Submitted by By Yvette Gerrans

Just after lunch, and 100+ women and a minority of men drift in with expectation. We’re wanting to talk about investing in women and girls—why it’s needed, why it works, and how to do it well. Sessions like this have always felt like a long-distance meeting of “the sisterhood” to me, we women talking about women.

Geeta Rao Gupta (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) brings strength, warmth, humor and credibility in her opening comments. She talks about how women’s status depends on capabilities (health, education, nutrition), opportunities (economic, political), and concerns about safety (whether they’re actually beaten, or fear that they might be). “A lot of women live in fear of being physically beaten, and a lot of them make decisions about what they can and cannot do, and where they can and cannot go, based on that fear.” A few other stats that astound me but also project hope:
– Women do 66% of the world’s labor in return for less than 5% of its income.
– For every one year increase in education of women of reproductive age, child mortality has decreased by 9.5%. And, providing girls one extra year of education beyond the average boosts their eventual wages by 10-20%.
– A child’s probability of survival is increased 20% when household income is controlled by the mother rather than the father.
By now the room is full to overflowing, more chairs have been brought in, and we’re well on our way to a good discussion.

And a few highlights from the long and engaged conversation:
– Education for girls yes—but that’s not enough, and there’s a lot of poor education out there. What else is needed? Yes, you have to not only built the structure, but strengthen other elements as well. However, research in Northern Nigeria showed that girls who went to school—even if quality of schooling was bad, and they’d been there only two years, participated more in decision-making in the household than those who’d never been out of the home. In fact, not just school—those who had to step out of the home and go somewhere (to a community organization or wherever), used her power more in the home than those who didn’t. Of course that’s not enough, but start with what’s in front of you. Also, work at multiple levels. For example, in pursuing primary education nobody paid attention to what happens after primary education. So now parents are questioning why to give up labor of child to get the same job they would’ve anyway. So “do what you can” is partly correct, but also work at multiple levels.
– Often in past, construction of schools has been somewhat of an “edifice complex.” What about after that? It’s a challenge in working with community to develop internal things, maintain facilities. Ayni uses the metaphor that it “takes two hands to clap”—if the fund-raising happens without the other hand of community engagement, it will eventually stop. And vice versa. In one creative example in India, one organization worked with community around the question: Whose school-house is it? Government’s. Whose children go there? Now whose schoolhouse is it? On schoolhouse door, now have a paper that says: “This school-house will have: 8 benches, x chalk pieces, x slates, when is teacher to be absent / present.” So the community can now hold the government accountable, and they do.
– How do organizations “deepen” the conversation on these issues, especially about such personal / relational issues in the family. Can’t do it from outside. We talk about women’s empowerment—but we actually don’t empower women, they empower themselves. You can’t save the world. You can do a few things here and there to make it a better place, and hope that people take advantage of it. Can hear what they think is important and shift the resources a bit with whatever lever you have.
– Years ago, early in gender work we tried to get every individual in USAID or another agency to believe that women and girls were important. After years of trying to do that and failing, we finally decided we don’t really care what their attitudes are. Rather, we want them to see the importance of this issue to their work. In so many fora, men stand up and say: “I just want you to know, I treat my daughters and wife well.” This topic is somehow threatening to them. Geeta responds “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” (channeling Ret Butler in Gone with the Wind). The point is, we’re here to help you do your work better, that’s it.

In closing, the final question Geeta posed to the panelists was “what do you want every individual in this room to do?”
– Julie: Write your senator or congressman and tell them to make it a priority for international aid development into things like education, land reform, microfinance—those fields that affect women.
– Renee: When you hear about projects, ask people: what does your project do for women?
– Laura: As you hear about projects, ask where’s it coming from? Is it being imposed or has the community bought in on it. Hear what the people want themselves.
– Wenchi: Listen and think how to raise the value of girls—since that’s the root cause of all discrimination against women and girls. How do we change the societal views?
– Geeta: 1) Convention for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women is being heard in the senate on Thursday at 2pm, for the first since 2002. So go to: CEDAW2010.org and sign on. The US is one of 3-4 countries that hasn’t ratified CEDAW (along with Sudan, Libya, Somalia—that’s the company we’re keeping). 2) Give—of your time, expertise, and money. Choose an organization you adore, or a leader that’s struggling so hard but doing good work.

Panelists:
Julia Bolz, Founder and Board President, Ayni Education International
Renee Giovarelli, Director, RDI’s Global Center for Women’s Land Rights
Laurie Werener, Director of Program, Agros International
Wenchi Yu, Senior Policy Advisor, Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Moderator: Geeta Rao Gupta, Senior Fellow, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Stephen E. Hanson, professor and vice provost for Global Affairs, at University of Washington discussed the policy recommendations developed by Global Washington in partnership with experts in Washington State. They came up with four principles to increase U.S. foreign assistance effectiveness. These include: transparency and accountability to U.S. taxpayers and international beneficiaries; coherence and coordination across efforts and actors to ensure development goals are prioritized; local ownership of policies by those who will be most affected by them; and targeting populations most in need of aid. Hanson also stressed the need for “patient” metrics because global issues are enormous and their solutions are multi-generational. Most initiatives need time to achieve their goals as well as time for those achievements to be measured accurately.

These policy recommendations set the context for the panel on “The Changing Environment of International Development” where Sam Worthington, President & CEO of InterAction, and Anita Sharma of the United Nations Millennium Campaign discussed the challenges, their recommendations, and the current needs of effective public/private partnerships in global development.

