Safeguarding tools launched, Brexit, APEC, #kidsonnauru, online tools, Ted Talks and more

Posted on 20 November 2018

+ What does Brexit mean for aid?

The headline in the British tabloid The Sun summed up how most people felt this week - "We're in the Bre-shit now'!

UK Prime Minister Theresa May's draft Brexit deal appeared to please neither Leavers nor Remainers and she may not last the month. If she does, parliament could still vote the deal down and force a second referendum or an early election.

So what does it all mean for aid? This matters because the UK is Europe's second-largest aid donor overall, and the third-largest contributor to the EU aid budget. It delivered £1.5 billion of official development assistance through EU instruments in 2016, accounting for about 15 percent of the EU’s aid budget and 11 percent of the U.K.’s.

Under Brexit, will the UK keep channelling aid through EU mechanisms? Sophie Edwards from Devex writes "two-thirds of the £1.5 billion going through the official EU budget and a third through the European Development Fund, which sits outside the budget and is dedicated to development cooperation with countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific."

The UK seems to support continued use of EU mechanisms for aid, but with oversight of how funds are spent, which is the Norway model. Otherwise, they will have to find new ways of distributing their aid budget.

The other questions is whether or not UK charities can apply for EU funds:

"The EU's humanitarian arm, ECHO, and development arm, DEVCO, collectively spend billions of euros in aid each year; and in 2016, about 25 percent of ECHO funding to civil society groups was granted to U.K.-based organizations, according to a report by international development network Bond."

Watch this Brexit space for more!

+ APEC - 'a mini Pacific Game of Thrones?'

Papua New Guinea played host to 21 nations at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Port Moresby this week. It was one of the tensest APEC meetings in years.

The US warned the Pacific not to take Chinese money; China let Tonga off its debt repayments; Australia hosted a BBQ for Pacific leaders, and we unleashed Jacinda!

"It ended with no joint statement from the leaders – a first in Apec history – and with the fight for dominance in the Pacific region between Australia, the US and Japan on one side and China on the other, coming out into the open," writes Kate Lyons in the UK Guardian.

China’s President Xi Jinping and USA's Trump waged a mini 'game of thrones', and a war of words over trade according to Christian Edwards at Business Insider.

Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Australian Council of International Development (ACFID) and a former Australian government anti-money-laundering adviser to Papua New Guinea says the country needs genuine partners, not handouts.

The UK Guardian highlights five main takeaways from the meeting:

No joint communique
The un-spoken tug of war for the Pacific was out in the open
There was some argy-bargy at the PNG Foreign MInister's office
Jacinda refused to travel in one of the 40 Maserati's bought for APEC
Non-Chinese media apparently had problems accessing Chinese media conferences

The nexus between security and development was obvious for all to see, with the US vice-president Pence confirming the US would support the naval facility on Manus Island. With the US agreeing to take a number of detainees or asylum-seekers from Manus Island, there is speculation as to how the naval base agreement is linked to the US request for Australia to "do more".

+ Safeguarding workshop -report, tools and more

On our website now you will find a copy of the safeguarding presentation from the recent workshops, a report capturing the findings from the workshops, and a link to templates, resources and guidelines that can be adapted to the New Zealand context.

We have more tools and templates coming from Australia over the next few weeks, and we will let you know when these are added to the site.

The CID team is giving consideration to the recommendations for next steps raised at the Safeguarding workshops and will consult with members and MFAT, and prioritise accordingly, building the next steps into the CID Business plan.

+ Why Facebook needs to do more in Myanmar

Catherine Cheney of Devex writes "in Myanmar, posts on Facebook have spread hate across the country, and critics say the response by the company has been inadequate.

"Facebook commissioned a report from Business for Social Responsibility that outlines how the platform became a tool for government propaganda in the genocidal violence against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar and what the company should do about it. In the past, Facebook has not taken responsibility for the content of its user's post. But critics tell Devex the Myanmar example highlights the need to go beyond technical fixes to stop the spread of propaganda, fake news, and hate on its platform."

+ Online course for Theory of Change

Bond in the UK is offering an online course on the Theory of Change (for a fee. But if you're looking for professional development you could do this combined with an online course on impact and assessment)

This interactive facilitated online course prepares you to develop a quality theory of change for your programme or organisation which meets industry-recognised quality standards as well as donors' requirements."

+ Free courses for aid workers

If you're looking for some free courses, here are a few options from Tools for Development.

+ Auckland: Join us for the Social Enterprise panel on Thursday

We are very excited about Thursday night and co-hosting with International Development Young Professionals NZ.

