11 October in Paris - "Philanthropy and International Development Assistance" (AFD)

On behalf of the French Development Agency (AFD), we are pleased to share the below invitation:

Date: Wednesday, 11 October 2017, 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. – A light lunch will be served.
Venue: AFD, 5 Rue Roland Barthes – 75012 Paris (download map)

Philanthropic and corporate foundations are increasingly present in the international development cooperation landscape. This has prompted aid agencies, particularly bilateral donors, to consider their strategic positioning vis-à-vis these new actors and the potential opportunities for collaboration they offer. Some have already established pioneering partnerships with foundations.

In order to gain a deeper understanding of these emerging actors, AFD has commissioned three studies to review the various models of philanthropy and identify potential partners. The first study measured the scope and destination of global philanthropic flows; the second focused on philanthropy in Asia; and the third provided a literature review of philanthropy in the Arab World.

The following were among the issues addressed in the three enquiries:

• How do foundations see themselves fitting into the world of official development assistance (ODA)?
• What coordination, partnerships, position, influence do foundations prefer with respect to the international agenda?
• What are foundations’ motives and strategies for development?
• Do bilateral donors perceive foundations as threats or as potential allies?  What complementary or competitive dynamics do they create (amongst themselves and in regard to public donors)?
• Might prospective philanthropic founding cause or enable a progressive retraction of public funding?
• What knock-on effect and type of funding mix (foundations/donors) can be expected?
• What lessons can be drawn from historical development partnerships between foundations and traditional donors (bilateral, multilateral), and with new actors (large corporations, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, etc.)?

You are invited to join high level representatives from international foundations, bilateral agencies, NGOs and other experts and partners at this roundtable for a presentation of the findings of these studies:

• Philanthropy and Official Development Assistance: The Role of Private Foundations and the potential for collaboration by Prof. Theo Schuyt from the Center for Philanthropic Studies (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
• Emerging Philanthropy in Asia by Prof. Swee-Sum Lam from ACSEP (National University of Singapore)
• Philanthropy in the Arab World: a literature review by Dr. Moustafa Khalil and Marwa El-Daly from Middle East Research and Social Investment (MERSIC) Consultants

The presentations will be followed by an open discussion on the growing role of philanthropy in international development assistance.

Please click here to register.