Both panelists discussed the lack of funding and support for foreign aid in our current economic climate. While many governments have pledged aid to support the UN Millennium Development Goals, many have yet to make good on these pledges, explained Sharma, and there is a real need for non-governmental entities and constituencies to continue to support global aid efforts. The U.S. security budget would do well to include international development efforts as a matter of national security.

Worthington underscored the shift of foreign aid from economic assistance toward a focus on economic growth in developing countries. He stressed that the biggest challenge to aid, aside from fiscal constraints, is identifying governments who trust their populations to take part in planning their own development. Part of this development will have to come from private entities, which Worthington argued are more focused on the people who will receive assistance, whereas aid from government entities tends to focus first on the relationship with the nation-state before its people.

Submitted by Nina Carduner

Melanne Verveer was the keynote speaker to a packed house at Global Washington’s second annual conference where the theme was “Bridges to Breakthroughs.” She is recognized as a leader for global women’s issues and is the co-founder and chair of the board of the Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international NGO that supports global women’s leadership. She also worked to advance women’s rights working as Chief of Staff for the First Lady during the Clinton administration.  Most recently, she has been established as the US Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues by the Obama administration. As US ambassador, she coordinates foreign policy for international women’s economic, social, and political empowerment.

Verveer discussed the vital importance of incorporating women’s needs and challenges for achieving success in development strategies. “Data shows that strategies that ignore challenges of women have little chance of succeeding…No country can get ahead if it leaves half of it’s citizens behind,” she explained. For example, the Asia Pacific region is being shortchanged $40 billion because women are not enabled to fully realize their economic potential.

Historically, women’s issues have been seen as “soft” issues and not part of the world’s toughest “hard” issues. As a result, development policies and strategies have not succeeded because men and women around the world face different needs. Verveer discussed the difference between male and female farmers. Women make up the majority of the world’s small farmers and face consistent barriers because they are women. Women farmers need micro-credit, land-rights, and access to economic markets. Applying the gender lens to policies that help farmers is critical for creating a lasting positive impact.

Fortunately, there is growing recognition that women’s entrepreneurship and empowerment is central to solve the world’s pressing challenges from climate change to bringing about peace in Afghanistan. Every year, the World Economic Forum (WEF) puts out a yearly report on the gender gap in four areas; health, education, political empowerment, and economic participation. The WEF measures this data because it recognizes that countries where the gap is closing are far more prosperous and economically competitive. On a global level, the gap is closing in health and education, but still lags behind for political and economic participation. Verveer explained that while the potential in women is everywhere, world development is still struggling to implement the strategies that will empower them economically and politically. Therefore, gender equality remains key to progress and sustainable development. Verveer quoted Hillary Clinton’s stance that “Until women around the world are accorded their rights and opportunities to participate fully, global progress and prosperity will have its own glass ceiling.”

Verveer concluded, “the only way we can heal our world and the challenges of our time is to incorporate the needs of and challenges faced by women and girls around the world.”

Submitted by Nina Carduner

By now it is old news- in the 112th Congress, the House will turn from a Democratic to a Republican majority.  Committee leadership and composition will change, with implications for U.S. policy in many areas. 

What will this change in leadership mean for development?  There are two committees where the change will matter most for U.S. development and foreign aid policy- the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC), and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations.  Congressman Berman will now be the ranking member (or minority leader) of HFAC, and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen will step up to be the committee chair.  As chair of HFAC, Congressman Berman introduced legislation on foreign aid reform, HR 2139, and began to rewrite the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.  As ranking member of the committee, he could still rewrite this bill and introduce it in the House, but it would be up to the new chair to allow it to come to a vote in HFAC.

In Foreign Policy’s blog The Cable, Josh Rogin provides a profile of the new chairwoman, stating that, “[s]he isn’t likely to move Berman’s foreign-aid reform bill through the committee and she is likely to seek cuts in the foreign-aid budget in her authorization bill.”  Josh Rogin also reports in The Cable that Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger is seeking to chair the Foreign-Ops Subcommittee, and he notes that while she supported this year’s foreign-ops appropriation bill, she criticized the budget increase given our domestic economic concerns.

Other blogs are somewhat more cautiously optimistic about the future of development policy and foreign aid reform, such as the Center for Global Development: Views from the Center.  In this blog, Sarah Jane Staats writes that some good could come out of forcing the administration to work more closely with Congress, though funding will be tight.  She also wisely points out that development is not all about money, and the administration might find other ways to work with Congress on development issues, such as through making U.S. trade policy more effective for development.  President Obama could reach out to newly-elected Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), former U.S. Trade Representative under the Bush administration, on this issue.  (Greater policy coherence between trade and development also happens to be one of Global Washington’s policy recommendations on global development, so we would be interested in seeing this happen.)

And MFAN (the modernizing foreign assistance network) writes that the newly elected members of Congress can find common ground in reforming foreign aid, which is largely considered a bipartisan issue.  We need to continue to remind the new House majority party of this fact.  All it should take is a glance across the Capitol, where Senators Kerry and Lugar, the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have worked together on foreign aid reform through S 1524,  the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009.

By Brian Pierce, guest blogger

Last week Global Washington co-sponsored a seminar on fair trade, along with the organizations Fair Trade Seattle, iLEAP, and Antioch University Seattle Center for Creative Change. Fair trade is undoubtedly a critical subject in global development, however the meeting was not an echo chamber of fair trade romanticism. Thoughtful critique by on-site participants of fair trade programs in Central America broke ground for meaningful discussion to sprout. While speakers naturally covered the “who’s who and what’s what” of fair trade, there was a significant degree of reflection and self-criticism. This kind of scrutiny is exactly what the fair trade movement needs when facing a force as domineering as world trade policy. Before fair trade can take on the world it must first address concerns like those raised by the on-site activists.

