend to continue as Asia grows, and companies come under that small acts of humanity can make a big increasing pressure to be more accountable difference. Our surgeries take as little as 45 minutes and can change the life of a child with and resource productive,” he told Ecoa facial deformity.” Business.
Volunteers assisted patients during surgery pre-screening sessions and distributed blankets The mission also made an important and quilts that were provided for by Etihad, the contribution to building a self-sufficient local medical team. Volunteer medical practitioners national airline of the United Arab Emirates. from more than 26 countries around the world including the United Arab Emirates, United "Operation Smile plays an important role in States, Australia and South America passed on the local community by offering safe, quality surgical care in places where access to surgery valuable skills and training to Vietnam-based practitioners. would not ordinarily be available,” said 8
Earning second place was a team also from the Himalayan Whitehouse whose idea focuses on the protection of wheel chair users.
Keppel Land ranked high for its sustainability efforts, which include getting all existing properties certified under the Singapore government’s green building rating scheme and encouraging tenants to use energy-efficient lighting and water saving fittings. Performance appraisal of Keppel’s
project managers is also linked to meeting environmental and safety targets, while the company adheres to international certification standards on environmental management, occupational health and safety, and sustainability reporting, among others. Heaps added that the new index shows awareness on sustainability is growing, especially in Asia and the real estate sector. “Developers are now more convinced that incorporating sustainability in their business models is no longer an option, but a necessity,” he said. Corporate Knight’s index evaluates listed companies globally that have a market capitalisation of more than US$2 billion, and assesses them against a set of 12 indicators, including resource productivity, gender diversity of companies’ board, taxes paid, and ratio of an average worker’s pay to that of top management. A total of 4,096 companies across various industries were considered for this year’s ranking. Companies from sectors including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, software, energy, and real estate were ranked within their own industry groups, with the top performers for each sector named in the final Global 100 Index. The top spot on the ranking was clinched by American biotechnology firm Biogen Idec, which provides medicine to treat ailments such as haemophilia, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. The 2015 Global 100 index also revealed that 85 per cent of the companies listed on the index linked the bonus paid to executives with their ability to deliver on sustainability targets. Companies such as Philips Electronics and Schneider Electric, for example, pegged the bonuses paid to top executives to achieving carbon emissions reductions. (Vaidehi Shah, Eco-Business)
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ASIAN CSR
Mandatory CSR in India: help or hindrance? expenditure, type of activities, roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders, and include a monitoring mechanism among other things. But opinion is splintered within India Inc on whether this state-orchestrated philanthropy can benefit a nation of 1.2 billion people where over 400 million subsist on less than $2 a day.
Companies across the world are under increasing pressure to demonstrate they are responsible players in building an equitable society. According to consulting firm KPMG, by 2011, almost all of the world’s 250 largest firms had started reporting on their corporate social responsibility (CSR). In April last year, India became the first country in the world to write CSR into legislation for corporations. Hotly debated in India Inc, the Companies Act 2013 requires companies with a market cap of more than INR5 billion (USD81 million) or a turnover above R10 bn ($162 mn) to spend at least two per cent of their net profit on social development and the environment.
Novel solution, or yoke on growth? Some in corporate India has lobbied hard against the directive, arguing it will further inconvenience foreign companies already navigating a plethora of complex regulations while operating in India, which ranks an abysmal 140 out of 189 nations in the World Bank’s annual Ease of Doing Business Report in 2014.
UPCOMING CSR EVENTS
CSR as part of strategy The increasing importance of CSR was also reflected in a recent survey conducted by Marsh & McLennan Companies India Inc, a global services firm that advises companies on risk, strategy and human capital. In the survey conducted across 40 India-based organisations, 75 per cent said that CSR has become more important within their companies over the past two years. Majority (81%) of the participants felt that CSR was an extremely important component of business strategy; while 73 per cent said they have a CSR policy in place. Only 10 per cent of the respondents indicated that their company did not undertake CSR activities.
Also in April, Delhi University assistant professor Akanksha Jain noted that mandated “By adding layers of unnecessary regulation CSR investment is a novel solution to India’s and taxation, CSR will make the country less social problems. “It may not be perfect but alluring to foreign investors,” says Anil Saxena, it is a product out of necessity for economic CEO of Infiniti Power, a New Delhi-based IT justice. Corporations in India have failed to company. He adds that profitable companies take the responsibility for the real cost of their already foster job creation and income functioning…The new policy may turn out generation, “so why should we bear the brunt to be a boon for both the corporates and the of an added tax that further erodes our profits society, propelling India towards the path of in a tough economic climate?” equitable and sustainable growth.”
Yet some industry leaders note that in a country like India where a third of the population is illiterate and two-third lacks Government-mandated CSR activities can access to proper sanitation, CSR initiatives range from those aimed at eradicating hunger, ensure that businesses contribute to equitable poverty and malnutrition, to those promoting and sustainable economic development. preventive health care and education. “Mandatory CSR is a welcome step towards contributing to society and helping a Audit and advisory company Ernst & Young company achieve a balance of economic, estimates the new regulation will cover 3,000 environmental and social imperatives, while companies and result in about $2 bn in addressing the expectations of shareholders expenditure on CSR, defined by the regulation and stakeholders,” Sonica Malhotra, director as “the process by which an organisation at MBD Group, a premium Indian hospitality thinks about and evolves its relationships and publishing chain, said. with stakeholders for the common good, and demonstrates its commitment…by adopting “CSR should be a part of any organisation’s appropriate business processes and strategies.” DNA because successful ventures have to also give back to society; and not just always Regulations require CSR activities to be take from it. This way businesses can have an overseen by a special committee comprising overall positive impact on the communities, a board of independent directors who will cultures, societies and environments in which outline the strategy; including expected they operate,” she adds.
However, such views may be held by the minority, especially in a country where an inclement business environment characterised by high taxation rates, an avalanche of regulatory hurdles and bureaucratic apathy already make for a toxic cocktail for entrepreneurs. Most corporate honchos - including IT tycoon Azim Hashim Premji of the $7.3 bn Wipro and Ratan Tata of the U$141 bn Tata conglomerate - have publicly disapproved of the new rule. Some also point out that at 32.45 per cent, the corporate tax rate in India is already one of the highest, compared to a global average of 24.09 per cent.
