SIDCN Joins Global Leaders at the Global Partnerships Conference

By Amber Shotton, SIDCN Chair of Trustees

In May I had the opportunity to attend Day 1 of the Global Partnership Conference arranged by the FCDO, South African Government, CIFF and BII. Firstly, we were only one of a few infrastructure organisations that received an invitation, which were very much in demand. And whilst the location and agenda wasn’t shared until the last minute, expectations were cautious but quietly hopeful.

It was an early start - 4.30am to get to Woolwich for 9am, but was so pleased to grab a coffee (prepared by The Clink Charity – one that is close to my heart from my old justice days) as we walked into the plenary.

Summaries from UK Alliance Peers

It was equally nice to also bump into fellow UK Alliance colleagues Frances Guy of Scotland’s Internation Development Alliance, who was my partner in crime for the day and Romilly (who had the same jacket on as me!) from Bond.

Please see excellent summaries of the whole two days from them both:

• SIDA's summary here.

• Bond's summary here.

Kicking Off the Day

The agenda was packed and it was nice to see that there was representation from global majority speakers throughout the event, with a mix of Government, Civil Society, and Businesses from across the world in the room.

The wonderful Poet Caureate for Birmingham, Ayan Aden, opened the day with a powerful and unforgettable performance of her work, words that remained with me (and referenced by many speakers) throughout the day.

Another powerful speaker from the first plenary was a young person, Yolanda, who didn’t mince her words and shared a new 10-point plan for change, ensuring that young people not only have a voice but a seat at the table.

There were so many sessions and it was difficult to decide which to attend, but during the first session, who should I happen to sit next to but Lena Bheeroo of ADD International, which is always a joy (I want her jacket).

There were many powerful messages throughout the day, and a lot of calls for less talk and more action.

Key Themes

Some of the themes and messages shared throughout the day included:

• Development should have a seat at the top table in UK government, equal to defence, and proactive support is more effective than just dealing with crisis.

• Doing to is no longer an option, co-design and co-decision is the only way forward.

• Young people need to have a voice and shape their own futures.

• There had been significant impact on gender equality as a result of the global cuts, yet evidence shows that funding and investing in gender equality has a huge and positive impact across the world, with The World Bank Group now having a Director for gender, helping to hardwire gender focus in policies and funding.

• Positive examples of countries being able to swap debt for commitment in health spend  or investors committing to funding the poorest and most challenging countries and regions (who need it the most).

• Powerful reflections and ideas such as removing tax holidays for foreign investment and giving local industries more opportunities, or reducing the cost to become politicians and supporting leaders from all communities, to help rebuild trust in politics.

• There was really interesting panels about social platforms not only helping to agitate young people and create powerful movements, but equally has the power to crush movements too. Should we be looking to build civil infrastructure, giving regions control over their own platforms?

• And amazing examples of social purpose organisations helping to turnaround their regions such as BRAC through education, agriculture and employment.

• As well as the perceived imbalances between global civil society and business, with INGOs commenting on having to spend significant resources in compliance for funding, whilst corporate multinationals often not having to work to the same levels of due diligence.

You Never Know Who You'll Meet At Lunch

To my surprise, the gentleman I shared a table with at lunch - who happily shared his knowledge of small charities, their great work globally, their challenges and more importantly their impact globally (which was particularly positive to hear in a room of predominantly Medium to Large organisations) - was none other than the Managing Director & General Counsel of British International Investment plc, Colin Buckley!

Nice to see that you don’t need to be working in a Small to understand #ThePowerofSmall!

So, What Are My Takeaways?

1. SIDCN members continue to be ahead of the game, we have always worked collaboratively with our local communities and partners, naturally shifting power and listening to the needs of local communities and doing what we can, on small budgets, to support them.

   
   

2. We can be visible. It was positive for SIDCN to be invited and attend at least 1 day of the conference, albeit we could only access the 1 day due to our voluntary resources  and the strict invitation requirements of FCDO.

   
   

3. There is still more to do to amplify the voices of smalls globally and increase our presence. All day I thought how amazing it would have been to have given at least ten members the opportunity to be in the space, listening and sharing.

   
   

4. And finally, I hope that with the UK holding the G20 and C20 presidency in 2027, I hope that SIDCN, with the support of the wider UK Alliance, can help to gain greater visibility of Smalls working globally! There are plans afoot, so please watch this space Members!