Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) – What’s in the name –Three years later?

Hear the latest on the status of Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP)
 
On June 23, 2020 CAIDP held a discussion on FIAP with four panelists from  Global Affairs Canada.
 
The webinar was moderated by Jean Lowry, President of CAIDP and the speakers were Meghan Watkinson, Director of International Assistance Policy Coordination, Garett Pratt, Deputy Director of International Assistance Policy Coordination, Michael Arnoni, Deputy Director of Programming Process and Coordination and Simon Snoxell, Deputy Director of the Business Intelligence Unit, Partnerships for Development Innovation.
 
In 2017, Canada launched the Feminist International Assistance Policy. When the FIAP was launched, development practitioners had many questions about what it meant for a development cooperation agency like Canada’s to prioritize gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, how the six action areas of the FIAP would shape the profile of aid spending and how the new ways of working under the policy would affect development practitioners, active projects and future proposals. Now, three years into the new policy, as the world responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s time for an update. 
 
The presentation reviews how the six action areas shape the work of development practitioners, examples of innovation and effectiveness and adjustments to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

About our speakers

 
 
 

Meghan Watkinson started as Director, International Assistance Policy Coordination in September 2018. Her team leads on implementation of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy and coordinating Canada’s international assistance to advance the 2030 Agenda.
   As the former Director, Governance in the Global Issues and Development Branch of Global Affairs Canada, Meghan led the department’s work on advancing SDG 16 and was the co-chair of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development-Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC) Network on Governance.
   Meghan has worked on development issues in various positions within the former Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and at Global Affairs Canada. She holds a Masters of Arts (International Affairs) from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University.

 

Garett Pratt has worked in the International Assistance Policy Coordination division of Global Affairs Canada since the launch of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy in 2017. He has previously worked in bilateral programming in Vietnam, Ghana, and China.

 
 
 

Michael Arnoni started as Deputy Director, Programming Process and Coordination in January 2019. His team leads on eveloping, maintaining and streamlining processes guiding Canada’s International Development Assistance.

Michael has worked on development issues in various positions within the former Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and at Global Affairs Canada. Prior to joining the Canadian Government, Michael worked with various Canadian and International Non-Government Organizations and was an international development consultant. He holds a Master of Adult Education (M.A.Ed - Community Development) from St. Francis Xavier University and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A. – Comparative Development Studies) from Trent University.

 

Simon Snoxell is Deputy Director for the Business Intelligence Unit in Partnerships for Development Innovation Branch. Simon has 18 years international development experience in universities, non-governmental organizations and the federal government. Since joining Global Affairs Canada in 2009, he has worked in a number of branches and has been posted in Ethiopia and Côte d’Ivoire.

 

 

For those interested in reading further, here are some recommended resources from our speakers:

Webinar presentation

General Guidance
RBM Guidance/Reporting Requirements
  • International Assistance Results Reporting Guide for Partners
  • RBM Checklist 5.1
  • RBM Guidance is available anytime via gar.rbm@international.gc.ca
  • RBM Web Page – Useful for reporting, future projects, gender equality and human rights
  • RBM How to Guide is “our mother ship” on revising LMs and reporting on results
    • includes examples and tips on GE and Human Rights and how to report on these themes
  • General terms and conditions that include a set of standard clauses referenced in contribution agreements are posted on GAC’s public web site.
 
Unsolicited Proposal Process
  • Information is available on GAC’s public web site for the unsolicited proposal process.
  • More generally, here is more information on GAC’s funding processes.
  • 2019 call for concept notes - Development Impact Window - Canadian Small and Medium Organizations for Impact and Innovation.
 
Guidance on in-kind contributions and cost sharing
  • Policy on Cost-Sharing for Grant and Non-Repayable Contribution Agreements
    • Includes annexed guidance on in-kind contribution
    • The policy requires a minimum rate of 5% and offers flexibility related to cash, in-kind or a source of contribution, so that all organizations are able to achieve their cost-share requirements.
    • The guidance on in-kind contributions has been added to include supplemental information on eligibility criteria and types of acceptable in-kind contributions.
    • Questions and Answers
Reports