Tokyo Forum 2015 27 January, Tokyo Forum Supply Chains in Crisis 19 February, Sydney Lecture Creating Shared Value Training 5 March, Malaysia Training Supply Chain Management and Social Responsibility 24 March, Abu Dhabi Training Community Investment Forum 27 April, Singapore Forum SROI Training 28-29 April, Singapore Training CSR Asia Summit 2015 7-8 October, Malaysia Summit For more updates on events, visit www.csr-asia.org or contact marketing@csr-asia.com.
Oil firm supports Philippine youth basketball
This two per cent compulsory spend can be construed as a “clandestine way to increase corporate tax without transparent debate,” observes Sumant Sarkar, a Delhi-based chartered accountant. “In a way, the bill penalises companies for being in business and that’s why companies are now lobbying intensely for tax incentives on the two per cent spend on CSR activities.” Rather than direct legislation, some feel India should follow the example of countries like Sweden, which have put in place regulations that control business behaviour in areas like the environment and human rights, and established anti-corruption measures.
Image: Wikipedia
To be a part of an NBA or WNBA team is a dream for most basketball-enthusiast Filipino kids. For many, it will remain just an elusive Regardless of its effectiveness, industry observers dream, especially for those from low income say the law has helped raise the profile of CSR families who can't even afford to buy decent among businesses in India. Shanthi Naresh, basketball shoes. business leader of information solutions at global consultancy Mercer India, observes: “The But last November, petroleum company importance of CSR and sustainability is seeping Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, fueled the deep into Indian companies as three out of four dreams of two Filipino teens through its firms in India already have, or are planning to corporate social responsibility (CSR) drive: form a core team dedicated to CSR within the the company selected Jethro Rocamora and next one to two years.” Mary Jean Pascual, from Cebu City, to join a basketball clinic that would bring them a A recent Mercer survey showed that 81 per step closer to their goals of landing in a junior cent of corporates in India are most likely to NBA/WNBA team. Rocamora and Pascual spend on education, followed by community- were flown by Phoenix Petroleum to Beijing, based development (64 per cent) and China to live their dreams of becoming a part environmental sustainability (61 per cent). of a junior NBA and a junior WNBA team. Shallabh Kumar, a member of the All India Federation of Tax Practitioners, a pan-India body of advocates, chartered accountants and tax practitioners, echoes this view: “More and more companies in India are beginning their journey in CSR, or are starting to think about pulling together what they’re already doing and taking it to the next level. “Results should be visible by 2016 as the legislation has been in place only a few months,” he adds. (Neeta Lal/Eco-Business) Image: IndiaCSR
The experience was something MJ never expected to happen. “I was shocked because I didn't expect that I'd be selected since there were so many other players whom I feel are more talented than me,” she said. For Jethro, the opportunity was a start of something good. After his stint with the junior NBA, he was offered an academic scholarship by the school he was attending. This CSR push of Phoenix Petroleum, hashtagged #FuelTheDream, supports Philippine youth basketball by sponsoring a basketball clinic presented by Alaska and conducted by professional basketball players from the Alaska Aces. The event attracted about 1,000 young basketball enthusiasts who joined Jethro and MJ in skills training to prepare them for the big league. A video of their stories was launched on the company’s Facebook page, developed by media agency Havas Media Ortega, and supported with social media activity that included trivia on the basketball youth programme.
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DONORS AND PARTNERS
Hans Foundation unveils India project, pledges $80 mn The Hans Foundation announced in November a state-wide development project focusing on disease prevention. Titled Uttarakhand 2020, the project seeks to improve the quality of life of people from lowincome communities around India’s northern state. Hans co-founder, billionnaire Manoj Bhargava, committed to donate INR 5 billion (USD80 mn) to fund a set of carefully selected programmes. “We have created pockets of change in each of the 25 states where The Hans Foundation has worked. We are now pooling the best of what we have learned and scaling it up in Uttarakhand. By 2020, we aim to create a massive change across the state in one of the country's most powerful village development programmes.” Bahrgava said, speaking at a function marking the foundation's fifth anniversary.
On selecting the target place for the programme, Hans co-founder and chair Sweta Rawat said: “We chose Uttarakhand because it is the birthplace of the Mother Ganges, cradle of Indian civilisation, and a place most in need of large-scale development initiatives that will improve the quality of children’s education and reduce the prevalence of major diseases throughout the state.” The project is anticipated to help the lives of millions of people in Uttarakhand. It will increase awareness and adoption of best practices for disease prevention, children education and forest re-generation. Hans Foundation leaves an open invite for other NGOs and government agencies to observe the results of The Hans Foundation’s project in the years to come. (IndiaCSR)
Gap, investment fund for better Asian garment factories To help tackle the issues of poor working conditions in garment factories in developing countries, Gap Inc. has partnered with a novel investment fund called Tau. The collaboration hopes to raise USD1 billion to transform the Asian garment factories that manufacture a good deal of the brand’s wardrobes.
is to develop factories that are the $1 trillion fashion industry’s “most radically transparent and most radically compliant,” added another Tau partner Ben Skinner.
These moves were triggered by the April 2013 Rana Plaza crash that killed more than 1,000 sweatshop workers in Bangladesh. The tragedy For Gap's Indian-born apparel executive Sonia brought to the spotlight the weaknesses in the Syngal, the initiative became personal after global network that makes clothes for billions meeting workers enrolled in a Gap initiative of people around the world. that trains women who sew Gap clothing in factories in Asia. “It’s chance that I’m sitting Tau believes that money, as much as tragedy, in this role as opposed to on the factory line,” will somehow influence factory owners to she said. improve workplace conditions. The initiative is not designed to be a charity; rather, it aims The fund will be used to purchase minority to offer ideas to factory owners that will help stakes in factories and upgrade environmental them turn an already decent facility into a standards, improve labour conditions, and top-class one. install technology to raise productivity and increase transparency. It has Jerry Yang, Its pitch to brands is that purchasing products Yahoo’s co-founder, and Alexander Soros from a Tau vendor will assure freedom from as investors; and Apache co-creator Brian worry about a tragic situation like what Behlendorf as an advisor. happened to Rana Plaza, in addition to unprecedented transparency. Tau will give According to Tau founding partner, Oliver Gap vendors “priority” in its deal pipeline, and Niedermaier, “factories need to be modernised in turn Gap will provide data and pledges to but they’re undercapitalised.” The intention “consider” the factories that Tau transforms.
