As members of the international bilateral donor community, we recognize the tremendous impact that private sector actors can have on development and we commit to working together to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
These objectives have been previously outlined in the Millennium Development Goal– Develop a Global Partnership for Development. In the ten years since the MDGs were established, the international community has made great progress in developing partnerships with business and we come together today to renew and give greater meaning to our commitment.
We recognize that the private 1. sector is the engine of economic growth and development – creating jobs, goods and services and generating public revenues essential to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Through our individual institutions we are engaging actively with both local and international businesses on development projects and we have many successes to demonstrate the value of those relationships.
2. We also recognize the important role that multilateral institutions and business organizations, including the UN Global Compact, continue to play in advancing sustainable business models and markets to build an inclusive global economy.
3. Rather than viewing the private sector merely as resource providers, we choose to recognize the private sector as equal partners around key development issues and will enter into partnerships with local and international companies of various sizes. We aim to collaborate with companies that focus not only on profit margin, but also on social and environmental impact, and whose work harmonizes with our developmental goals.
4. We recognize there are many different ways to engage with the private sector:
a. We work with the private sector to implement inclusive business models – sustainable, market based solutions that are commercially viable and can deliver measurable, impactful and scalable development results for those at the base of the pyramid.
b. We work with the private sector to promote responsible business practices in areas such as human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.
c. We work with the private sector to address operational and humanitarian challenges through corporate social responsibility programs which serve both development interests and longterm business interests, improving not only the quality of life in developing countries, but also the competitive environment for companies, their license to operate and their reputational capital.
d. We actively engage the private sector in public-private policy dialogue and advocacy around issues of global and national importance, including achieving the MDGs, addressing climate change, improving the investment climate and enhancing aid effectiveness.
5. While there are various ways of engaging with the private sector, we recognize certain common elements exist throughout all our partnerships. In particular, we believe true partnerships must leverage the skills, expertise and resources of all parties, and that all parties must share in the risks and rewards of the partnership.
We recognize the important 6. role donors can play to help businesses overcome the challenges they face in
contributing to the MDGs, including the culture shift required in balancing development objectives against
maximizing return on investment, moving to inclusive business models, managing risk and measuring impact.
7. To foster a more robust private sector role in development, we as donors commit to:
a. Share the risk of investment to spur and leverage the creative investments of private capital through the use of catalytic and innovative financing, including matching grants, loans, equity and guarantees, and develop new partnership mechanisms which improve our collaboration.
b. Work with developing country governments to establish a supportive enabling environment through policy and regulatory frameworks that create incentives for stronger private sector participation in development.
c. Facilitate stronger relationships between private sector actors and other national stakeholders, including governments, civil society and local small and medium enterprises to support country ownership.
d. Promote partnerships that improve the lives of both men and women in order to secure equal pportunities.
e. Build the capacity of local private sector partners to develop socially responsible business initiatives by providing targeted technical assistance.
f. Increase awareness through facilitating dialogue, developing tools, and supporting learning which showcases the powerful and positive role that well-functioning inclusive markets can play in achieving the MDGs.
8. We recognize the important role that science and technology play in spurring creative and effective development solutions. The private sector is a key driver of innovation, and we will work to integrate these innovations into our programs.
9. We recognize that partnerships with the private sector have the greatest impact when they are strategic – programs become scalable and sustainable when they are integrated into broader strategic initiatives.
10. We are committed to working with the least developed countries and countries struggling in conflict and fragility, as well as with middle income countries with thriving private sectors.
11. We are committed to the Principles of Aid Effectiveness as detailed in the Paris Declaration and Accra Agenda for Action and will explore how these principles intersect with the work of these partnership communities.
12. We encourage the private sector to commit to an ever increasing role in and responsibility for international development and invite businesses to further shape our understanding of the roles they can play as development partners, so that jointly we can promote a lasting global partnership for development.
http://api.ning.com/files/dgy7m4URvFU8VLOdyJV-tB08bR4NRXc3xnyvHJ8ARaVB25L3H5futW4A8bs5fHUTMptJRjOP3*PdW7ZMqEGdzZu56jbIQ4u9/JointDonorStatement.pdf
Showing posts with label Global Partnerships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Global Partnerships. Show all posts
Friday, 12 November 2010
Saturday, 10 July 2010
POVERTY: Microfinamnce officers go above and beyond
Coordinator Justiniano Osco drove his dirt bike right into the meeting room where 11 women—members of a communal lending group, or village bank, sat awaiting him. The “room” was an open field in Achocalla, Bolivia. Justiniano is the loan officer who leads the twice-monthly meetings for this village bank, providing trainings, facilitating the loan process and supporting these women who are working to better their lives with the help of microfinance.