To begin with, what is fair trade? Stacie Ford Bonnelle, a presenter from Fair Trade Seattle and 10,000 Villages, described how fair trade can be defined in numerous ways: as a social justice movement, a tool for international development, or simply an alternative business model. FINE, an informal network of four Fair Trade Organizations (FTOs), provides the most widely accepted definition:

“A trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South. Fair Trade organizations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising, and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.”              

So, the goals of fair trade are to empower marginalized people and improve their quality of life. These goals in their full flesh would certainly lead to a more equitable and prosperous world. There are problems, though. For instance, how does the socially conscious consumer know if they are truly purchasing fair trade items?

Identifying fair trade products can be tricky. There are numerous Fair Trade Labeling Organizations and FTOs pushing varying criteria including: Fair Trade Federation, Fair Trade USA, Fair for Life, World Fair Trade Organization, Equal Exchange, Global Exchange, and others. These organizations share common principals, but it is not unknown for an up-and-comer to promote their “better-than” fair trade goods. A consumer is liable to become helplessly entangled in the web of organizations.  Ms. Bonnelle argued that this system needs standardization, stating that “we need to make sure we have a standard and people know what these standards are.” Decentralization was not the only problem brought up by the panel.

Madeline Mendoza, an iLEAP Fellow and the Program Coordinator for Economic Justice at the Center for International Studies in Nicaragua spoke about how, while fair trade was improving the lives of the coffee producers she works with, changes are necessary. The global South continues to be trapped supplying the North with raw materials and are at risk of reinforcing an unhealthy agriculture export model of trade. This means that many developing countries continue focusing on cash crops like coffee and are then forced to import necessities like rice. Mendoza argued that fair trade is indistinguishable from its traditional market economy counterpart in this respect. Fair trade could be a perfect medium to address this disparity, but has thus far failed to do so.

From this inequality arises a clear point of contention from fair trade participants concerning the ownership of the system. Fair trade is meant to be an empowerment to individuals in developing countries, yet developed countries are the ones dictating the criteria for certification. The movement suffers from a lack of democracy in decision making; farmers feel as if they have none of the voice and the entire burden. As well, the great majority of goods currently affected by fair trade are agricultural cash crops. Mendoza argues that there needs to be a greater focus on local markets and diversification of products in her native Nicaragua, what she calls “food sovereignty.”

The notion that a huge burden of requirements is thrust upon fair trade growers was parroted by Mendoza’s counterpart, Agueda Ordeñana. Ordeñana, an iLEAP Fellow and member of the New Land Cooperative Union in Nicaragua described how certification expenses have fair trade participants questioning their decision. The cost of the yearly certification is about “one container of coffee out of twenty,” a cost that is almost wholly absorbed by the growers. To make matters worse, the fair trade price of coffee has remained stagnant even as conventionally traded coffee prices continue to rise. Ordeñana went on to say that if fair trade growers are to continue participating “we need results.”    

The goals of fair trade are vitally important. This enlightened system of trade has unquestionably provided a stable market and a means for growers from developing countries to dig up a piece of autonomy. However, the fair trade system appears to need review; open discussions like this can help bring about the changes needed for fair trade to meet its potential to truly empower the poor.

Those interested in aid reform may enjoy trying out QUODA, an assessment tool which tracks, compares, and ranks the quality of aid based on data provided by 31 donor countries and 152 aid agencies. QUODA was co-created by Nancy Birdsall, president of the Center for Global Development, and Homi Kharas, deputy director of the Brookings Institution’s Global Economy and Development program. They hope the tool will be a catalyst for dialogue, and help drive the movement to results based aid.

How It Works

The tool ranks quality using 30 indicators grouped into four aspects or “dimensions” of aid, which were identified through a consensus of actors including academics, donors, civil society organizations and INGOs. They are: 

Maximizing Efficiency – This gauge attempts to evaluate poverty alleviation efforts, against a global standard of how to best accomplish sustainable growth, and rewards donors for allocating more aid to poorer countries and better governed countries.

            Highest Ranked: Agency – Finnish Government, Country – GFATM

Fostering Institutions – refers to how well countries and agencies perform in terms of supporting local ownership and engagement in the aid process, fostering local institutions, and sustainable solutions in recipient countries.

            Highest Ranked: Agency – Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Country – Ireland 

Reducing Burden – this dimension ranks donors higher, who “decrease fragmentation, increase project size, contribute to multilaterals, coordinate their missions and analytical work, and use higher shares of program-based aid”.

Highest Ranked: Agency – New Zealand International Aid and Development Agency, Country – IFAD 

Transparency and Learning – reflects donor’s commitment to collecting, reporting and sharing program data with other donors and recipient countries, the frequency of sharing, and the degree to which donors support counties with good M&E frameworks, so they can track their own progress.

            Highest Ranked: Agency – Norway, Office of the Auditor General, Country – Australia

Where does the U.S. stand in ranking?

QUODA’s Quality of Aid Diamond tool enables users to quickly compare countries and agencies across all four dimensions.  The figure to the left demonstrates that the U.S. rates below the mean in all four dimensions, when compared to all other countries.