Tata Motors’ 2014 CSR in brief Tata Motors, India’s largest automobile company, sold over a million cars in the country last year. Along with being the leading commercial vehicle company in the country and operating in over a hundred countries worldwide, it has also been active in driving development through its CSR initiatives; allocating 5.17 percent of the company’s posttax profit on CSR activities in 2014. “Education, environment and employment are the key focus areas of Tata Motors' CSR drive,” says Raghunath Mashelkar, the Tata board member overseeing the company's CSR activities for over a year. They also implement the Tata Education Excellence Programme, which aims to evaluate and analyse the various aspects of education and develop and deliver resources. Through this programme, Tata has been increased the passing rates and decreased drop-out rates in its partner schools in Pune from 70% to 98%, and from 35% to less than 5% respectively. "We are supporting 11 schools in Jamshedpur. Our senior colleagues are on the school management committees to oversee academic performance of students," says Gajendra Chandel, Tata Motors Chief Human Resource Officer. The company also aids schools in cities across India and institutions for children with special needs. On the environment front, Tata planted over a million trees in India in 2014 alone: and has distributed solar lamps to students in
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Mumbai and Pune districts. The initiative is in partnership with IIT Bombay and co-funded by the Maharashta government. Tata also acknowledges that the youth need more job opportunities and skills trainings. Mashelkar adds that “on the employment front, there is upward mobility as the youngsters have aspirations.” The company thus established 137 industrial institutes to develop skilled labour in the agriculture and automotive sectors. Apart from its efforts in improving education, the environment and employment in the country, it also advances activities that improve the health of the communities through trainings for midwives and healthcare workers. It has also established treatment centres for malnourished kids, in partnership with UNICEF and the government.
INGOs pledge $200mn to Vietnam ethnic minorities Ethnic minorities in Vietnam have something positive to look forward for the next three years as some international NGOs will carry out USD200 million worth of development programmes and projects.
Image: Farl/Flickr
In the recently concluded conference coorganised by the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organisation, foreign NGOs pledged to carry out 261 different development projects in Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan mountainous and ethnic minority areas. Phuc expressed said the country has to devise While in 2014 ethnic minority and mountainous proper policies to pool resources from the state, development partners and communities areas nationwide were given a $3.9 bn worth of investment, these areas still face challenges such to best help the regions in upgrading their transportation, social welfare and infrastructure; as underdeveloped infrastructure, poor quality and reduce poverty. He added that the of human resources and high poverty rate. advancement of technology could also help the country meet its goals in agro-forestry. At the said conference, delegates learned Promotion of ecotourism, culture, history, of Vietnam’s socio-economic development mining and mineral processing should also be policies that focus on attracting investment the focus of the involved parties, he said. and foreign aid for the mountain areas. Recommendations were also presented on Another $480 mn was pledged by the militaryhow the government can cooperate with international organisations to help the ethnic run telecom group Viettel and the Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade. minority develop.
G LO B AL P H I L A NT H R O P Y
Women are changing philanthropy regardless of education, age, race or other demographics.” So, what does this mean to non-profit organisations? It means that non-profits need to recognise and understand that women giving to charity is different than men; and their interests and levels of giving diverge from men. Other studies have also found that women expect a higher degree of communication about outcomes. Thus, women have to be approached differently. NGOs that subtly or even subconsciously ignore women in philanthropy do so at their own peril. Especially dealing with husbands and wives, leaders need to equally, if not more, engage with the woman. Melinda Gates. Image: WEF/flickr
Late last year, Melinda Gates unveiled an initiative by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to improve funding to projects geared toward women and girls. Historically, giving specifically to programmes for women and girls has lagged; but this is starting to change as women increasingly use their financial power. Women are now more and more changing the face of philanthropy, including who a philanthropist is, what this person looks like, how she thinks, and what she prefers to support. A study published by the Foundation Center and the Women’s Funding Network found that “between 1990 and 2006, giving directed to women and girls by the broader foundation community climbed 223 per cent, after adjusting for inflation, compared to an overall giving increase of 177%.”
Non-profit leaders should never assume that a single woman would probably give at a lower level or not at all as compared to her male counterpart. Studies have shown this is an erroneous assumption. In fact, a single woman would give more than a single man. Keep in mind that women are twice as likely than men to communicate through word of mouth about their involvement or support in a charitable campaign. This is a way to get the message out about your organisation. Women want to communicate with your organisation and hear from you. They may want to ask you more questions, dig deeper into the issues, demand greater transparency around outcomes and be personally involved with the organization. They may even be more interested in programmes and initiatives that directly impact the lives of women and children.
Any marketer knows that women make more than 85% of the buying decisions in their household. And, their economic power The Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the is only rising. By 2028, in the US alone, it Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University is expected that the average woman will be published a report that found there was a out-earning the average man. difference in giving and the levels of giving between genders. Other studies also reported If you look at the news about the changing a difference between men and women as it face of philanthropy, you will read a lot related to their charitable interest. about generational giving, with many comparisons between Millennials and Debra Mesch, director of the Women’s Baby Boomers. Non-profit leaders have to Philanthropy Institute, noted in an article certainly focus on understanding the new from The New York Times that “women dynamics that the Millennials bring to don’t think of themselves as philanthropists. charitable giving. But an equally important When you think of philanthropists, you paradigm shift is occurring with women think about Warren Buffett and Andrew increasingly laying claim to being prominent Carnegie. You think about all those older donors and a crucial philanthropic force in white men.” However, as was noted in the the nonprofit sector. article, studies that have been published at the Institute have found “that women were (Wayne Elsey/CNN/The Founcation Center) more generous than their male counterparts,
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Collective response through volunteerism The Kindred Nomads is a non-profit, nongovernment organisation that reaches out to vulnerable and underprivileged children in Cebu province in the Philippines. A very young organisation, it has already gained international recognition: at the 2014 Green Apple Awards, Kindred Nomads was cited with a bronze medal for the Asia Section for its ‘Pedal to School’ project. Here Jon Tullett and his colleagues at Kindred Nomads tell us about their journey – from travellers to volunteers.
