Investing In Common Solutions: InterAction’s 2011 Forum Asks The Tough Questions.

InterAction's annual forum is from August 10-12 this year and we are planning a range of interesting workshops to tackle the difficult issues affecting our work. Here is a sample of some of the topics we will be covering at the Forum, which takes place at the Washington Convention Center in downtown DC.

“Is the NGO Brand at Risk?”  With the foreign aid portion of the federal budget under threat, the collective role and work of NGOs is coming under more scrutiny than ever. How can the NGO community expand its support base? Will this increased focus on NGO accountability and transparency improve our image with lawmakers, donors and the media? How can we protect our brand?

"Increasing Economic Opportunities for Youth in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA): What works and where are we falling short? " Join members of the Alliance for International Youth Development to examine ways to strengthen economic opportunities for young people in the Middle East/North Africa region. This interactive session will offer practical tools and resources to address this issue both in the region and elsewhere.

“Accountability to the People We Serve: Sounds Great, But How Do We Do It?” Humanitarian and development practitioners are accountable to those we serve as well as donors. There are many tools and resources to keep us honest, including those laid out in the Sphere Project and the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International, the Emergency Capacity Building Project (ECB). Use this workshop to learn about the "five principles of accountability" and how to implement them.

“Does Data Sharing Enhance NGO Coordination, Collaboration and Transparency?”  Efforts have been made in recent years to  encourage NGOs to share data. There is also increasing pressure to share this information with the media and self-appointed NGO accountability projects. This workshop aims to explore whether this has led to better programming, and if not, what can be done to improve data sharing for NGO coordination, collaboration and transparency.

“What’s Needed for Effective Partnerships with Local Organizations?” International NGOs recognize that the quality of their partnerships with local organizations is key to their effectiveness. Last year, 25 European and U.S. NGOs participated in a survey to get feedback from local partners on the quality of their relationships and how they could be improved. Learn about common challenges to local partnerships, what internal cultural change is needed to create and maintain effective partnerships, and the views of local organizations.

“What Will It Take to Create a Profession of Humanitarian Action?” The complexity of recent emergencies underscores the need for a more professional approach to humanitarian action. Recent work by the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, with colleagues from Harvard University and the British charity RedR, explored the creation of a professional association for humanitarian workers. Dr. Peter Walker, from Tufts and Dr. Karen Hein, past president of the William T. Grant Foundation, will lead this workshop, presenting their research and looking at how to make the field more professional.

** Remember, the Under-30 crowd get a great discount at this year’s Forum!