The Weekly

Marc Purcell, what is at the top of your mind this week?

This week, ACFID had the interesting opportunity to host the US Congress’s SIGAR, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, in a series of parliamentary briefings on their work monitoring US humanitarian spending in Afghanistan, which totals over $US 3 billion since the Taliban’s rise to power. The figure is extraordinary and shows the role humanitarian assistance is having in keeping the economy afloat. Two-thirds of the assistance is channelled through UN agencies. There are huge issues of co-option of aid, corruption, and diversion to local procurement linked to Taliban-controlled businesses. However, SIGAR officials made the point that all these problems existed under the previous Karzai and Ghani regimes and were much worse during the 20 years of US alliance.

Important, too, was the point that the only way to have better transparency over the flow of US funds, what was lost, and what impact it had in improving people’s lives, based on evidence, was to have bilateral assistance, which enables direct scrutiny in conjunction with the Taliban government. UN agencies are often used by donors when they don’t want to have a connection with a government that they do not recognize. It provides distance and plausible deniability about what occurs with aid in relation to contact with a regime considered beyond the pale. SIGAR is not a policy-making body; rather, it provides data and evidence to enable UN policymakers to make informed decisions.

Additionally, this week, the ACFID Code of Conduct has been revised following an 18-month consultation with Members and key stakeholders. The revised Code came into effect on 30 June 2024 and includes strengthened standards in local leadership, climate action, anti-racism, and racial justice. We have a list of the changes, templates, tools, and other resources to support your Code reporting on the ACFID website. Read more and consult the resources in the section below.

To Action

The revised ACFID Code of Conduct came into effect last week on 30 June 2024.

Don’t panic – we have a list of the changes, templates, tools, and other resources to support your reporting on the ACFID website!  

So, what Code does my organisation report against?   

• Organisations whose financial year ends before 30 June 2024 will report under the old Code for the 23-24 financial year (that is, the 2017-2023 Code).  
• Organisations whose financial year ends on 30 June 2024 or after will be required to report against the revised Code (the 2024-2029 Code).  

If you are reporting against the old 2017-2023 Code, you will still be able to download a copy of the current (2017-2023) Code of Conduct (scroll down to the end of the page).   

The ACFID website is also undergoing a change to reflect the revised Code, including updating our resources in the Good Practice Toolkit (GPT).  

The purpose, objectives, values, architecture and the compliance mechanisms of the Code have not changed. These amendments were made to align with other standards and address emerging issues. 

The amendments cover the following areas:   

• Climate action and environmental sustainability  
• Racial justice, diversity, and inclusion  
• Locally-led development and humanitarian actions  
• Inclusion of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme for humanitarian organisations   
• Child safeguarding  
• A whole-of-organisation risk management   
• Whistle-blowing and partnerships   
• Financial reporting (check in with your accountant or finance team!)   

There is also an ACFID webinar recording outlining the different Code changes for your reference.  

Please email [email protected] if you are unsure of your reporting requirements or come across an inaccessible link while we’re updating the website. 

The 2024-25 Budget announced increased funding towards a partnership with Pacific countries for assistive technology for school-aged children. This process is now underway, with the EOI (stage I) open for applications until 11 August 2024. Through the EOI process, three eligible Pacific Island Countries will be selected for implementation. The project is funded by the Australian Government and carried out in partnership with AT Scale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology.

The project aims to be led by the government and to scale up assistive technology and rehabilitation services for school-aged children, with a focus on scaling up joint screening for eye, ear, and mobility. In stage I, NGOs can advocate to help make governments aware of this funding opportunity. If requested by countries, NGOs may also wish to support the government in submitting their EOI. In stage II, interested UN agencies and NGO partners, or a consortium of partners from the shortlisted countries, can submit their proposals in response to the Call for Proposals. Further information is available at here

To Attend

Briefing with ATscale Thursday 11 July, 4 – 5 pm

ACFID is pleased to invite you to a briefing with ATscale, the organisation responsible for the delivery of the Government’s new assistive technology initiative in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

The briefing will include an overview of ATscale, more information about the initiative in the Pacific and Southeast Asia and government and NGO involvement.

To register your interest in attending the briefing, please register at: ACFID member briefing with ATscale | WorkForms

To Action

ACFID DPC Nominations Open

ACFID’s Development Practice Committee (DPC) is open to nominations for members. The DPC is an expert advisory group where learning and development practitioners from the not-for-profit sector meet to provide advice to ACFID on key issues around development effectiveness. For the current vacancies the DPC is encouraging applicants who have experience in climate action; supporting and advocating for locally led development; and/or who have experience working within smaller ACFID member agencies.

Nominations close 12th August.

For more information, including how to nominate yourself, please see this information page.

To Note

Concurrent Sessions for ACFID Conference – EOIs close next week

To Note

ACFID Desk Spance Rental Oportunity in Canberra

To Attend

AP4D Webinar: A new era of Economic Statecraft

To Action

Call Out: ACFID Annual Report Member Images

To Action

Women & Leadership Australia: Scholarships Available

To Attend

Subsidized Transformative Safeguarding Course from United Edge

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.

To Action

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