How did The Kindred Nomads Project start as an organisation? It was an offshoot of a travel group whose members did some outreach projects several times a year to less fortunate children around Cebu; some examples were feeding the children of families who lived in cemeteries, livening up the kids in the orphanage by spending some time with them, or donating school supplies, medications, etc. The group naturally grew from just feeding and spending time with the kids into the NGO that we are now. We are composed of the six Board Members and several volunteers. We have no full-time members; they all volunteer in their own time between normal working hours. Meanwhile, funding usually comes from donations from family and friends, from partner organisations and from our own sources. Tell us briefly of some of your current projects. We are helping three sisters from Camotes who were diagnosed with congenital cataracts to get proper medical treatment, including
their operations, medication, and after-care. We have also just invested in a livelihood grant to out-of-school youths in Gilutongan Island to start their seaweed farming project, the profits of which will finance their education. Most recently we launched "Special Gifts for Special Kids" project that granted the wishes of 66 special students at the San Francisco Central School in Camotes last Christmas by looking for sponsor Santas for each one of them. Which among these projects do you feel you were most successful? Making it possible for Alen Nodalo (Eyes for Alen) and the Candia sisters (Save a Sight - Change a Life) to get proper medical treatment to save their eyesight – we consider these the most successful, as we saved their sight and hopefully gave them a better chance at life. How do you choose your beneficiaries? We have been doing outreach projects for several years now but when typhoon Haiyan hit the Visayas region, we organised relief operations to Leyte, Camotes and other areas. It is hard to quantify. Relief operations are not really Kindred Nomads’ forte; but those [operations] were organised as a result of a need to give immediate help to victims of typhoon. We believe in giving equal opportunities to every child. So aside from the relief operation, almost all our programmes are centred on children's education and health. We choose beneficiaries based on their stature in life. We try to help those who need it the most. What are your thoughts on expanding its focus area? As they say, "Teach a person how to fish and you provide them with food for life." We would like to jumpstart a livelihood programme for the families of our beneficiaries. You recently received the Green Apple Environment Award for ‘Pedal to School.’ At our first outreach in Camotes, we saw the plight of the special students there. Some have to walk several kilometres daily – rain
or shine – to go to school as transportation in the island is scarce. Its aim was to provide transportation to the students with disabilities and provide livelihood to their parents. Why did you choose to use bicycles? We raised money to buy run down and unused ‘tri-cycles’ in the city, had them brushed, painted and re-upholstered; then delivered to Camotes. We chose them as they blend in with the environment of Camotes. They are environmentally friendly – they do not need fuel nor generate harmful emissions – but instead promote exercise and good health to the users. We donated 16 trisikads to families; while
in some families there are more than one child with disabilities. The drivers are family members of our beneficiaries since the latter are incapable of driving. Beneficiaries included children with hearing impairments, autism, polio, cerebral palsy and Down Syndrome. Unfortunately, many of the 16 tri-cycles were damaged when Haiyan ravaged the island of Camotes. Hopefully, The Kindred Nomads can raise enough funds to have them repaired. For this interview, John Tullet was joined by founder Lineth Gublani, president Dann Diez, and other members of the organisation. To know more about Kindred Nomads, visit www. thekindrednomads.tk.
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ACROSS ASIA
Singapore foundation on saving lives of children with cancer
NGOs help Yemen beekeepers get jobs The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Norwegian Refugee Council are providing livelihood projects to beekeepers in Yemen, who fled from their homes to escape the 2014 conflicts in the southern part of the country. As honey production is a major source of income to thousands of people in Yemen, there are over 40,000 beekeepers in the country working on an estimated 1.21 million traditional beehives – a UNDP report cites.