            Maximizing Efficiency: – 0.41 

            Reducing Burdon: – 0.64

            Fostering Institutions: – 0.87 

            Transparency: – 0.34

According to a recent Global Prosperity Wonkcast, the US ranked second to last in fostering institutions. This may be due, according to the authors, to a reliance on contracts (which may do a good job), but may be less likely to contribute to local ownership of projects.

QUODA offers thought provoking results.  At the same time, the tool is based on a specific set of standardized indicators with their own bias.  For example, one of the indicators used in the reducing burden dimension is median project size, and appears to reward larger size, standardized projects.  In the Global Prosperity Wonkcast, the tool co-creators point out there are approximately 80,000 new aid projects a year, and the medium size of an aid project is $70,000. While not all aid projects have to be huge, they indicate a need to have the ability to scale up a project.

One might argue that local projects in the poorest countries more often than not start out small, and may be successful in large part because they are a manageable size and less hampered by the bureaucracy often associated with large projects. There needs to be a balance between the efficiencies gained in standardization, and an appreciation for appropriate small scale projects, responsive to local conditions and resources.  

To their credit, Nancy Birdsall and Homi Kharas solicit suggestions and feedback on the QUODA web site.  They want to help make sure your aid dollars go into environments where they can have an impact, and where countries are determined and dedicated to promote their own development, so we are reasonably sure of success.

QUODA

Global Prosperity Wonkcast 

Good Aid? Bad Aid? QuODA Tracks How Donors Stack Up. Interview with Nancy Birdsall and Homi Kharas

Seattle – Now that the floodwaters in Pakistan are receding, officials from Islamabad to Washington are faced with a great possibility.

This disaster that swept so much away may actually provide an opportunity to sweep away the biggest roadblock to improving Pakistan’s stability, furthering its economic growth, and lessening its threat to global security: the widespread lack of landownership by the rural poor.

The landless poor have no meaningful stake in rural society, and it is often the Taliban who step in to use their grievances as grounds for recruitment.

For the poor, owning at least some land of one’s own is a lifeline to survival – a basic source of nutrition, income, status, and security. Grossly mistreated by landowners, the landless poor in country after country have supported severe civil unrest and outright revolution.

Want Global Security From Terrorists? Give Land To Pakistan’s Poor
The Christian Science Monitor | Roy Prosterman | October 26

Welcome to the October 2010 issue of the Global Washington newsletter. If you would like to contact us directly, please email us.

IN THIS ISSUE

• Note from our Executive Director
• Featured Organization: The Max Foundation – Maximizing Life With Cancer
• Featured Story: Attend the Global Washington Conference to learn about the role of Businesses in meeting Development Goals
• Announcements
• Global Washington Events
• General Events

Note from our Executive Director

Greetings,

Four weeks until the Global Washington second annual conference! We are excited and really busy pulling together the last minutes details of the agenda and program. We hope you will be attending the conference.

Have you submitted a video of your work for the conference?   Have you registered to attend?

The conference will convene top policymakers and thought leaders to explore how our region can best harness our resources to tackle some of today’s most challenging issues. We will be joined by some of the nation’s senior officials and experts to explore the following issues areas on the panels:

• Investing in women and girls – Access to rights and resources
• Ensuring Environmental Sustainability
• Harnessing Commercial Strategies to Achieve Development Goals
• Innovative Uses of   Technology  for Development
• How youth are effecting international Development?
• Successful Partnerships: models and examples
• Trends in International Philanthropy:
• Assessing Our Impact : from strategy to implementation

We are working to create many opportunities for you all to connect at our conference and to share the work of your organization. You are all doing valuable work in the field, and Global Washington aims to provide a space for you to exchange ideas, share best practices, and troubleshoot challenges with other individuals and organizations in the sector doing similar work.

Hope to see you at the conference.

In unity,

Bookda Gheisar, Executive Director

The Max Foundation – Maximizing Life With Cancer

This October, in partnership with patient associations in more than 30 countries, The Max Foundation launched a worldwide Maximize Life Global Cancer Awareness Campaign.  Throughout the entire month, the campaign is featuring 62 Celebration of Life events around the globe. All of these events have one goal – to raise public awareness of the needs of people diagnosed with cancer in low and middle income countries and make cancer control a global health priority! Friends across Washington State will have a chance to contribute to this amazing cause and campaign: by adding your name to the World Cancer Declaration while sending a personal message of support to cancer survivors everywhere.

If one is diagnosed with cancer in the U.S., no doubt that it would be a fearful and devastating experience even with the resources we have available here. Imagine how it would be like for people living in the developing world to be diagnosed with cancer. According to the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), “each year, over 12 million people receive a cancer diagnosis and 7.6 million die of the disease.” By 2020, it is projected by the University of Texas that 60 percent of all new cancer cases will occur in the poorest countries. What makes matters worse is that about 72 percent of all cancer deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries but only 5 percent of global resources to fight cancer are spent in the developing world, as estimated by WHO. The Max Foundation has stepped in to alleviate the helplessness people in the developing world are experiencing and to actively provide them with access to resources, the best treatments and the support they need.

The Maximize Life Global Cancer Awareness Campaign was chosen to be held in October because of Maximiliano (Max) M. Rivarola – who was the inspiration behind The Max Foundation story. Max was born in the month of October. He was a lovable son to his family and a well-liked young man to his many friends in school.  At the age of 14, he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). His family brought him to the U.S. from Argentina in the hope of searching for a match for a bone marrow transplant. Two years of search effort unfortunately did not link to any success. He underwent an autologous transplant in 1991, but it was unsuccessful. Max laid down his struggle against CML two months later at the age of 17. Pat Garcia–Gonzalez, the step-mother of Max, co-founded The Max Foundation in honor of his outstanding courage and strength throughout this most difficult battle.

