December 21, 2022
Engaging the Sector and GAC
Back in the summer of 2021, CAIDP, alongside its sector association peers (Cooperation Canada, CanWACH, Inter- Council Network) engaged Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and launched the Forum on Strategic Issues Coordination, conceptualized as a dialogue space to exchange on strategic issues of common interest towards joint action. A special note of thanks to Nic Moyer for his leadership in its establishment.
The Forum comprises GAC representation from the Chief Financial Office, the International Assistance Policy division, the International Assistance Operations division and the Partnership and Innovation Branch, and sector representation from Canadian international development sector (Cooperation Canada, the Inter-Council Network, the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH) and the Canadian Association of International Development Professionals.
Fall 2022 Update
The second meeting of the Strategic Issues Collaboration Forum took place on July 12th. Co-Chaired by CAIDP and Global Affairs Canada, the agenda focused on Public Engagement and the Civil Society (CSO) Sector’s proposals for thematic collaboration. GAC presented an overview of KFM’s public engagement (PE) approach (programming, key initiatives, tools/resources) and emphasized the importance of collaborating with the sector to drive whole-of-Canada efforts in support of Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The sector welcomed the presentation and identified possible areas for further collaboration (advancing a whole-of- society approach on the SDGs, responding to public attitudes including by addressing disengagement of the 18–34- year age bracket). The sector presented 5 priority areas for potential collaboration with GAC:
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Enhancing Sector Dialogue.
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Visibility on Plans and Procurement.
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Momentum on Localization.
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Marshaling Resources.
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Showcasing Canadian Impact.
Discussions highlighted common interest in managing the tension between crisis vs. long-term planning, streamlining, and reporting. GAC representatives noted that most are issues GAC is also grappling with internally and have onboarded a new Director General and team to lead a comprehensive grants and contributions portfolio transformation.
Where We Go From Here
The Forum was envisaged as an active and engaged discussion space for the sector and GAC, a space to get propositional, build consensus and move towards commitment and action. The forum itself is relatively new, with our second meeting establishing short-term guidance on points of focus for GAC and the sector to engage on.
Our team is working with Global Affairs Canada leadership to define our agenda for action and encourages you to connect with our Team and our Board of Directors to share your views, challenges, suggestions, and paths forward for our communication to GAC through this critical forum.