“Last year, hundreds of families were displaced from the conflict and violence in different parts of southern Yemen. These were families of beekeepers and making honey is all they knew. They have lost everything,” said Jado Batila, VIVA hopes to develop the capacity of other Today’s main cause of death by illness among economic security project coordinator for the Asian countries, too. “We try to focus on children is cancer. In Singapore alone, over a ICRC in Yemen. With the help of the ICRC and hundred new cases of children with cancer are impact to achieve a multiplier effect,” Yeo NRC, the [displaced beekeepers] have been diagnosed each year. One of whom is Jennifer says, adding that this can be done by training doctors and nurses from other Asian countries given the chance to rebuild their lives and reYeo’s son, who suffered from leukaemia at establish their livelihood. through St Jude’s international outreach a young age. For this reason Yeo decided to programme. set up VIVA Foundation for Children with “With ICRC’s long-standing presence in Cancer. “But each country needs a champion, someone Yemen, we want to run rapid, high-value who has identified the need for improved child economic security interventions that benefit “’VIVA’ is an acclamation for ‘long live!’ and populations directly affected by armed we work to rewrite the future of children with cancer treatment and marshal the support of local communities and institutions,” adds Yeo. violence,” added Bertrand Lamon, head of cancer. Every child deserves to live and no the ICRC sub-delegation in Aden. He said by child should die in the dawn of their lives,” encouraging traditional income-generating Yeo says. Her son was cured after undergoing Among others, the foundation initiated the activity amongst populations at risk, “we not VIVA University Children’s Cancer Centre a bone marrow transplant after years of only make sure their livelihoods are sustained, (VUC3), housed in the National University chemotherapy and two relapses. His eventual but also help them be better at what they Centre. It consists of out-patient clinics, a cure was largely because of St Jude Children’s already do best: producing high-quality honey.” day-therapy centre for children to receive Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. chemotherapy, and an in-patient centre with beds, stem cell transplant rooms and isolation VIVA aims to increase the survival rate in rooms. VIVA also runs clinical research Singapore and across Asia, targeting St Jude’s programmes where researchers and doctors successful patient cure rate of childhood replicate new discoveries from St Jude and leukaemia at 94%. The foundation believes it Following the success of the WeCare Vietnam other top centres into therapies for Asian can achieve this through research, education Project Launch and Stakeholder Discussion children. and medical care. in 2014, Bayer and ASSIST Mekong organised another Launch Ceremony and This year, VIVA will hold the 9th Annual Specifically, the foundation partners with Stakeholder Forum in December at Hotel and funds scientists and doctors in doing key St Jude VIVA Forum in Singapore, which Yangon in Myanmar. serves as a venue for knowledge exchange clinical research; provide facilities such as and research collaborations among paediatric additional transplant rooms at the National WeCare is a Private-Public Partnership University Hospital; and equip doctors, nurses oncologists. The forum will be held at the (PPP) project co-financed by DEG and Bayer Shangri-la Hotel on 28-29 March. and healthcare providers with additional MaterialScience; implemented in partnership information about cancer and complicated “Although we are not doctors, we can still help with ASSIST. procedures through knowledge sharing. save lives,” Yeo concludes. (Credit Suisse/The The project seeks to provide innovative Economist) energy-efficient technologies to support farmers and fishermen in agriculture and aqua-culture production; and establish integrated socio-economic models (SEMs) that will build capacity, create sustainable growth, and ultimately help eliminate the threat of hunger and poverty by providing communities in Vietnam, Indonesia and Sustainable Forest, a Private-Public Myanmar with more knowledge to improve Partnership (PPP) project funded by DEG, The Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation productivity, product quality and food was launched in November in Binh Phuoc (AMAF) has signed an agreement with the security. Province, Vietnam, gathering 42 provincial SOS Children's Villages International (Gulf delegates including Ranger Officers who were Area Office) for a Family Village project to inducted into the project objectives. house over 100 orphans in Dubai upon its completion this year. The project aims at promoting sustainable forest management and minimising socioIn the Memorandum of Understanding, economic and environmental impact by AMAF will bank on SOS Children's The Philippines is one of only two countries demonstrating forest management concepts, Villages International's 65 years of expertise in Asia, and one of seven worldwide, that saw principles and forestry techniques. It also in bringing integrated practices into the an increase of over 25 percent HIV cases from seeks to raise awareness on sustainable forest Family Village project of AMAF to provide management certification schemes and to test underprivileged minors with appropriate care, 2001 to 2009 – according to a report from UNICEF. Contributing to this rate are drug its applicability in Cambodia and Vietnam. rehabilitation and protection. users and people who engage in unprotected Also present at the launch event were Trinh sex with multiple partners, many of whom are Early last year, Dubai was selected by Anh Dung, general director of the Bureau SOS Children's Villages as location for an the youth. Veritas Vietnam; Nguyen Van Loi, viceexpansion plan into the Gulf region due president of the Binh Phuoc Province; Aru to its vital role in fostering partnerships To address the pressing issue on adolescent David, regional director at ASSIST Mekong; between the public and private sectors, raising healthcare, Asia Society for Social Vo Thuy Huong and Pham Thi Le Trang of funds for humanitarian initiatives through Improvement and Sustainable Transformation Bureau Veritas; Nguyen Thanh Tu of ASSIST donations and sponsorships, as well as (ASSIST) initiated Adolescent Health Mekong. through collaborating with local NGOs and Education and Practical Training for humanitarian organisations. Healthcare Service Providers Nationwide (ADEPT). Financed and supported by The latest expansion plan brings the UNICEF, the project makes information organisation's operations to a total of 134 countries across the world. The project on reproductive services more accessible to benefits from endowments and investments by the youth, which will equip them to make international businesses and NGOs directed more informed decisions on their health and to cover the Family Village's operational costs. welfare.
Farmers in the livelihood programmes are given opportunities to improve their techniques in beekeeping through training sessions. In addition, they are provided with the materials to start beekeeping again. “I used to have hives but all the bees died because of my lack of knowledge and means. But in addition to the new hives, the beekeeping training the Red Cross has provided will help in producing and harvesting honey,” says Khaled Ahmad Mohamad, a farmer from Thawba, in Aden governorate. Meanwhile a beneficiary of NRC’s beekeeping project, Saleh Ozloq from Al-Fanh, Sakin Wuais, in Khanfar District, was able to improve his business. “I bought five bee hives from a grant of YER6,300 (USD250) and received basic training support in beekeeping. Over six months, the five bee colonies have quadrupled to 22 hives,” said Saleh. The support from these NGOs has not only encouraged beekeepers to continue their craft amidst the conflict – it has also allowed others to dream and to hope. “This is the first time I have learned to properly care for my bees. I am eager to begin this new work to help my family generate income. I am planning to grow my own production and become one of the biggest beekeepers in Yemen, inshallah,” said Amjad Sabel Ahmad, an apprentice beekeeper from Al Radoo in Abyan. (ICRC/NRC)
WeCare project launch in Myanmar Not only did the event introduce the project methodologies and activities to its beneficiaries; it also provided a venue for stakeholder groups to contribute ideas on project implementation and application of solar drying and cold storage technologies.
ASSIST launches sustainable forest SOS Dubai village project to house project young orphans
ADEPT: closing gap between youth, health professionals
SOS Children's Villages International Gulf Area Office is member of Dubai’s International Humanitarian City, a hub for international and local NGOs, UN organisations and private companies involved in humanitarian activities. (Gulf Today)
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ADEPT also seeks to improve adolescent healthcare by bridging the communication gap between youth groups and adolescent health care professionals. To break communication barriers between the two
groups, healthcare professionals are trained to avoid prejudices when working with the youth, enabling them provide more effective health care services. The project will be implemented in four towns in the Visayas region: Borongan, Iloilo, Roxas and Tacloban. Healthcare providers and youth groups in these areas will be mapped through the PoiMapper mobile data collection technology in gathering more accurate data about the project’s key stakeholders, which will also help collect and make the data available to the youth. A workshop in each city will also be hosted to identify problems faced by both stakeholders in the adolescent healthcare space, to ignite awareness on the importance of effective communication. The problems and issues that were found in the healthcare space will be addressed by providing a video-based e-learning tool kit for healthcare professionals to better engage with the youth. This will be complemented with a training-of-trainers workshop.
