Who We Are
Facilitator
Simon Burall, ODI, UK
Simon Burall is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Aid and Public Expenditure (CAPE) at ODI.
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Partners
Africa
1. Joseph Bitature , Community Development Resource Network (CDRN), Uganda
Joseph Bitature is the interim Director of the CDRN. He has taken over from the late Rosemary Adong. Rosemary commissioned Dr. Moses Isooba, who at the time served as Programme Coordinator of CDRN’s Civil Society and Poverty Reduction Programme, to write one of the Africa literature reviews for the Southern Voices Project..
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Community Development Resource Network (CDRN)
CDRN is a local NGO established in 1994 by a small group of Uganda-based professionals to support community development work through participatory techniques and to assist other organisations engaged in similar activities to become more effective. Training in participatory approaches to community development work is the linchpin of CDRN's work. Through organisational strengthening and institutional development, CDRN is also involved in the promotion of civil society efforts in Uganda to combat poverty. CDRN has two main programmes: the NGO programme, whose main focus is organisational development and institutional strengthening, and the Civil Society and Poverty Reduction Programme, whose main focus is research and advocacy.
For more information: www.cdrn.or.ug
2. Moreblessings Chidaushe , AFRODAD, Zimbabwe
MOREBLESSINGS CHIDAUSHE is Programme Officer of Lobby and Advocacy for AFRODAD.
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The African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD)
AFRODAD is a civil society organization born of a desire to secure lasting solutions to Africa's mounting debt problems, which have impacted negatively on the continent's development process. Its principle activities include: research and policy analysis; lobbying and advocacy; information and dialogue; and civil society capacity building.
For more information: www.afrodad.org
3. Siapha Kamara, Chief Executive Officer, SEND Foundation, Ghana
SIAPHA KAMARA is the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Social Enterprise Development Foundation of West Africa (SEND Foundation). He is a social development activist with more than 25 years of experience in international development work, especially in West Africa. His areas of expertise include gender and development, participatory training and development, micro-credit and development, early childhood development, NGO management, and policy advocacy.
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Social Enterprise Development Foundation of West Africa (SEND Foundation).
SEND's mission is the promotion of livelihood security and equality of men and women through participatory development and public policy advocacy in West Africa. SEND is operational in Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, and its head office is located in Accra, Ghana.
For more information: www.sendfoundation.org
4. Rueben Lifuka, Africa Dialogue, Africa
RUEBEN LIFUKA has a background in architecture and worked at the National Heritage Conservation Commission before establishing his own Environmental and Project Management consultancy firm (Riverine Consulting) in 1997. In 2003 he established a second company, Dialogue Africa, which focuses on performance management and personal development. Lifuka undertook post graduate studies in Project Management at Cambridge University, UK, and is currently pursuing an MSc in Integrated Environmental Management via distance learning from the University of Bath.
Alongside his work as an entrepreneur, Rueben has been very active in civil society and development work. In 1998, he joined the Zambia Association for Research and Development - ZARD - which leads gender research in Zambia. In 2005 he was elected Board Vice President for Transparency International Zambia, and he is also a Board member of the Citizens Forum - an interest group pushing for constitutional and governance reforms in Zambia. In addition, he is a founding member of the Civil Society for Trade Network Zambia, a research and advocacy network on matters of trade and development.
Dialogue Africa
Dialogue Africa is a Zambian research and performance management company which was established in 2003 to offer professional services in the areas of project planning and management, project/programme evaluation, organizational development, strategic planning and management, and leadership communication. Dialogue Africa has substantial experience working with civil society organizations, development agencies, and bilateral organizations.
During its nearly two years of operation, Dialogue Africa has provided professional services to a variety of high profile clients including the World Bank, USAID, Pact Zambia, USAID funded projects including the Support to the HIV/AIDS Response (SHARe) and the Health Systems and Services Project (HSSP), Women for Change, Multimedia Zambia, Zambia Open Community Schools, the Canadian High Commission, Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, CARE International, Diakonia amongst others.
5. Charles Lwanga-Ntale, Development Research and Training (DRT), Uganda
CHARLES LWANGA-NTALE is the Director of Development Research and Training (DRT), a Ugandan NGO with wide involvement in poverty and policy research as well as institutional capacity building. Since 2002, he has been Country Coordinator for the Chronic Poverty Research Process in Uganda. He has an MA in Population and Development Studies as well as a Graduate Diploma in Population Studies, both from the University of Ghana.
