The Weekly
Marc Purcell, what is at the top of your mind this week?
The latest ACNC Charities report demonstrates how the cost-of-living crisis is impacting the sector, and Community Council for Australia CEO David Crosbie outlines his concerns in this article. Accurate, reliable data is more important than ever in ascertaining our sector’s current situation, from the state of our workforce and organisations to the funding moving through the sector.
ACFID strongly encourages our membership to complete this year’s Statistical Survey – the only data available that focuses purely on the Australian international aid and development sector. This year, we will release our 2nd State of the Sector report – a crucial look at how our organisations are faring in this current climate. For more information or to discuss the survey that was released a few weeks ago, please contact
Additionally, this week, ACFID Government Relations & Media Advisor Will Devine contributed an article to Australian Outlook discussing reports from the New Lines Institute and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on the humanitarian crisis in Northern Ethiopia. The New Lines report highlights genocidal acts during the Tigray War (2020-2022) and serious violations of international law by all parties involved. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee found the UN’s humanitarian response largely ineffective, although local NGOs played a crucial role.
Lastly, this week, there have been significant developments in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The United Nations Security Council has endorsed the US ceasefire proposal, putting pressure on Israel and Hamas to end the suffering in Gaza by allowing unhindered humanitarian aid and the unconditional release of all hostages. I discussed the situation in Gaza and Twiggy Forrest’s SafeGates proposal in an interview with ABC’s World Today.
To Action
ACFID Hiring- Senior Media and Policy Advisor
ACFID is hiring a Senior Media and Policy Advisor to lead media relations for the secretariat. The position is 08-1 FTE, 2 years fixed term. Applications close on Sunday, June 16th, 2024. Further information can be found here.
To Note
ACFID congratulates King’s Birthday Honours recipients
A warm congratulations to ACFID’s former President Sam Mostyn AC, who was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia for her eminent service in the social justice, gender equity, sporting, cultural, and business sectors, along with her contributions to reconciliation and environmental sustainability.
From our members, we also congratulate Prof Sharon Goldfield AM, Theme Director Population Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, who is appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to paediatric medicine as a clinician and academic, and to public health research.
To Attend
Development Studies Association of Australia’s 2024 conference
Development Studies Association of Australia’s 2024 conference, “Development Futures!” is now open for registration. The conference will explore themes, theories and practices for a liveable world in a time of environmental, political and social crises in many places.
Register at DSAA 2024 Conference – Development Studies Association of Australia here.
To Note
ACFID Connect: Briefing with U.S. Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)
ACFID is pleased to invite members to a briefing on July 3, 11-12 pm, with Eugene Aloise, Deputy Inspector General of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) and David Young, Deputy Director of SIGAR’s Lesson’s Learned Program.
To register and for further information, please follow this link
To Note
Australia announces $10m for Gaza
ACFID has welcomed the Australian Government’s contribution of a further $10m in humanitarian assistance. We have urged the Australian Government to demonstrate ambition, as seen in previous crises such as Syria and Iraq. Please see our social media post here.
To Attend
ACFID Connect: Introduction to LGBTQIA+ inclusion in development practice.
Please join us for this ACFID Connect learning event on LGBTQIA+ inclusion in development practice. It will be occurring on Tuesday, 25th June, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. Following an introductory discussion the session will include presentations on the issues facing LGBTQIA+ communities in our region, decolonising LGBTQIA+ language and entry points organisations can take in this area, followed by a Q&A session. ACFID is grateful to be joined by representatives from Many Coloured Sky Foundation, Equality Australia, ActionAid Australia, Plan International Australia, and the International Women’s Development Agency to deliver this important learning session for ACFID members. Registration link can be found here.
To Attend
17th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP17)
This week, from June 11 to 13 people from around the world met at the UN Headquarters in New York to take part in the 17th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP17). The overarching theme of the Conference was “Rethinking disability inclusion in the current international juncture and ahead of Summit of the Future” which is taking place in September this year. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was adopted in 2006 and entered into force and was ratified by Australia in 2008. You can find more information about COSP17 here and the UN CPRD here.
ACFID Conference
Don’t miss your opportunity to get your ideas in to host a concurrent session at the ACFID Conference over 23/24 October 2024. Centered around the theme of solidarity and resilience, this is a fantastic way to showcase your organisation’s development practice and thought leadership and to share and engage with colleagues.
Download the information pack here
To Action
UN Flagship Report on Disability and Development 2024
This week, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs pre-launched the UN Flagship Report on Disability and Development 2024: Accelerating the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals by, for and with persons with disabilities. The Report presents the most recent global analysis based on an unprecedented amount of data, legislation and policies from all countries to understand the socio-economic circumstances of persons with disabilities worldwide and the challenges and barriers they face in their daily lives.
The Advanced Unedited Version of the Executive Summary is now available online and can be accessed here
To Action
ACFID is on Instagram: follow us!
ACFID is now present on Instagram. Follow us at @ACFID.AUS to stay updated on our latest news, projects and events.
Upcoming Events:
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Date |
Event |
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18 June |
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25 June |
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03 July |
Briefing with U.S. Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) |
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10-12 July |
Development Studies Association of Australia (DSAA) 2024 Conference |
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23-24 October |