With the mission of improving the lives and survival rates of patients with blood cancer and rare cancers worldwide, The Max Foundation was established to work toward the goal that all cancer patients have access to the best treatments, care, and support available. When Max was fighting cancer, it was a time before the world of internet.  The development of internet has really changed how people approach illness. The Max Foundation has not only seen the internet as a great tool for people to access enormous information about illnesses, it also provides a platform for cancer patients, families, and caregivers to share experiences and support each other. Doctors are no longer the only source of knowledge one has to rely on. Patients are able to understand doctors’ recommendations and are empowered to make decisions on their own treatments. The Max Foundation was born in 1997 out of this idea of a support system. This idea has been deeply rooted in their flagship program, International Patient Helpline, which remains their main program until now.

The International Patient Helpline is staffed by a team of professionally trained advocates, who are based in targeted countries in all regions of the world. At free of charge, the global advocates assess patients’ needs, connect them with local patient support groups, research possible access to solutions, and provide referrals from The Max Foundation’s International Resource Database. What makes the International Patient Helpline program distinctive is its one-on-one system where one patient is assigned to one advocate, ensuring a very personal support for the patients.

In 2009, this one-on-one support has reached 17,000 patient families from more than 110 countries. In order for its services to reach more patients worldwide and for the infrastructure of support system to be more sustainable, The Max Foundation started to organize Patient Groups (or patient associations) in countries where no culture of patient support system exists. In the U.S., we have organizations to provide emotional support.  Such culture is missing in many developing countries, however. The Max Foundation has been playing a big role in filling this gap.  To date, there are official organizations or associations of patients that are affiliated with The Max Foundation in more than 20 countries – for example, Argentina, India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Russia. These patient groups can provide patients with positive platforms to interact with physicians, such as through group educational workshops, in addition to acting as a channel for patients to share local resources and personal experiences.

Based in the State of Washington, The Max Foundation has developed close working relationships with organizations like the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Ronald McDonald House Charities.  The Max Foundation believes the future lies in developing a solid diagnostic and evaluation infrastructure in every corner of the world. In some developing countries, there may only be one or two hematologists or one cancer center for the entire country. Without accurate diagnosis, we cannot even talk about appropriate treatments.  Therefore, The Max Foundation is working meticulously with physician leaders around the world, like Dr. Jerald Radich at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who is on their Scientific Board, to increase the capacity and infrastructure of diagnostic around the world, especially in Africa and Central America.

Cancer survival rates can be dramatically improved in all countries. The Max Foundation, along with 300 other UICC member organizations in over 100 countries, is dedicated to collect 1 million signatures to support the World Cancer Declaration. These signatures will be presented to the first ever United Nations high-level summit on Non Communicable Diseases in September 2011. Cancer will be one of the four priorities being discussed at this summit.  As The Max Foundation and the world are working diligently towards improving the lives and the survival rates of cancer patients, let’s join the effort by signing the Maximize Life Tribute Wall today!

To learn more about The Max Foundation, their programs, and the Maximize Life Global Cancer Awareness Campaign, please visit http://www.themaxfoundation.org.

*Photos courtesy to The Max Foundation.

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Attend the Global Washington Conference to learn about the role of Businesses in meeting Development Goals

One of our goals at Global Washington is to promote cross sector relationships between universities, businesses and NGOs. Many of Washington’s leading businesses, such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Boeing and Weyerhaeuser, are recognized as pioneers in global corporate citizenship.

As the primary engine for global economic growth, business is closely linked to social development and advancement. Increasingly, businesses are seeking ways to contribute to the world and build global markets. Global Washington works with a broad and diverse number of business partners to strengthen and promote the global development sector in the state of Washington, which has become an emerging and vital part of the community, economy, and personality of the region in which we live. As we benefitted from our early ties to Asian markets and our early concentration of high tech, now is the time for us to gain a reputation for leading and making a difference around the world.
Now is the time for all of us to invest in making Washington a recognized leader in global development. This means being good corporate citizens, being proud of Washington as a leader in the nation, and working together to build a better world for everyone. It also requires business to play a critical role by supporting the economic, cultural, and educational future of the State, resulting in a more sustainable and successful business climate. Businesses are a leader in our community and the state of Washington. We are inviting the business sector to step up to a leadership role in taking the global development sector in Washington to the next level.

The following is a list of presentations by businesses at the Global Washington conference on Nov 15th and 16th:

• Trilogy International Partners, Panel topic: Innovative Uses of Technology for Development
• Imaging the World, Panel Topic: Innovative Uses of Technology for Development
• Theo’s Chocolates, Panel Topic: Harnessing Commercial Strategies to Achieve Development Goals
• Carrix / SSA Marin, Panel Topic: Harnessing Commercial Strategies to Achieve Development Goals
• NetHope, Panel Topic: Successful Partnerships
• Rotary International, Panel Topic: Successful Partnerships

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Announcements

Max Foundation Launches Maximize Life Global Cancer Awareness Campaign

Join our effort to reduce deaths from cancer around the world!  This month, The Max Foundation, in partnership with cancer organizations in over 30 countries, launches a worldwide drive to collect signatures endorsing the World Cancer Declaration.  The foundation’s Maximize Life Global Cancer Awareness Campaign pledges to collect 10,000 signatures that will contribute to a goal of 1 million signatures to be collected worldwide by all member organizations and presented to the United Nations General Assembly Summit on cancer and other non-communicable diseases in September 2011.  The World Cancer Declaration aims to slow and ultimately reverse the growth rates of deaths from cancer. For information on how to add your name to the World Cancer Declaration, visit www.themaxfoundation.org