Justiniano visits 20 village bank meetings a week, often in remote areas.
I had the opportunity to meet Justiniano—a loan officer with Global Partnerships microfinance partner CRECER—last summer. I was immediately impressed by the respect that Justiniano showed the members of this village bank and the rapport he had with them. He started the meeting off with an icebreaker that involved jumping up and down in place—which led to lots of giggles as the women bounced in their broad skirts, derby hats perched on their heads and long braids flapping at their sides. He then led a participative training on good nutrition, complete with posters of the food pyramid.
Though he has every reason to be proud of his work, Justiniano is soft spoken and humble. An agronomist by training, he has served as a loan officer with CRECER for 11 years. He loves his job, in large part because he knows he is helping his own people. Like many microfinance loan officers, Justiniano has a background that is very similar to the clients that he serves. He grew up in a poor, rural community: His parents were small farmers, working a tiny plot of land with a few animals.
“My childhood was very difficult. I didn’t know what shoes were,” he explained. He described how he and his clients “share the same culture, the same traditions, the same language.” (The entire bank meeting was conducted in Aymara, the indigenous language spoken in this region.)
Justiniano’s daily attire is a padded jumpsuit he wears for protection over his clothes as he rides his motorcycle. It’s a must, given that he visits four village bank meetings per day, traveling over rough dirt roads to get to each one.
Justiniano visits 20 meetings every week, with some requiring a two-and-a-half-hour ride. His dedication to visiting communities in remote regions is typical of micofinance loan officers and reflects a key difference between microfinance institutions and traditional banks. While banks have an office in the city and require you to go to them for service, microfinance organizations are proactive in their outreach, traveling to where their clients live.
Justiniano is one of hundreds of loan officers with Global Partnerships microfinance partners who make these connections happen. If there are heroes in the world of microfinance, surely Justiniano and the many loan officers like him must be counted among them. The members of the 20 village banks Justiniano visits on his dirt bike each week would surely agree.
http://www.globalpartnerships.org/sections/newsinfo/newsinfo_newsletter_su10_loan_officer.htm
Justiniano visits 20 village bank meetings a week, often in remote areas.
I had the opportunity to meet Justiniano—a loan officer with Global Partnerships microfinance partner CRECER—last summer. I was immediately impressed by the respect that Justiniano showed the members of this village bank and the rapport he had with them. He started the meeting off with an icebreaker that involved jumping up and down in place—which led to lots of giggles as the women bounced in their broad skirts, derby hats perched on their heads and long braids flapping at their sides. He then led a participative training on good nutrition, complete with posters of the food pyramid.
Though he has every reason to be proud of his work, Justiniano is soft spoken and humble. An agronomist by training, he has served as a loan officer with CRECER for 11 years. He loves his job, in large part because he knows he is helping his own people. Like many microfinance loan officers, Justiniano has a background that is very similar to the clients that he serves. He grew up in a poor, rural community: His parents were small farmers, working a tiny plot of land with a few animals.
“My childhood was very difficult. I didn’t know what shoes were,” he explained. He described how he and his clients “share the same culture, the same traditions, the same language.” (The entire bank meeting was conducted in Aymara, the indigenous language spoken in this region.)
Justiniano’s daily attire is a padded jumpsuit he wears for protection over his clothes as he rides his motorcycle. It’s a must, given that he visits four village bank meetings per day, traveling over rough dirt roads to get to each one.
Justiniano visits 20 meetings every week, with some requiring a two-and-a-half-hour ride. His dedication to visiting communities in remote regions is typical of micofinance loan officers and reflects a key difference between microfinance institutions and traditional banks. While banks have an office in the city and require you to go to them for service, microfinance organizations are proactive in their outreach, traveling to where their clients live.
Justiniano is one of hundreds of loan officers with Global Partnerships microfinance partners who make these connections happen. If there are heroes in the world of microfinance, surely Justiniano and the many loan officers like him must be counted among them. The members of the 20 village banks Justiniano visits on his dirt bike each week would surely agree.
http://www.globalpartnerships.org/sections/newsinfo/newsinfo_newsletter_su10_loan_officer.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