His recent research history includes being a core researcher in 2004 for a World Bank / SMEC International study on the 'Social and Economic Factors Influencing HIV Transmission among Refugees and Internally Displaced People in the Great Lakes Region'. His responsibility was for Tanzania and Uganda. In 2002-2003 he was a Lead Researcher on a study of the impact of disability on poverty status in Uganda
Since 1999 he has been a Part-Time Lecturer for MA Sociology students at Makerere University, Uganda., on Participatory Research Methodology. He has also held one-week courses for university lecturers and local government practitioners on 'Basic Principles of Decentralisation'. He has trained extensively in Participatory Research Methodology and published widely on decentralization, chronic poverty, participation and participatory evaluation.
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Development Research and Training (DRT)
Development Research and Training (DRT) is a Ugandan development organisation that aims at undertaking policy research and analysis as well as institutional development both in Uganda and in Eastern Africa. In order to achieve this, it promotes institutional capacity building, micro and macro analysis and also promotes advocacy on a wide range of social political and economic issues. DRT's overall objective is to influence socio-economic and political order through promotion of "voice", people's participation, research and analysis.
Since 1996, DRT has been involved in a wide range of activities. Broadly these fall under four main themes namely: institutional analysis and development, participatory research, capacity building, and lobbying and advocacy.
For more information: www.drt.or.ug
6. Christopher Mwakasege, TASOET, Tanzania
Tanzania Social and Economic Trust (TASOET)
TASOET is a non-government organization established for the purpose of carrying out research, advocacy, negotiations, lobbying and awareness education in the area of social, economic, debt and development issues in Tanzania.
For more information: www.tasoet.org
Asia
1. Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh
DR. DEBAPRIYA BHATTACHARYA is the Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka - a leading civil society think-tank in Bangladesh. He did his PhD in Economics at the Plekhanov Institute of National Economy, Moscow. Dr Bhattacharya was a Post Doctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford and a Senior Fulbright Fellow at the Centre for Global Development (CGD), Washington D.C. He has been also a Visiting Fellow at the UNU-INTECH, Maastricht; IDE, Tokyo; IDPM, Manchester; and University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Dr Bhattacharya was a Senior Research Fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS). He regularly sits on various high level Consultative and Expert Committees for the Government of Bangladesh, and participated in the Bangladesh delegation to the Fourth WTO Ministerial Meeting held in Doha (November, 2001). He has worked as a consultant for a number of international development agencies including the World Bank, ADB, UNDP, UNCTAD and ILO. Dr. Bhattacharya is a member of the Governing Board of BRAC - the largest NGO in the world, Chair of the EU-LDC Network, and Regional Editor of the Oxford Development Studies Journal. His recent published works are in the areas of macro-economic policies, trade, investment and finance.
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The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)
Established in 1993, CPD is a leading civil society think-tank in Bangladesh with a strong track record in research and policy analysis and advocacy on development. CPD strives to bridge the gap between empirical research and policy advocacy. Thus working beyond traditional modes of dissemination of research outputs, the centre organizes multistakeholder consultations to project the perspectives of marginalized groups within the policymaking process. In connection with this, CPD plays an initiating role for different civil society organizations including trade bodies, trade unions, gender activists, environmental groups and development NGOs. As a result of its research work on the interests of low income countries in the WTO, CPD has also developed a good outreach in different LDCs, particularly in Africa. The Centre belongs to a number of thematic networks (e.g. EU-LDC Network), and is also a partner organization of the World Economic Forum, for which it carries out competitiveness studies in Bangladesh.
For more information: http://www.cpd-bangladesh.org/
2. Priyanthi Fernando, Executive Director, CEPA, Sri Lanka
PRIYANHTI FERNANDO is the Executive Director of the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA). Specialist interests are: gender, technology and infrastructure issues, policy advocacy, communications and networking.
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The Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA)
Established in May 2001, the Centre for Poverty Analysis is an independent institute that promotes a better understanding of poverty issues in Sri Lanka. CEPA offers advisory and training services based on applied empirical research to organizations and professionals working towards poverty reduction. At present, CEPA focuses its service provision on four Programme areas that have developed out of the interests and needs of the organization and its clients. These are: Poverty and Conflict; Poverty Assessment and Knowledge Management; Poverty Impact Monitoring; and Poverty and Youth.