Global Visionaries Announces “Theatre of the Oppressed” a Two Day workshop

Are you looking for workshop that will give you creative tools to apply to your work in global development?  Theatre of the Oppressed, developed by Brazilian visionary Augusto Boal, is used all over the world for political and social activism, conflict resolution, community building, therapy, and government legislation.  This workshop features community building games, Image Theatre, and Forum Theatre — the acclaimed audience participatory structure which invites a community to explore solutions to its own problems.  Theatre of the Oppressed will be facilitated by Cheryl Harrison who has been active in anti-oppression and empowerment work with people of all ages since the mid 1980’s, and Marc Weinblatt, founder of the Mandala Center for Change and former Co-Artistic Director of the Seattle Public Theatre. The workshop is open to high-school age students and adults and will be held Saturday and Sunday, November 13-14, from 9:30 am to 6 pm in Seattle.  The cost is $200.  For more information about the program, please contact info@mandalacenterforchange.com.

For logistical information and to register, contact:

Global Visionaries 206-322-9448

DarcyPintado@global-visionaries.org

www.global-visionaries.org

Global Partnerships Closes $20 Million Fund Aimed at “Microfinance Plus”

Out of the 48 million people in Latin America who could benefit from access to microcredit, only an estimated 15 percent, or 9 million, are being reached. Global Partnerships is working to change these statistics and expand opportunity for people living in poverty.  This month, GP has closed its fourth social investment fund (SIF 2010) at $20 million and estimates that over its five-year lifespan, it should fund more than 200,000 microloans.  The fund will provide much-needed loan capital to up to 20 select microfinance institutions in Latin America.

“By investing in microfinance institutions that are having exceptional impact, this fund will help hundreds of thousands of people living in poverty earn a brighter future for their families,” said Rick Beckett, President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Partnerships.

Like GP’s three previous funds, SIF 2010 will provide affordable loans to a select portfolio of microfinance institutions that are financially sustainable and that reinvest profits in programs that benefit people living in poverty. With this fund, GP seeks to reach people most in need of credit, such as the rural poor, and that provide innovative “microfinance-plus” programs, including preventive health services, business education, and assistance related to rural economic development.

Forty-one investors have contributed to SIF 2010.  Investors cite a range of reasons for their interest in the fund, including the combination of well-managed risk and moderate returns, the excellence of GP’s fund management and the fund’s focus on social impact.

For the full press release, please see: http://www.globalpartnerships.org/sections/newsinfo/newsinfo_nr_GP_sif_2010.htm

Shoreline Community College Hosts Human Migration Symposium

What drives immigration policy in the U.S. and what are its economic, social and political implications?  Do countries in Europe face the same immigration issues as the U.S.?  How is internal migration as important as immigration across borders in countries like China?   Is political asylum part of the larger debate about immigration or a complicated side issue in an era of clashing civilizations?

The Global Affairs Center at Shoreline Community College will host a Symposium on Human Migration beginning Tuesday, October 19, 2010.  The goal of the symposium is to stimulate critical thinking and engagement. The five sessions (on consecutive Tuesdays) begin at 7 p.m, and will be held in the Student Union Building (9000), PUB 9208, on the SCC campus.

Oct. 19…..U.S. Policy: The Good, the Bad and the Confusing

Oct. 26…..An Advocate’s View

Nov. 2……Guest Workers or Job Thieves in Europe?

Nov. 9……China’s Achilles Heel: Internal Migration

Nov. 16….Political Asylum in an Age of Clashing Cultures

Visit http://www.shoreline.edu/gac/ for more information on sessions.

Microfinance Discussion to be held at Seattle University

“Measuring Social Performance: The Challenge to Microcredit’s Bottom Line” will take place on Thursday, October 28^th in Seattle University’s Wyckoff Auditorium.  This event is sponsored by OikoCredit, SeaMo, Seattle University, Global Washington, and the Global Business Center at the UW Foster School of Business and will feature a discussion among European and U.S. experts on social performance metrics in the microfinance sector.  The session aims to answer the question: what tools can be applied to measure the double bottom line of both financial performance and social impact, and what can they tell us about the effectiveness of microfinance in alleviating poverty?  Registration opens at 6:30pm and the program begins at 7:00pm. Admission is free.

Exiled Voices for Justice to Host Screening and Panel Discussion of “The Greatest Silence”

In honor of Congo Week (October 17-23), on Friday, October 22, 7:00-9:30 pm, Exiled Voices for Justice will screen and discuss THE GREATEST SILENCE: Rape in the Congo at the Meaningful Movies at Keystone Church (5019 Keystone Place N., Seattle)

Winner of the Sundance Special Jury Prize in Documentary and inspiration for a U.N. Resolution classifying rape as a weapon of war, “The Greatest Silence” opened the world’s eyes to the epidemic of rape in eastern Congo. Featuring interviews with survivors, activists, peacekeepers, physicians, and – chillingly – soldiers who unabashedly admit to torturing women, this powerful film shattered the silence surrounding the use of rape as a weapon of war while inspiring viewers with examples of resistance, courage, and resilience.

After the screening, three panelists will discuss issues raised by the film and ways in which those issues are being addressed today: Dick Anderson, Executive Director, HEAL Africa (www.healafrica.org); Wemba-koy Okonda, President, OKONGO (www.okongo.org); and Erika Berg, Refugee and Immigrant Children’s Program (www.refugeechildren.net).

