News story: New partnership with UK charities to tackle global challenges

The UK is partnering with Bond – the leading network of over 400 international development organisations – to create innovative solutions to the global challenges we face by working more closely with banks, tech companies and research bodies, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt announced yesterday.

This new partnership – part of a wider programme called UK Aid Connect – will also encourage a range of British charities to work collaboratively, share resources and bring together knowledge, practice and expertise for solutions to some of the most difficult development problems in a rapidly changing and complex world. This includes encouraging cutting-edge technology to drive the changes needed to navigate the uncertain future ahead.

This comes alongside Ms Mordaunt’s calls for the charity sector to have “the will to change”. She said “to deliver on the promises we’ve made to the world’s poorest, business as usual isn’t going to cut it”, pushing them to be more transparent, open and accountable.

Speaking at the Bond Conference, the International Development Secretary said:

We know that on current trajectories, achieving the Global Goals – which we talk about and show our commitment to in the pin badges we wear – is simply out of reach. The facts speak for themselves – and the many we are letting down. If we want those facts to change we have to change what we do.

The challenge of the global goals is to leave nobody behind and civil society organisations have an essential role in enabling us to find and support the marginalised. It is only through charities that we will be able to hear the voice of the people we are there to serve and I want to strengthen the role that civil society organisations can play.

We need the humility to recognise what others can bring will multiply our efforts. And we need to let many others help.

It will require us to change where we work and who we work with, it will require more sharing of data and greater cooperation.

As part of UK Aid Connect, DFID is providing grants until 2021 to a diverse range of organisations to address the key development challenges in selected priority areas such as disability, child labour, modern slavery and working towards global security and stability. Today’s announcement includes £4million to Bond.

DFID is also working closely with Bond to design a programme of support for civil society organisations to strengthen their processes to ensure that the highest standards of transparency and safeguarding procedures are in place to protect vulnerable people.