The Weekly

CEO Top of Mind

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

This week DFAT consultation on the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP)  is occurring as part of its accreditation ‘refresh’ of policy, funding and process. ACFID’s Code of Conduct has been evolving over 25 years and is a high standard of sector self-regulation which is recognised as a prerequisite for ANCP. ACFID has set out the following principles:

ANCP options – ACFID’s Principles

1. The ACFID Code is an established benchmark for organisational good practice for development and humanitarian organisations. Wherever possible, the Code could and should be used in place of the accreditation criteria.
2. The base accreditation criteria should be more proportionate to the funding received. The easiest way to do this is to increase the recognition of the ACFID Code within the criteria.
3. Better risk-sharing between ANGOs and their partners can be enabled by allowing ANGOs to take tailored and risk-informed approaches to partnership. This is reflected in proposed changes to the ACFID Code on this issue which DFAT could mirror in its own requirements.
4. Multi-year funding models should be introduced to the ANCP, reflective of donor good practice.
5. The minimum grant amounts for base and full agencies should be reviewed and adjusted to reflect costs of operating that have increased since 2016, and to adequately reflect the organisational effort required to achieve and maintain accreditation.
6. The ANCP could benefit from changes designed to reflect and support the present realities of development programming. Examples include increased allowable administration costs, and greater flexibility to program for longevity, for authentic partnership and for rapidly changing contexts.
7. Any adjustment to the ANCP funding policy or Recognised Development Expenditure (RDE) should be made with regard to the current funding policy principles of consistency, transparency and fairness. In the absence of a well-established alternative model, RDE remains the most compelling evidence-based proxy for mobilising community support within the program.
8. New development partnership/financing models, locally-led development and other viable propositions for new and innovative NGO funding windows that support contemporary approaches should be supported by Australia’s aid program. However, these should be financed additional to the ANCP, and not within existing program funding.

ACFID Conference – Early Birds close today!

Join in the energy of conference as our sector comes together in October. Early Bird tickets close today, so grab yours now! 

Cybersecurity Protecting your Agency: CEO Viewpoint

Lyn Morgain, CEO Oxfam Australia, Doug Taylor, CEO Smith Family

ACFID will present a webinar co-hosted with Community Council Australia (CCA) on 19th September from 12:30-2pm outlining steps charities can take to protect themselves and respond to cyber security breaches. This session is aimed at CEOs, Board Directors and Senior, and Executive level staff.

Data breaches are unfortunately the new normal, in which reputable and respectable organisations in the community are being hacked by malicious actors. It is the responsibility of charities to inform donors once they know what data has been taken. It is also their responsibility to ensure they are operating under privacy act provisions. Cyber security, and the overall protection of your personal and business computer systems can be confusing, but there are lessons that can be learned from experience. Come and hear two battle hardened CEOs tell it as it is.

Register here.

Development Policy Forum

“Australia’s development program – where to from here?”
The ANU Development Policy Centre, the Australian Council for International Development, the International Development Contractors Community and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade cordially invite you to join policy experts and practitioners for a one-day forum to discuss Australia’s recently launched International Development Policy, accompanying Performance and Delivery Framework and Development Finance Review.
The Hon. Pat Conroy MP, Minister for International Development, and the Pacific, will deliver the Keynote Address followed by Q&A.

When: Tuesday, 12 September 2023, 8:00am for an 8:25am start

Formal agenda concludes at 4:50pm (see full agenda here.)

We are proud to have several ACFID members speaking at this event. Should you wish to watch the Keynote address, you can do so here. The forum will be held at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the ANU in Canberra. You can also register for virtual attendance via zoom link here.

Southeast Asia Gender-based Violence Prevention Platform

DFAT has recently put out a request for tender for its Southeast Asia Gender-based Violence (GBV) Prevention Platform. The Platform aims to improve coordinated and collaborative efforts to prevent GBV in the Southeast Asia region through evidence-based advocacy, dialogue, policy and programming. It will bring together partner governments, civil society, non-government organisations, regional bodies and international organisations to collaborate, share and work together to build capacity, evidence and action to prevent GBV.
More information about the tender process and program can be found here. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact [email protected].

Humanitarian Strategy

Discussions with DFAT are ongoing regarding consultations. If you’d like to know more please drop Antonia Pannell, Policy & Partnerships Lead a line at [email protected].

Gender Equality Strategy

DFAT is currently calling for submissions for the new International Gender Equality Strategy. The new International Strategy will recognise gender equality as central to Australia’s foreign policy, international development, humanitarian action, trade, and security efforts. Further information about the new International Strategy can be found here. Written submissions of 5 pages or less can be sent to [email protected].

ACFID is additionally working with members of the Gender Equality Community of Practice to develop a joint submission. If you would like to view or contribute to our submission, please email [email protected].

The causes fuelling the climate crisis are receiving 20 times more financing than the solutions

A new report reveals for the first time that the world’s banks including HSBC, Citigroup and Barclays are channelling an astounding 20 times more finance into the major causes of climate change than governments in the Global South are receiving as funding for climate solutions. Read the media release here.

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