Commission on the Advancement of Women Annual Breakfast co-sponsored with InterAction's Communications Team
Lights! Cameras! Action! Harnessing the Power of Entertainment Media to Promote Gender and Development Issues
How do we “mainstream” gender equality into the thinking of the US public and the communities we serve overseas? Some NGOs are turning to popular media—TV and films—as a way to raise awareness and move people to action. This session will feature lively multimedia presentations by NGOs and TV & film producers on exciting ways to take advantage of the power of entertainment media.  In the tradition of past CAW breakfasts, participants also will dialogue on ways their organizations and InterAction can use the ideas presented to engage more people on gender and development issues through popular media.

Humanitarian Policy and Practice Committee Meeting
Semi-annual InterAction Humanitarian Policy and Practice Committee business meeting
Open to committee members and invited guests only, please.

Exhibit Hall Open

InterAction Board of Directors Meeting

Opening Plenary and Luncheon
Keynote Speaker: Ambassador Randall Tobias, USAID Administrator and Director of Foreign Assistance

View transcript of plenary speech, as prepared

Presentation of PVO Standards Award to Oxfam America

WORKSHOPS

Assessing Impact/Part I: How do Donors Measure the Effectiveness of NGO Work?

This first workshop in a three-part series will examine the various indicators and methodologies donors are using to measure the impact of aid work on people and communities, and thereby the effectiveness of their grantees and contractors.

Two Initiatives Increasing the Capacity of the Humanitarian Community: How Are They Doing?

Inadequate capacity has been identified as one reason why humanitarian response to crises is sometimes late and insufficient. Two initiatives — one led by the United Nations and the other sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — currently seek to improve the capacity of relief organizations. Participants will discuss these initiatives and assess their impact to date on field operations.

The Power of Global Campaigns

As the world is becoming increasingly interconnected, so too are activist campaigns. The Campaign to Ban Landmines, Jubilee campaign, the Global Campaign for Education, the Global Call to Action against Poverty, and Make Trade Fair are just some of the global campaigns, or campaigns with broad support bases and leadership across countries and continents, which have come to the fore in recent years. Join in a discussion of what makes global campaigns successful. What difficulties do campaigns encounter and how are they overcome? How do our Southern partners view these campaigns? What structures are most effective in managing such broad alliances? What are the lessons learned?

Reception with Exhibitors

11th Annual Awards Dinner

Maureen Bunyan, Mistress of Ceremonies

Cheol Ham, Effective Assistance Photography Awardee

John Donnely, Excellence in International Reporting Awardee

Visaka Dharmadasa, Humanitarian Awardee

Exhibit Hall Open

WORKSHOPS

Assessing Impact/Part II: What Do NGOs Consider to be Relevant Evidence of Effectiveness?

This second workshop in the three-part series will examine the strategic-level indicators that NGOs believe are the most relevant for assessing the effectiveness and impact of their activities on the people and communities they serve. Distinctions will be made throughout this three-part series between outcome (the immediate results of NGO programs) and impact (the long-term progress from NGO activities). Speakers for this session will include representatives from NGOs with diverse missions, including advocacy, relief and development.

Finding our Collective Voice on Trade and Development

As part of the World Trade Organization’s “Doha Development Round,” Northern governments have pledged to put development at the center of the trade talks -- implicitly acknowledging its exclusion in earlier rounds. Now, a collective voice on development is needed more than ever to ensure that the “Development Round” yields real tangible benefits for the world’s poorest people. This interactive workshop will explore how trade affects the beneficiaries of many InterAction member organizations and how U.S. development groups can most effectively engage in the trade debate.

Putting the “Secure” in Food Security for Refugees and IDPs

Global demands for food aid have had a significant impact on refugees and internally displaced persons as breaks in the food pipeline and reductions in food rations have become more and more frequent, particularly in Africa. This phenomenon has critical implications for refugee protection as food scarcity can lead to exploitation of vulnerable populations, rising tensions in camps, and negative effects on repatriation efforts. This session will examine steps that donors, humanitarian agencies and program participants might take in preventing food pipeline breaks, increasing resources, and enhancing livelihood opportunities.

Getting the Most from your InterAction Membership

Whether you are new to InterAction or just need a refresher on the services InterAction provides its members, this overview can help you. We will discuss InterAction’s structure and activities, as well as offer ideas on becoming more engaged in our work. The more involved you are, the better resource InterAction will be for you and your organization.
View Presentation

InterAction General Membership Meeting
Open to member CEOs or their designees only, please.