For more information: http://www.cepa.lk/
3. Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Unnayan Onneshan - The Innovators (Centre for Research and Action on Development) Bangladesh
RASHED AL MAHMUD TITUMIR, educated in the universities of Dhaka, London and Carleton, is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka, and has taught economics at the Bangladesh Open University and University of London. He has written policy papers and books on the impacts of structural adjustment, the world trading system and regional economic cooperation and has also published on pro-poor expenditure choices, poverty, micro-credit, skill formation, aid, education, and investment.
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Unnayan Onneshan - The Innovators (Centre for Research and Action on Development)
Founded in 2003 by a group of university faculties and development professionals, the Centre aims to contribute to the search for solutions to poverty, injustice, gender inequality, and environmental degradation at the local, national, and international levels through research, advocacy, solidarity and action.
For more information: www.unnayan.org
4. Antonio Tujan, Research Director, IBON Foundation Inc., Philippines
ANTONIO TUJAN JR. is a writer, researcher, social activist, and educator. He was one of the founders of IBON Foundation Inc. in 1978. He returned to IBON in 1993 and is now its Research Director and Executive Editor. Alongside acting as a consultant or working on the board of other NGOs and citizen organizations, he is concurrently the Director of the Institute of Political Economy in the Philippines. He has written and edited several books, papers, and articles on such topics as globalization, privatization, trade, and development.
Tujan is an international activist, researcher, political analyst, and public speaker, and he is currently the Chairperson of the Asia Pacific Research Network as well as Chairperson of the Management Committee for the Reality of Aid, the only global North-South civil society project monitoring ODA. He is active in other international networks and campaigns such as the global coalition on WTO, the global coalition on agricultural trade, the international social movements' network on APEC and the International Initiative on Corruption and Governance.
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IBON Foundation Inc.
IBON is a research-education-advocacy development organization that provides support to grassroots organizations in the Philippines and overseas on various socio-economic issues.
For more information: http://www.ibon.org
Latin America
1. Humberto Campodónico, Lead Researcher, DESCO, Peru
HUMBERTO CAMPODONICO is in charge of the workshop on the New International Financial Aid Architecture hosted and maintained by ALOP (Latin American Association of Development Organizations), and is also a lead researcher at DESCO (Centre for Development Studies and Promotion) and a professor at the Economics Department at the Universidad Nacional Mayor of San Marcos in Lima, Peru. From 2000 to 2002 he served as advisor to the UN Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean. He holds a Master's in Economic Development from the University of Paris.
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Centre for Development Studies and Promotion (DESCO)
DESCO works to identify and promote alternative models of development that benefit the most marginalized and unrepresented sectors of the population. Through its projects and research, it seeks to influence the domestic policy-making process as well as the policies of donors.
For more information (Spanish only): www.desco.org.pe
Latin American Association of Development Organisations (ALOP)
ALOP is an umbrella organization that brings together development NGOs from 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. It provides a space for discussion and the exchange of ideas among its member organizations, and it works toward the elaboration of alternative models of development at the sectoral, regional, and global levels. It seeks to build the capacity of NGOs to participate in regional and international development fora. Among other things, ALOP is part of the International Committee of the Reality of Aid, and of the International Council of the World Social Forum.
More information (Spanish only): www.alop.or.cr
2. Mariano Valderrama, SNV (Netherlands Development Organisation), Peru
MARIANO VALDERRAMA is a Senior Advisor at SNV (Netherlands Development Organization) Peru, with an expertise in international cooperation and regional development. He is a former director of ALOP (Latin American Association of Development Organizations), based in Costa Rica, and of CEPES (Peruvian Centre of Social Studies). He holds a PhD from the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
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SNV
SNV is a Netherlands-based, international development organisation that provides advisory services to nearly 1800 local organisations in over 30 developing countries to support their fight against poverty. SNV Latin America is active in Nicaragua, Honduras, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia where they work in four main practice areas: Responsive and Accountable Local Government, Market Access for the poor, Collaborative Forest Management, and Integrated Water Management.
SNV in Peru (Spanish text): http://www.snv.org.pe
SNV home (English text): http://portal.snvworld.org/public
Webmaster
Romina Rodríguez Pose, Coordinator, Forum on the Future of Aid
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