Attendees are encouraged to arrive early. Starting at 6:45, images from the internationally touring photo exhibit, “Congo/Women” (www.congowomen.org), will be previewed. After the screening/panel, nonprofits working in the Congo and on behalf of Congolese refugees will display literature about their programs and opportunities for attendees to get involved.

This free event is co-hosted by Lutheran Community Services NW’s Refugee and Immigrant Children’s Program and Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies. Admittance is free; first come, first served. For details: www.exiledvoicesforjustice.org and www.meaningfulmovies.org To learn more about Congo Week: www.congoweek.org

Other events happening in the Seattle are during Congo Week include:

• Sat, Oct 16, 9am-: Intiman’s “Run for Congo” at Green Lake: http://www.intiman.org/events/run-for-congo-women
• Tue, Oct 19, 4-6pm: UW Seattle’s Screening & Panel Discussion of “Lumo”: http://www.jsis.washington.edu/africa/events.shtml
• Thu, Oct 21, 6-8pm: UW Bothell’s Screening & Panel Discussion of “Lumo” at the Commons
  http://www.uwb.edu/getattachment/visitors/newcampusmap-gs.pdf
• For details, contact Melissa at mksaquic@u.washington.edu
• Fri, Oct 22, 6:45-9:30pm: Exiled Voices for Justice’s Screening & Panel Discussion of “The Greatest Silence”: www.exiledvoicesforjustice.org

United Nations Anniversary Celebration to focus on Millennium Development Goals

The United Nations Association of Greater Seattle will celebrate the 65^th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations on Oct. 24, 2010.

The program, “The United Nations Millennium Development Goals: Engaging America,” will feature as guest speakers Dr. Stephen Gloyd, UW professor of global health and executive director of the Seattle-Based Health Alliance International, and Tim Hanstad, president and CEO of the Rural Development Institute.

A highlight of the evening’s program, the United Nations Association of Greater Seattle will confer its 2010 Humanitarian Award on William H. Gates, Sr. Author, television and radio host of Europe Through the Back Door, Rick Steves, will serve as the guest moderator.  The program and dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Bloedel Hall in St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle.

The United Nations Association of the United States of America Greater Seattle Chapter is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that supports the work of the United Nations and encourages active civic participation in the most important social and economic issues facing the world today.

As the nation’s largest grassroots foreign policy organization and the leading center of policy research on the UN and global issues, UNA-USA offers Americans the opportunity to connect with issues confronted by the UN from global health and human rights to the spread of democracy, equitable development, and international justice. Through the work of the Greater Seattle chapter, UNA educates the community about the work of the United Nations and encourages public support for strong U.S. leadership in the UN.

View the event flyer for more information.

Agros International Hosts Dinner Program to Support Tierras De Vida Program

Agros International is sponsoring a memorable evening benefiting the rural poor of Central America and Mexico. The dinner will take place on Saturday, October 23 the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue (900 Belevue Way NE). The reception begins at 6:30 pm and dinner and the program will start at 7:30 pm.

The program will feature a special presentation from Danubia Orellana, an inspiring Honduran woman who co-founded the Agros village of Brisas del Volcan! Other speakers include Dr. Gary L. Darmstadt , Director, Family Health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Hans Theyer, President & CEO of Agros International.

Visit www.agros.org/tierrasdevida for more information or to register. You can also email dedek@agros.org. The event is $100 per person.

Save the Date for the Americans for UNFPA Luncheon for the Health and Dignity of Women

Save the Date to support the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) work on behalf of women’s health and rights in over 150 countries. Join Americans for UNFPA in global efforts to improve the lives of women in low income countries.  UNFPA works to ensure safe pregnancies and deliveries, fistula prevention and repair, curtail sex trafficking and other violence to women, and see that every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect. The Luncheon for the Health and Dignity of Women gathers interested individuals and businesses who are at the forefront of this movement. We are honored that Yvette Mulongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, will be with us to share her accomplishments. At a time when so many are in need, investing in women like Yvette has a ripple effect that improves the lives of families, communities and nations.

Details for the event are as follows:

When:  Tuesday, March 8, 2011, 11:30 – 1:15pm
Where:  Sheraton Hotel Ballroom, Seattle , WA
Tickets: $125/person.
Contact Name:  Michelle Grocke, mgrocke@americansforunfpa.org , 440.725.1331

UW Center for Human Rights Welcomes LGBT Activist from El Salvador

The Center for Human Rights welcomes LGBT Rights Activist William Hernandez for the presentation: “Human Rights in the LGBT Community in El Salvador” on Thursday, October 28 at 6 p.m. in Thomson Hall 317. This is a free event and open to the public.

William Hernández is the Director and President of the Asociación Entre Amigos, an organization that works to promote and defend the human rights of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population and people living with HIV/AIDS in El Salvador.

He also serves as Secretary for Human Rights of the Coalition of Gay Organizations of Central America. In 2000, William was honored with the Felipa de Souza Award from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission in New York. A courageous grassroots activist and leader, over the years William has faced death threats, office raids, and other acts of intimidation aimed at silencing his advocacy for LGBT rights; Amnesty International and other human rights groups have issued Urgent Actions expressing fear for his safety. Although the situation has improved in recent years, members of the Salvadoran LGBT community continue to experience violence and intimidation as part of their daily lives, and Entre Amigos is one of the few organizations that publicly advocates on their behalf.

For more on William’s work, see
http://www.iglhrc.org/cgi-bin/iowa/article/support/cocarchives/772.html .

