Workshop Private Foreign Aid Reconsidered

TNI

November 2005

Workshop Private Foreign Aid Reconsidered
Re-inventing Solidarity?
Amsterdam, 5-6 June 1996

Aims of the workshop

The Transnational Institute convened this workshop to explore current choices for private aid agencies and other organisations involved in North-South issues such as international networks and knowledge-based NGOs. A central objective was to identify possible "alternative" ways forward for private foreign aid.

It took place at the culmination of a two-year writing and reflection project that had involved ten close observers of private aid - seven of whom took part in the workshop - in the writing of a book Compassion and Calculation. The Business of Private Foreign Aid. The launch of the book, by Pluto Press, London, coincided with the workshop.

Main issues raised

To what degree can foreign private aid agencies be made to look beyond image-building and market conformity?
Can they be convinced to drop the practice of simplifying messages to the Northern publics about fighting poverty, given the complexity of strategies needed to pursue that?
How can private aid agencies become more accountable, both to Northern publics and to the poor and excluded they claim to serve?
What is the meaning of "partnership" in the absence of a "common agenda" that binds Northern and Southern groupings?
How can the above processes be furthered through follow-up activities of this meeting?

Programme

Opening session: The discussion on private foreign aid in various countries: issues and non-issues

The situation in Britain - Mike Edwards

The situation in Belgium - Johan Cottonie

The situation in Germany - Klaus Linsenmeier

The situation in Canada - Ian Smillie and John Saxby

The situation in Netherlands - Floris Blankenberg

The South - Marcos Arruda

Second session: Solidarity means "new relationships"

Third session: New approaches to market and solidarity

Discussion led by Simon Zadek and Mike Edwards

Fourth session: Partnership