Você está na página 1de 2

Policy Brief January 2011

Development by Other Means:


Leveraging the U.S.
Government-NGO Relationship
for a New Era of Global
Engagement
This paper is the result of a successful collaboration between the President’s Advisory Coun-
cil on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and the community of NGOs that Inter-
Action represents. The Council was charged by President Obama to shape strong, cogent
recommendations on how civil society might work more effectively with his Administration.
InterAction and several of its members served on the Council’s Task Force on Global Poverty
and Development which shaped recommendations that were adopted by the Council and
presented to the president on March 9, 2010. The paper is reprinted here as part of the 2011
Foreign Assistance Briefing Book because it reflects the views of InterAction members and
the White House Council, and as such is a powerful statement on the nature of the partner-
ship and the value of partnerships between the NGO community and government.
We advocate for a healthier, more robust and multifaceted partnership between the U.S.
Government and the U.S. NGO community. The recommendations included here illustrate
our view of how good development is done—informed by our years of experience and
expertise gained through working in some of the poorest and most difficult places in the
world. InterAction members focus on effective development and effective partnerships to
ensure global solutions to alleviate poverty are driven by the whole of society from the village
to the national government and supported by a multitude of players including the public and
private sector internationally and locally.
The InterAction community strongly believes that effective partnerships on a local, national
and global level are the solution to maximizing U.S. Government donor assistance fund-
ing. An effective partnership for global development would bring the international financial
institutions and multilateral organizations, private businesses, foundations, philanthropists
and local businesses and leaders to the table to invest in countries around their priorities.
The U.S. has the power to convene this broad range of players with the money, labor and
expertise to develop more holistic country strategies and engage more people invested in
its success.
Good development is the result of programming that is people-centered and engages
a community to ensure support and relevancy of the project. Good development requires
evidence-based results and the recognition that no one entity acting alone can advance the
www.InterAction.org Millennium Development Goals. Our vision of “countries” is people-centered, not govern-
1400 16th Street, NW
ment-centered. Where governments are legitimate, have capacity and are accountable to
Suite 210 their citizens, effective private development should support their development agenda that
Washington, DC 20036 must include the poorest citizens. Where governments are weak or unaccountable, the U.S.
202-667-8227 should support communities directly to meet their own needs and strengthen their ability to
demand performance from their governments. This paper organizations (PVOs) to create an effective system
reflects a development philosophy based on involving peo- that addresses their concerns that PVS as currently
ple, consulting with local officials and residents, measuring designed would significantly harm partnerships with
progress and the need for partnership between the govern- local communities and compromises the safety of U.S.
ment and NGO communities at all levels: local, provincial, PVO personnel.
and national. 10. Ensure that the Department of Defense’s Synchronized
Pre-deployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT) data-
Overview of recommendations base authority is not expanded and that it is not applied
1. Launch a public campaign to promote a new era of to grants and cooperative agreements.
engagement with the American public to end global 11. Use the Obama Administration’s Global Hunger and
poverty and promote sustainable development. Food Security Initiative as a model for new partnerships
2. Actively engage the U.S. NGO sector actively in review- between the Administration and civil society.
ing and designing a development strategy to strengthen
global poverty reduction efforts. Members of the Taskforce
3. Emphasize long-term development goals and local • The Reverend David Beckmann, President; and The
engagement in USAID grants and cooperative agree- Reverend James L. McDonald, Vice President for
ments. Policy and Program, Bread for the World
4. Take concrete steps to increase the share of U.S. devel- • Bishop Charles Blake, Presiding Bishop, Church of
opment assistance awarded through partnerships with God in Christ
civil society organizations that have demonstrated • Marie Dennis, Director, Maryknoll Office for Global
commitment and competence working with poor com- Concerns
munities. • Dr. Helene Gayle, President, CARE
5. Place faith-based and civil society engagement officers • Ken Hackett, President; and Bill O’Keefe, Senior
in USAID missions. Director for Advocacy, Catholic Relief Services
6. Strengthen the capacity for local civil society engage- • Sammy Mah, President and CEO, World Relief
ment in development and encourage gender-sensitive • The Reverend John L. McCullough, Executive Direc-
development models. tor and CEO; and Mr. Martin Shupack, Director of
7. Revive capacity-building support for U.S. development Advocacy, Church World Service
NGOs. • Ruth Messinger, CEO, American Jewish World Ser-
8. Review and set limits on role of the Department of vice
Defense in development work. • Richard E. Stearns, President, World Vision United
9. Ensure that the Partner Vetting System (PVS), as cur- States
rently designed, is not implemented, and enter into • Sam Worthington, President and CEO; and Lindsay
more detailed discussions with U.S. private voluntary Coates, Executive Vice President, InterAction

Você também pode gostar