Private Foundations, Business and Developing a Post - 2015 Framework

Global debates about what might replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) after their 2015 deadline are currently underway. Philanthropic foundations and businesses need to be integrated into these discussions alongside civil society, national governments and multilateral organisations. This could be achieved by encouraging cooperation on individual MDGs; transferring project ownership and management to private actors where it is deserved; improving knowledge transfer and decreasing project duplication; and creating a common set of performance metrics

Global Dialogue Report - Global Governance and Regulation: London

The London Dialogue involved up to 23 participants in discussions about the role of global governance and regulation in the protection and promotion of human wellbeing in the twenty-first century. It ranged across a broad spectrum of governance and regulation issues. The discussion proceeded on the understanding that global governance and regulation is important for all our efforts to live well as individuals but that they are more significant still because they are vital to our efforts to live well together in an increasingly globalised world. The discussion started by recognising that the ecosystem of global governance and regulation was becoming ever more complex, involving a diverse range of new players, new organisations and new values. It was felt that developing a better understanding of the structure and dynamics of this new ecosystem would be an important first step in developing more effective governance and regulation. The discussion of the problems of current global governance and regulations systems and institutions identified a lack of trust in governance institutions as critical at this time. This was related to what was perceived as weaknesses of transparency and accountability for some parts of the global governance regime. Large philanthropic organisations were not seen as being exempt from these issues of distrust, transparency and accountability. The problems of the short -term-ism of national governments (political cycles) and their focus on national priorities in global governance were discussed. The exclusion of women, girls and youth were highlighted as a particular problem of governance systems.The discussion identified a wide range of innovation and trusted institutions of governance and regulation. A number of these involved the innovative use of new information and communication technologies to improve voice and accountability. Further initiatives demonstrated other ways in which trust can be built. These innovations appeared to provide a good foundation on which philanthropic organisations might build to contribute to rebuilding trust in global governance and regulation institutions. The discussions explored the idea that global governance problems might be better dealt with by breaking the problems and challenges into smaller, bite-sized chunks. It echoed the more profound view that there may be fundamental problems with the ideas and values on which current approaches to governance and regulation are founded.The discussion concluded with a suggestion that philanthropic organisations might further explore what was perceived to be their unique position as intermediaries between business, government and civil society in order to explore what their comparative advantage might be in strengthening global governance and regulation in ways that better protect and promote human wellbeing in the face of growing threats and uncertaint

The Changing Ecosystem of Philanthropies in International Development

The changing role of philanthropy in international development is driven by shifts in international aid practices and shifts within philanthropy itself. The growing emphasis on development goals such as access to basic services and funding global public goods, in addition to advancing economic development, has led to a proliferation of new actors in development and new tools for aid (Severino and Ray 2009). There is a push to include foundations in development cooperation frameworks (OECD 2003; European Foundation Centre 2006; Bishop 2007; Kharas 2007; Kramer 2007; Lundsgaarde 2011a) and foundations have played a critical role in financing global public goods, particularly in health (Sulla 2007; European Foundation Centre 2006; Sridhar and Batniji 2008; Lundsgaarde 2011b). The new actors create new governance problems and the new tools create new dilemmas in measuring development results. The most prominent new actors are foundations created by high net worth individuals, the largest and most influential of which is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundations’ influence can partly be attributed to their focus on a narrow set of areas – a strategy that parallels the evolution of high-profile advocates in international development. The economic growth in BRICS countries has led to the emergence of BRICS governments as aid donors, not just aid recipients. Wealthy individuals and families have also begun to set up private foundations.The Rockerfeller Foundatio

Global Governance and Regulation: London

The London Dialogue involved up to 23 participants in discussions about the role of global governance and regulation in the protection and promotion of human wellbeing in the twenty-first century. It ranged across a broad spectrum of governance and regulation issues. The discussion proceeded on the understanding that global governance and regulation is important for all our efforts to live well as individuals but that they are more significant still because they are vital to our efforts to live well together in an increasingly globalised world. The discussion started by recognising that the ecosystem of global governance and regulation was becoming ever more complex, involving a diverse range of new players, new organisations and new values. It was felt that developing a better understanding of the structure and dynamics of this new ecosystem would be an important first step in developing more effective governance and regulation.The Rockerfeller Foundatio

The Future of International Development and Philanthropy: Promoting Human Wellbeing in a Challenging Global Context

This report provides an analysis of the insights offered by the Bellagio Initiative, a global deliberative process implemented by the Institute of Development Studies, Resource Alliance and the Rockefeller Foundation over a period of six months in 2011.The Bellagio Initiative was a process of deliberation about how to meet the challenges to and seize the opportunities for protecting and promoting human wellbeing in the twenty-first century. It consisted of a series of global events that engaged a wide range of policymakers, academics and practitioners from international development and philanthropy.There were three components to the Bellagio Initiative:1. A series of Commissioned Papers that explored key challenges and opportunities for international development and philanthropy organisations;2. Global Dialogue meetings attended by a wide spectrum of participants at a range of locations worldwide;3. A two-week Summit held at the Rockefeller Foundation conference centre in Bellagio, Italy, in November 2011.This report reviews and analyses the key messages from all three of these components before providing a synthesis of the main observations and recommendations in its conclusion

What Next For the Brics Bank?

A new development bank to be created by the ‘Rising Powers’ of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) is intended to promote greater cooperation between developing countries, and address what is seen by many as a history of misguidance and underinvestment by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, several questions remain about the establishment of the BRICS bank and its potential impact on future development cooperation. The timeframe for its creation is still uncertain and economic and political links between the BRICS countries need to be strengthened in order for them to agree a clear development agenda to underpin the new institution

Promoting Human Wellbeing in a Challenging Global Context

This report provides an analysis of the insights offered by the Bellagio Initiative, a global deliberative process implemented by the Institute of Development Studies, Resource Alliance and the Rockefeller Foundation over a period of six months in 2011. The Bellagio Initiative was a process of deliberation about how to meet the challenges to and seize the opportunities for protecting and promoting human wellbeing in the twenty-first century. It consisted of a series of global events that engaged a wide range of policymakers, academics and practitioners from international development and philanthropy. There were three components to the Bellagio Initiative: 1. a series of Commissioned Papers that explored key challenges and opportunities for international development and philanthropy organisations; 2. Global Dialogue meetings attended by a wide spectrum of participants at a range of locations worldwide; 3. a two-week Summit held at the Rockefeller Foundation conference centre in Bellagio, Italy, in November 2011. This report reviews and analyses the key messages from all three of these components before providing a synthesis of the main observations and recommendations in its conclusion.the Rockerfeller Foundatio

What is Business and Development? An Annotated Bibliography

This annotated bibliography provides an exhaustive collection of resources on the topic of Business and Development. It includes sections on Private Sector Investment for Development (encouraging business investment in developing countries), Leveraging Private Sector Finance for Development, Influencing Private Sector Strategies for Development and Measuring and Evaluating Development. Each section includes informative case studies from around the developing world. Where possible it also includes interactive links to the documents mentioned.DFI