No speech in our sector is complete without emphasizing the importance of equitable partnerships and local leadership. At the same time, we see “America/Europe first” policies on the rise in donor countries. Their politicians want ODA to benefit foreign policy interests and control the inevitable risks. In recipient countries we see dissatisfaction with the results of development cooperation or even outright anti-Western sentiments.
What do truly equitable international partnerships look like and how can we realize them within such a political climate? What is the future role of INGOs if such locally led, equal partnerships are a reality?
We discuss this with Abdilaziz Musa, Director of Programs at the Somali NGO ‘Media Ink’ who wrote a report about linking the concept of ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ (DE&I) to international partnerships. We will apply these together with Daan Stelder. He works for the International branch of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG-i), being one of those international actors working in Somalia on issues of governance and democracy.
Abdilaziz Musa is one of the founders of MediaINK, where he focuses on leadership, managing complex projects, and building strategic alliances with donors, and international and in-country institutions. His work is centered around bringing together different stakeholders starting with communities, with a focus on fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders.
Daan Stelder works as Senior Project Manager at VNG International, the international cooperation agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities. He manages programmes to enhance democratic local government in East- and Southern Africa. This includes leading consortia of diverse organisations to implement projects on disaster risk management, local governance and accountability in various regions of Somalia.
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