For more information about the UW Center for Human Rights, please see http://jsis.washington.edu/humanrights/ , find our group on Facebook, or email uwchr@u.washington.edu.

This event is co-sponsored by the UW Center for Human Rights, UW Center for Global Studies, The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), UW Q Center, Pride at Work, and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC).

Join USAID for an Online Discussion on Broad-Based Economic Growth October 26-28

USAID is hosting an online discussion October 26-28 on broad-based economic growth, a topic that the new U.S. Global Development Policy emphasizes.  USAID is looking for input from the whole development community; they want to know what lessons we have learned from countries that have successfully achieved broad-based economic growth, and how USAID can translate the new policy into reality.  The discussion will include USAID staff, implementing partners, and members of the research and academic community.  All are encouraged to participate.  Click here to register to join in the discussion.

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Global Washington Events:

October 21
Understanding Islam and the Arab World

October 25
Fair Trade: Products that Empower the Poor

October 27
Understanding Islam and the Arab World

October 28
Measuring Social Performance: The Challenge to Microcredit’s Bottom Line (GW co-sponsored event)

Human Rights in the LGBT Community in El Salvador

November 15 & 16
Global Washington’s Second Annual Conference—Bridges to Breakthroughs: How partnerships and innovation are changing the world

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General Events:

October 19
UW Lecture Series – Food: Eating Your Environment
Human Migration Symposium — Shoreline Community College
Congo Week: UW Seattle’s Screening & Panel Discussion of “Lumo”

October 21
Congo Week: UW Bothell’s Screening & Panel Discussion of “Lumo”

October 22
Screening and Panel Discussion of The Greatest Silence

October 23
Commemorate Children’s Peace Day with Adapt International
Agros International, Tierras de Vida

October 24
65th Annual United Nations Day

October 26
UW Lecture Series – Food: Eating Your Environment
Human Migration Symposium

October 28
RESULTS Book Club & Panel: Half the Sky

November 2
UW Lecture Series – Food: Eating Your Environment
Human Migration Symposium

November 9
UW Lecture Series – Food: Eating Your Environment
Human Migration Symposium

November 16
UW Lecture Series – Food: Eating Your Environment
Human Migration Symposium

November 23
UW Lecture Series – Food: Eating Your Environment

November 30
UW Lecture Series – Food: Eating Your Environment

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Secretary Clinton spoke last Friday at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, where she discussed current reforms in U.S. development policy, USAID’s new innovation fund, public private partnerships with the U.S. government, social entrepreneurship, the QDDR (Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review), and the Copenhagen Agreement and clean energy in her remarks. 

The following selection from her remarks includes the parts that are relevant to global development policy.  Click here to read the full speech on the State Department website.

Submitted by Linda Martin

Social and economic factors that restrict or deny access to education include gender bias, lack of schools, lack of trained teachers, demands on children’s time to work, drop-out rates, and fee based education which families cannot afford. Geography also plays a role. Per the Millennium Development Progress Report 2010 “household data from 42 countries also show that rural children are twice as likely to be out of school as children living in urban areas”. What can be done?  

• Abolish primary and secondary school fees. When primary school fees were eliminated in Burundi, enrollment increased threefold (since 1999) and reached 99 per cent in 2008.

• Promote linkages across sectors. Couple functional literacy programs to skills development and income generation. In Malawi, the Ministry of Women and Child Development implemented the Sustainable Social and Economic Empowerment Programme for Poverty Reduction (SSEEP) to tackle the problems of illiteracy, environmental degradation and poverty reduction. The approach combined the participatory REFLECT (Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community Techniques) methodology with functional literacy and the development of livelihood activities. In this methodology, participants are central to the implementation of the program, and locally-available materials and resources are adapted, mostly by the participants themselves, as aids in the learning process. 
• Incorporate literacy and education as a keystone in poverty reduction frameworks and as needed, in education reform. Mauritania’s National Strategy for the Eradication of Illiteracy (2006-2015) “reinforces the importance of literacy as a full-fledged component of the revised Poverty Reduction Strategy Framework and as an essential ingredient of sustainable development”. In Sierra Leone, NGOs collaborated to combine literacy provision with conflict resolution and peace-building.  

• Focus efforts on the least developed countries. Per the February, 2010 General Assembly report, this would include landlocked developing countries, nations vulnerable to natural disasters, and areas of conflict or post conflict.
   

Other suggestions include new school construction, teacher training, insuring schools are safe, and developing incentives for youth to stay in school through secondary level.

Washington State Organizations Making a Difference

A few of the many organizations in Washington state that support global literacy and education as a means of poverty alleviation include: All As One, which offers orphaned children in Sierra Leone a loving home, health care and education, Ayni Education International, which has built 18 new schools in Afghanistan and equipped 20 others, serving about 25,000 Afghan students; and Bahia Street, which ”breaks cycles of poverty and violence through quality education for impoverished girls and young women living in Salvador, Brazil”. For information on other Global Washington members, please refer to our directory of organizations.

Related Links

Education and the Millennium Development Goals

Progress for Children – Achieving the MDGs with Equity

Millennium Development Progress Report 2010

The Global Literacy Challenge

MDG Info 2010

MDG Data Wizard

United Nations Girls Education Initiative

UNICEF-Basic education and gender equality resources

UNESCO- The Global Literacy Challenge

UNESCO – Education

The State of the World’s Children 2009

Global Literacy Program, Inc.

Safe Schools – Amnesty International

Center for Global Development

International Reading Association Program

National Institute for Literacy