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LEARNING AND RESOURCES MDF CALENDAR OF EVENTS (www.mdf.nl) 9-13 February 2015 Monitoring and Evaluation for Learning Vientiane, Laos 23-27 February 2015 Strategic Planning and Organisational Development Bali, Indonesia 9-13 March 2015 Leadership and People Management Yangon, Myanmar 16-20 March 2015 Human Resources Management in an International Context Colombo, Sri Lanka 23-27 March 2015 Training of Trainers Bali, Indonesia 20-24 April 2015 Disability Mainstreaming Hanoi, Vietnam 4-8 May 2015 Monitoring and Evaluation for Learning Bali, Indonesia 11-13 May 2015 Advocacy and Policy Influencing Hanoi, Vietnam 18 - 22 May 2015 Results-Based Management Colombo, Sri Lanka 25 - 27 May 2015 Disaster Risk Reduction Dubai, U.A.E 25 - 29 May 2015 Management Skills Colombo, Sri Lanka
B OO K REV IEW
What Bill Gates had just read
LEAR N I N G R E S O U R CE S
AsianNGO Learning Series 5: 6 Ways for Efficient Fundraising In collaboration with the LIN Foundation for Community Development, AsianNGO will soon be launching the 6 Ways for Efficient Fundraising booklet – with translations in Vietnamese and Tamil. This learning tool is designed to provide easy-to-follow steps for successful fundraising, featuring helpful tips from the planning stage to implementing a fundraising event. It also outlines strategies along with the advantages of each approach. This booklet offers a comprehensive and clear ways to address common fundraising problems such as applying for major funding and turning prospects into donors. The booklet will be out in print and posted online with a downloadable PDF version in April 2015.
SuiteWorld 2015: learning, networking, solutions NetSuite will be hosting the SuiteWorld 2015, the leading cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) event globally on 4-7 May in San Jose, California. It will provide an avenue for learning, networking and collaborating for the improvement of cloud computing services in respective organisations. NetSuite gathers its wide-range of customers and partners from the private sector, social enterprises and NGOs. Through SuiteWorld, participants will learn about cloud-based management, ecommerce, and customer resource management, among others. Breakout sessions organised by role, industry, product, theme, session type and level will be conducted. Participants will also enjoy complementary offerings from developers, solution providers and system integrators in the event’s expo floor. Among the keynote speakers in the event are Zach Nelson, president and CEO of NetSuite; Evan Goldberg, founder and CTO of NetSuite; and Jim McGeever, COO of NetSuite. A pre-conference training will be held on 3-4 May at San Jose Convention Centre. This training offers best practices in NetSuite setup optimisation, reporting and searching techniques to gather critical business data and customization and automation techniques to build-in system intelligence. Full session catalogue will be available in March. To follow updates and for more information, visit www.netsuitesuiteworld.com/. You may also download the course catalogue at www.bit.ly/1De0Uut.
World Development Report 2015: Mind, Society, and Behavior This year’s World Development Report argues that a more realistic account of decision-making and behaviour will make development policy more effective: it emphasises what it calls 'the three marks of everyday thinking.' The Report applies insights from modern behavioural and social sciences to development policies for addressing poverty, finance, productivity, health, children, and climate change. It demonstrates that new policy ideas based on a richer view of decision-making can yield high economic returns. In everyday thinking people use intuition more than careful analysis, and employ concepts and tools that prior experience in their cultural world has made familiar. These insights explain the extraordinary persistence of some social practices, and rapid change in others. Insights also reveal that poverty not only deprives people of resources but is an environment that shapes decision-making, a fact that development projects across the board need to recognise. Download the report at www.bit.ly/1zr2zes
How Asia Works, by Joe Studwell, 2014 With the Asian economies so much in the news, the book explains why some of the continent’s countries grew so fast while others languished. Studwell produces compelling answers to two of the greatest questions in development economics: how countries like Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and China achieve sustained, high growth; and why so few other have countries managed to do so. His answers come in the form of a simple – but hard to execute – formula: first, create conditions for small farmers to thrive; second, use the proceeds from agricultural surplus to build a manufacturing base focused on exports; and finally, nurture both these sectors with financial institutions closely controlled by the government. The agriculture section of the book was particularly insightful, providing ample food for thought for me and the whole Agriculture team at the Gates Foundation. It left us thinking of whether parts of the Asian model can apply in Africa. (In www.gatesnotes.com) www.asianngo.org
Got 5 mins to change the world?
Rethinking Partnerships in a Post2015 World: Towards Equitable, Inclusive and Sustainable Development As the world transitions from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to a post-2015 sustainable development framework, donors, South-South Cooperation providers, partner country governments, as well as non-state actors, like civil society actors and the private sector, must take stock of their partnerships, in their varied forms. Some of the key questions in this edition of Reality of Aid Network’s (RoA) report urges civil society organisations to reflect ahead of 2015 are on the learnings they have had from previous partnerships; the ways that these diverse partnerships can contribute to achieve post-2015 goals with a broader array of development actors; and ensuring that these partnerships are consistent with human rights standards and the goals of eradicating poverty, inequality and social injustice. It also asks of the pre-conditions and principles to ensure that future partnerships are equitable. The reports and articles in this edition provide a critical analysis of how governments address the issues of poverty and whether aid and development cooperation policies are put into practice. Download the report at www.bit.ly/1KpGNMq
Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World is a joint initiative of the Singapore Committee for UN Women and MasterCard, with the aim to help young change-makers create a better world for women and girls in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Launched in 2011 to mark the centenary anniversary of International Women’s Day and the 25th anniversary of MasterCard AsiaPacific, the Middle East and Africa, Project Inspire invites 18-35 year olds to pitch their inspired idea via a five-minute video platform for the chance to win a US$25,000 seed grant to scale up their ideas. The 2015 call will cover, among other themes, design thinking and technology for social innovation and economic empowerment. Stay tuned for the call to open and follow them at www.projinspire.com, or send enquiries to co ntact@5minutestochangetheworld.org.