The wonderful panellists are:

Paul Brown, Childfund NZ - facilitator
Rachael Le Mesurier, Oxfam New Zealand
Tricia Fitzgerald, Social Enterprise New Zealand
William Durbin, Companion Co-design
James Bushell, Motif
Mariam Almasri, Preserved Identity
Jo Nicholson, Social Values

Don't forget to register: What can social enterprise and NGOs learn from each other?: 22 November - GRIDAKL, Auckland

See you there!

+ Aussie teachers walk off the job for #kidsoffnauru

Today is International Children's Day. The deadline for the call from hundreds of organisations, led by World Vision:

"We are asking Pacific Leaders, including New Zealand and Australia to get all the #KidsOffNauru and bring them to safety in New Zealand before Universal Children’s Day on 20th November 2018."

Seventeen children are left on Nauru island, with five being evacuated, with their families, yesterday.

Australian teachers are protesting today.

"The radio shock jocks and politicians reckon we teachers should stick to our classrooms and keep out of politics, but the government’s cruel policies and inaction are affecting our classrooms and our students. It’s falling to teachers to pick up the pieces of these young lives that our government has so callously broken."

All children and their families that are being moved from Nauru are not being offered a permanent place in Australia even if their claim for asylum is accepted. This means these children are still living in a state of limbo, and their parents are not allowed to work so are depending on the kindness of their communities.

"Each night they go to bed, not knowing whether a knock on the door will bring sudden deportation back to Nauru. It’s no way to live."

+ Is the way we think about charity dead wrong?

Ted Talk by Dan Pallotta.

"Philanthropy is the market for love - for those for whom the real market never comes".

Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend -- not for what they get done. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and big accomplishments (even if that comes with big expenses). "Let's change the way we think about changing the world," he says.

+ Lessons learnt in Sulawesi

Was the response to the Sulawesi tsunami good enough? The Conversation highlights what they think worked and what didn't.

"A human-centered tsunami early warning system (TEWS) requires the commitment to invest in building the public’s awareness. Investing in at-risk communities must be done regularly and continuously from the district to the household level."

+ The CID Weekly is proudly sponsored by

+ Optimising the Effectiveness of Aid with Social Enterprise

We thoroughly enjoyed hearing our colleague, Jacqueline Parisi, talk about her work with Social Enterprises. If you missed the CID talk, check out the video: Facebook live stream. Also, have a look at the related discussion paper and presentation slides.

+ Thank you

Thanks to our conference attendees and Ekos, we achieved our goal and the CID Conference 2018 was a Zero Carbon Conference.

Thank you for your support and for helping us minimise our impact on the environment.

+ Stuck for Christmas gift ideas?

Think about one of these wonderful gifts for your friends and family this Christmas.

ChildFund is again running its popular Gifts that Grow campaign - gifts that grow children’s lives.

Gifts that Grow are no ordinary gifts. They help children and families grow healthier, safer, stronger and more independent. They help ChildFund create deeper, lasting change in some of the world’s poorest regions. And they make perfect gifts for family, friends and colleagues.’

Oxfam Unwrapped is Oxfam’s charity gift catalogue. When you purchase an Oxfam Unwrapped gift you are giving someone living in poverty the chance of a better life. Each gift relates to a particular project that Oxfam New Zealand is currently supporting, with the price reflecting the cost of providing that item.

This year, Oxfam Unwrapped’s Christmas products range from onions and honey bees to solar energy and the ever-popular Christmas goat. Visit www.oxfamunwrapped.org.nz to spread the joy!

+ CID Member of the Moment: ADRA New Zealand

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is the official humanitarian agency of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

ADRA NZ works as part of the global ADRA network, through which our reach extends into more than 130 countries. ADRA New Zealand together with its in-country partners, local CSOs and volunteers typically reach about 100,000 family members annually, including children, youth, the elderly and people with disabilities in the Pacific, South-east Asia, and New Zealand.

Read more about their amazing work here.

+ I Welcome Refugees: Handover at Parliament

Join Amnesty International on November 27, 2018, at Parliament to show the Minister for Immigration, Iain Lees-Galloway, your support for a pilot programme bringing refugees to safety.

Community sponsorship is a new and unique model that runs in addition to the refugee quota. So far just over 20 people have found safety in New Zealand because of it. It enables community organisations and ordinary New Zealanders to support refugees.

Join them as they hand over a report and the signatures of thousands of New Zealanders who are asking for the programme to be made permanent. (It's still not too late to add your name at IWelcome.org.nz).

"We're urging the Minister, and cabinet, to see the potential of this programme to transform not just the lives of the refugees who are resettled but also the communities who come together to welcome them," says Amnesty.

Interested? Simply rsvp via Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/561006217682086/.

Not available? Be there in spirit by signing the IWelcome.org.nz pledge

+ CID is Living Wage Employer Accredited

We are very proud to join the growing list of organisations in Aotearoa gaining Living Wage employer accreditation. We are very supportive of this initiative and encourage all our members to apply too!

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