Child violence in the Pacific, increased UK charitable spending on development. Plus women’s rights reform, DRR & more.

+ What links governance to good development?

CID, in partnership with MFAT, is offering an unmissable 1-day workshop on the role of good governance in generating development impact.
 
Facilitated by world-leading expert on governance in the aid and development sector, Graham Teskey, you will explore the following:

• What does it mean to think and work politically?
• How can you support partners in-country to have good governance?

Graham Teskey of Abt Associates’ Global Governance practice in Australia, specialises in the governance aspects of international development. He has been head of Governance and Anti-Corruption at The World Bank; advised DFAT on governance in its international aid program; and spent 16 years with the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID).
  
Venue: CID Offices, Level 4, 26 Brandon St, Wellington
Date: Thursday 8^th August
Time: 11:00am - 3:00pm (Bring your own lunch)

Register here to the workshop (Cost $10)

MFAT would also like to invite CID members to a panel session with Graham at 3.30 – 5.00pm, on Wednesday 7 August, followed by a Reception until 6pm:
 
“To what extent is this thing called governance an indispensable element of good development practice?”

Venue: MFAT Level 13
Date: Wednesday 7th August 
Time: 3:30 - 5:00pm, followed by Reception 5pm-6pm
 

+ Underinvestment in the Pacific for Ending Violence Against Children

Globally, the prevalence of violence against children is staggering, with 1.3 billion girls and boys experiencing physical and humanitarian punishment at home. A global report revealed 18 million girls between the ages of 15 to 19 have experience sexual violence and sexual abuse in their lifetime. These statistics do not improve at the regional level. 

The joint study 'Unseen, Unsafe: The Underinvestment in Ending Violence Against Children in the Pacific and Timor-Leste' produced by World Vision, Save the Children, Plan International, and Child Fund, and supported by UNICEF, reveals the levels of physical, emotional and sexual violence faced by children living in the Pacific and Timor-Leste. Through five country-level case studies, this report reveals the stark reality of the magnitude of this violence against children:

• More than 4 million children across the region experience violent discipline.
• 1 in 4 adolescent girls experience physical violence
• 1 in 10 adolescent girls experience sexual violence.

The report found that in 2015-17, only a tiny fraction of Official Development Assistance (ODA) by major donors to the Pacific and Timor-Leste, including New Zealand, was spent on activities targeted at ending violence against children. The NGOs are calling on the New Zealand Government to increase ODA allocations specifically focused on ending violence against children to at least 1.5% of total ODA budget by 2022.

 

+ UK: Substantial increase in charitable spending for development

A recent report on UK Charitable Foundation Giving Trends showed that UK charitable foundations focused on development issues had a significant increase in funding, with more foundations advocating for health, economic and educational reform featuring highly in the Top 300 Foundations. Key results included:

• A real 9.6% increase in total income.
• Net assets of the Top 300 Foundations achieved a record £65 billion in value in 2016/17.
• General shift in focus, with more foundations concerned with development issues.

The study identified a stronger thematic focus on poverty and social justice in the spending policies of many of the Top 300, and this, combined with the general increase of funding for these Foundations, is increasing confidence in the sector. Humanitarian-focused foundations such as Muslim Hands and Wolfson Foundation had significant increases in funding over the 2016/2017 period in comparison to other foundations, representative of the shift in focus of the sector.

The report reflects many similarities with CID's own Annual Survey, with corporate partnerships/funding down slightly however public donations steady or increasing. 
 

+ Social restrictions being eased on women in Saudi Arabia

A new rule announced last week allows women in Saudi Arabia to apply for a passport without authorization, enabling them to travel individually and without male consent. Women were also granted equal rights in leading households and registering births, marriage and divorce.

These steps in the right direction appear promising, however the de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has also cracked down on women rights activists, with a number of activists being put on trial. Amnesty International states; 'If Saudi Arabia wants to show the world it is truly serious about improving the rights of women, the authorities must drop all charges against the defenders of women’s rights who have been crucial in pushing for these kinds of reforms through their activism'.

While relaxation of the guardianship system is long overdue, mmore change is needed, and the credit for these reforms should go to the women who have fought for them – not Riyadh