FE A T U R E D E V E NT
Philippines invites millions to clean-up drive ‘Let’s Do It! Philippines’ will mobilise five percent of the country’s 100-million strong population to take part in an environmental crusade in cleaning up the country on 20 September. The cleanup drive targets five million people – the biggest group of volunteers the country will see working together –to get rid of the country’s wastes in just one day. To open the campaign this year, ‘Let’s Do It!’ is organising the Trash Warriors Boot Camp this month to train 100 regional leaders who, in turn, will spread awareness about the campaign, organise their own teams and train other leaders, until the message cuts across grassroot communities. Aside from training the regional leaders, the organisers have been raising support from different sectors – education institutions, businesses, religious groups, among others. The National Solid Waste Management and Greenpeace Philippines have already agreed to help in the cleanup drive. Dumping wastes in public places is prohibited in the country, as stated in the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. But the disposal of wastes – solid waste, chemical waste, and bio-waste – is still widely mismanaged and many places in the country are heavily polluted. With the massive cleanup drive, Let’s Do It! Philippines hopes to encourage strict implementation of the law and engage the communities to take action and help minimise pollution. To know more about the campaign, visit Let’s Do It!’s website, www.letsdoitphilippines.org, or contact Dann Diez, campaign manager, at diezdt@yahoo.com or letsdoitph@gmail.com. 13
LEARNING AND RESOURCES CALE N DAR O F E V E N TS 15-17 January 2015 2015 Zaragoza Conference Aragon, Spain 20-21 January 2015 Mobiles for Development Forum Bangkok, Thailand 22-29 January 2015 ASEAN Tourism Forum 2015 Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar 3-6 February 2015 ASEAN Next Generation CSR Forum Bali, Indonesia 5-7 February 2015 15th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS 2015) New Delhi, India 11-13 February 2015 Corporate Giving: A 21st Century Approach Texas, USA 11-15 February 2015 14th World Congress on Public Health Kolkota, India 12 February 2015 Media360Summit Hong Kong
15 February 2015 3rd Philippine Pharmacy Summit Manila, Philippines
17-18 February 2015 World CSR Day Mumbai, India
23-24 February 2015 Educational Summit on ASEAN Integration Manila, Philippines 26-28 February 2015 Water Expo 2015 Chennai, India 2-4 March 2015 Asia Energy Security Summit Kathmandu, Nepal 5 March 2015 2015 International Conference on Globalization Enterprises and Economic Development Washington DC, USA
9-11 March 2015 PSPC 2015 - 8th Annual Poverty and Social Protection Conference Bangkok, Thailand 11-13 March 2015 The Spring Energy Symposium Phoenix, USA 12-14 March 2015 Solar Tech Bangladesh 2015 Dhaka, Bangladesh 14-18 March 2015 World Conference on Disaster Reduction 2015 Miyagi, Japan 19 March 2015 Small Business Expo - Philadelphia 2015 Philadelphia, USA 19 March 2015 The Conference The Green Cultural Heritage Malmo, Sweden
23-27 March 2015 Intergovernmental Negotiations on Post-2015 Development Agenda - Third Session New York, USA 24-25 March 2015 1st Annual World Conference on Womenstudies’ 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka 24-26 March 2015 DIHAD 2015 Dubai, UAE 25-27 March 2015 Water Philippines Expo Manila, Philippines 26-27 March 2015 ASEAN Corporate Sustainability Summit and Awards 2015 Manila, Philippines
19-20 March 2015 7th Annual Global CSR Summit and Awards 2015 Yokgyakarta, Indonesia
8-12 April 2015 ICLEI World Congress Seoul, South Korea
23-24 March 2015 Green India Energy Summit Gujarat, India
14-16 April 2015 INTERPOL World 2015 Singapore, Singapore
For further information and more events, visit www.asianngo.org
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LEARNING AND RESOURCES
UN-ESCAP warns: inequality cripples TPSW announces 2014 S. Asia Winners A panel of five judges helped screen through development goals the shortlist and decided on the winners:
Claudio Cambon, international documentary photographer; Saradamani Dey, head of marketing and communications at Royal Sundaram; Mahati Parashuram, head of public affairs at Grundfos; Sadasivam Sabharinath, photographer at Photographic Society of Madras; and R LRavichandran, executive director Eicher Motos Ltd. Entries were reviewed according to relevance to the theme, strength of the message conveyed, visual appeal and composition and clarity.
social exclusion and creating a group of the ‘bottom billion’ that would be left behind. In turn, Akhtar suggested solutions such as a combined measure in the region for redistributive policies, social protection enhancement, and promotion of productive and decent work particularly for the youth.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Image: WIPO/Flickr
In solving the economic inequality in the region, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (ESCAP) recently emphasised that there should be “no room for complacency” now that the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) deadline is near. ESCAP Executive-Secretary Shamshad Akhtar, in a speech during the UN AsiaPacific forum on ‘Regional Connectivity for Shared Prosperity’ last year, said that economic growth is the key to achieve development goals. “Asia-Pacific region may be doing great in achieving the 2015 MDGs, but economic inequality remains rampant in the region. With 743 million people in the region still living in poverty; sustainable, inclusive and job-generating growth is what’s most needed,” Akhtar said, adding that inequalities jeopardise social cohesion and stability of societies. The ‘inequality trap’ risks intensifying
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised Akhtar for presenting the matter on centre stage, saying that “boosting connectivity across Asia-Pacific will enable countries to optimise their strengths and synergies, supporting sustainable development and shared prosperity.”
With the theme ‘SAFETY across South Asia’, the annual Ten Photos to Shake the World gathered over 100 entries Although developments in reducing poverty from photographers from Afghanistan, and other MDGs have been apparent in the region, gaps in overall development can still be Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives pointed to income inequality and other forms Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka; and awarded of inaccessibility like public transportation, prizes across five categories: overall winner, information and communications technology, road safety, occupational safety, domestic modern energy resources, women’s political and economic participation, and other drivers safety and people’s choice award. of development. Mouhammed Moustapha was selected as the Mr Ban agrees that Asia-Pacific’s current overall winner for his portrayal of a sewage economic dynamism is primarily driven by cleaner’s life titled, ‘Dark Future’. Supriya the individual economies; but he stressed that Biswas’ ‘Safety for Future’ won domestic safety integration and cooperation in the region will award for depicting the security of physically drive their success in achieving a sustainable challenged people at home. Amitava Chandra development. won the occupational safety award with “Enhancing regional connectivity across the ‘Both Ways for the Environment’; while Ata region requires political will and cooperation, Mohammed Adan’s ‘Homebound’ won the to explore what is achievable and optimal, to road safety award. Shuvjit Das won the people’s develop consensus on conducive approaches choice award for ‘Let's Light it Up’, which and how we engage, and to put in place a was decided by the total number of likes on game plan for how this will be achieved,” he ASSIST’s Facebook page. added. (UN)
“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still,” Dorothea Lange once said. Likewise, TPSW holds a cluster of such instances that inspire people to alter their approaches towards society. This year’s run of TPSW was in collaboration with partners Switch Asia, GrAT, Upaya, CSCP, CCI, FNCCI, MDF and media partner Media Ray. Ten Photos to Shake the World National Photo Competition (TPSW) is ASSIST's pioneer Social Initiative launched in 2011 in the Philippines. It is an annual photo competition developed to stir people's awareness, and to encourage involvement on social action through photography. Since its first run, the four competitions have now gathered over 1,500 photo submissions and received support from various sponsors and partners in the private and non-profit sectors.
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TRAINING
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LEARNING AND RESOURCES AVAIL AB L E G R AN TS Integrated Sustainable Coastal Development Course (Grant) Donor: Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) Country: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam Area(s) of Interest: Capacity Building, Environment Application Deadline: 9 February 2015 Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Programmes in Central Asia (Grant) Donor: USAID Country: Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan Area(s) of Interest: Human Rights Application Deadline: 11 February 2015 Request for Proposals: Religious Freedom Project (Grant) Donor: US Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) Country: Malaysia Area(s) of Interest: Human Rights Application Deadline: 11 February 2015 Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Programmes in Egypt (Grant) Donor: US Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) Country: Egypt Area(s) of Interest: Human Rights Application Deadline: 11 February 2015 Technical Assistance for Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (Grant) Donor: EuropeAid Country: Bangladesh Area(s) of Interest: Capacity-Building Application Deadline: 15 February 2015 Supply and Installation of Converter Stations (Works and Services) Donor: World Bank Country: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan Area(s) of Interest: Energy Deadline: 19 February 2015
The Geodata for Agriculture and Water Facility Programme (Grant) Donor: Geodata for Agriculture and Water (G4AW) Country: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam Area(s) of Interest: Agriculture, Water Application Deadline: 27 February 2015 Creating Shared Value Prize 2016: Nutrition, Water and Rural Development (Grant) Donor: Nestle Country: Global Area(s) of Interest: Community Development, Food, Water Application Deadline: 28 February 2015 Women Empowerment Programmes (Grant) Donor: USAID Country: Pakistan Area(s) of Interest: Women Empowerment Application Deadline: 2 March 2015 Second Green Power Development Project (Works and Services) Donor: Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country: Bhutan Area(s) of Interest: Energy, Infrastructure Application Deadline: 5 March 2015 US-Israel Collaboration in Computer Science (Grant) Donor: National Science Foundation Country: Israel Area(s) of Interest: Research Application Deadline: 16 March 2015 Training Programme for Women, Peace and Security (Grant) Donor: Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) Country: Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen Area(s) of Interest: Capacity Building, Women, Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution Application Deadline: 30 March 2015
Open Grant Opportunities for International Development Funding Donor: UK Department for International Development (DFID) Country: Global Call Area(s) of Interest: Capacity Building, Community Development, Agriculture, Education, Infrastructure Application Deadline: 31 March 2015 Civil Society Annual Program Statement (Grant) Donor: USAID Country: Cambodia Area(s) of Interest: Civil Society, Public Sector Management and Governance Application Deadline: 10 April 2015 Road Construction and Upgrading Project (Works and Services) Donor: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Country: Azerbaijan Area(s) of Interest: Infrastructure Application Deadline: 22 May 2015 Khatlon Water Rehabilitation Project (Works and Services) Donor: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Country: Tajikistan Area(s) of Interest: Water Application Deadline: 9 June 2015 Semey District Heating Project (Works and Services) Donor: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Country: Kazakhstan Area(s) of Interest: Community Development Application Deadline: 20 June 2015 North Tajik Water Rehabilitation Project, Phase II (Works and Services) Donor: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Country: Tajikistan Area(s) of Interest: Water Application Deadline: 29 June 2015
Kairakkum Hydropower Rehabilitation Project (Works and Services) Donor: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Country: Tajikistan Area(s) of Interest: Energy Application Deadline: 14 July 2015 Izmir Metro Project (Goods Procurement) Donor: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Country: Turkey Area(s) of Interest: Public Transportation Application Deadline: 21 July 2015 Quality Data for Decision-Making Project (Grant) Donor: USAID Country: India Area(s) of Interest: Capacity Building, Community Development Application Deadline: 28 August 2015 Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Local Grants Program (Grant) Donor: USAID Country: Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria Application Deadline: 16 October 2015 North Tajik Water Rehabilitation Project (Works and Services) Donor: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Country: Tajikistan Area(s) of Interest: Water Application Deadline: 17 October 2015 Kyzylorda District Heating Project (Works and Services) Donor: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Country: Kazakhstan Area(s) of Interest: Infrastructure Application Deadline: 11 November 2015
For further information and more grants, visit www.asianngo.org
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