General Session and Luncheon:

Mildred Robbins Leet Award for the Advancement of Women Recipient: Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)

Transformational Diplomacy and the Reform of U.S. Foreign Assistance

In January, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced plans for global repositioning to restructure U.S. foreign assistance, as well as the administration’s vision for the future of the Department of State. The goals, structure and reform of U.S. foreign aid have been the topics of discussion for decades, but since this most recent announcement by Secretary Rice, a reinvigorated debate has been launched. This interactive session will offer and examine different perspectives on what the future goals and structure of U.S. foreign assistance could or should be.

Advocacy Day Preparation Session

This preparatory session will present an overview of the issues and logistics for Advocacy Day meetings. Participants will be paired with their team members and receive a final briefing from InterAction staff, along with talking points and other materials to help them in their meetings on Capitol Hill.

Media Forum

This special media forum for InterAction member communications directors and outreach staff session will highlight effective alternative communication strategies. Speakers will include insiders from the world of television and internet reporting. This forum will allow senior and mid-level communication professionals within our membership to convene, share best practices and work together on common goals.

The Emergency Capacity Building Project Update

The Emergency Capacity Building Project (ECB) is a collaborative effort of seven humanitarian agencies (CARE International, Catholic Relief Services, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Oxfam-GB, Save the Children USA, and World Vision International) that are jointly tackling common problems in emergency response and preparedness.  Over a two-year period, these agencies and their strategic partners are addressing issues pertaining to staff capacity, accountability (primarily to affected populations), impact measurement, risk reduction, and the use of information and technology in emergencies. Please join us for an in-depth discussion of the progress of the ECB project one year on and learn more about the products that are being made available to the humanitarian community as a whole.

Exhibit Hall Open

WORKSHOPS

Self-Certification Plus: A Primer for NGO Self-Regulation

This session will offer a “how to” for both member agencies and other NGOs on the process and application of InterAction’s strengthened model for self-regulation—Self-Certification Plus (SCP), which became a requirement for all member agencies in 2006. Representatives from member agencies that piloted SCP in 2004-2005 will reflect on its impact on overall program quality management systems. Speakers will include member CEOs and senior staff who have championed and gone far beyond the requirements of this system of verified compliance with InterAction’s standards. This discussion will be facilitated by an expert in accountability systems.

Success through Partnerships

Increasingly, NGOs are finding that partnering with organizations and companies both within and outside their sector can enhance the work of all parties involved. Whether working with donors, Southern-based NGOs, corporations, or the media, innovative and strategic partnerships can help organizations gain the leverage needed to advance their goals in humanitarian relief and development. Hear from speakers with experience in what works and what doesn’t in partnerships and learn how your organization can effectively leverage partnerships in the NGO community, the private sector, and the media to advance its goals while achieving mutually beneficial and lasting results.

Preventing Violent Conflict and Building Peace: Saving Lives, Saving Livelihoods, Saving Money

Providing humanitarian relief and fostering sustainable development becomes increasingly costly and difficult once widespread violent conflict has broken out. With commentary from expert donors, practitioners, and analysts, this workshop will explore possible roles for NGOs in preventing and mitigating violent conflict. We will explore the challenges to operationalizing a prevention model, and how PVO programs are a vital component of global, national, and local peace building efforts.

WORKSHOPS

Assessing Impact/Part III: How Do You Do It?

This final workshop in the three-part series will highlight examples of proven methodologies for assessing the impact of aid programs. Speakers for this session will include representatives from both NGOs and donor agencies who will highlight successful replicable models, including an innovative approach in assessing the impact of gender equality on poverty alleviation. This session will be facilitated by an expert in the field of monitoring and evaluation.

US Foreign Assistance Reform: Its Impact on the Role of US NGOs in Delivering Effective Assistance

Recent changes in U.S. foreign assistance present a number of issues of concern to our community: What do these changes mean for US NGOs providing humanitarian and development assistance? How will their field programs on the ground be affected by the changes? What strategies can US NGOs use to influence the reform process at this stage? What recommendations can the workshop make to policymakers who will be guiding the reform process as it goes forward?

Putting Our Money Where Our Missions Are: Socially Responsible Investing By and For NGOs

At this session experts will discuss and engage participants in an exchange of views on the issue of socially responsible investing by relief and development organizations’ 401K or other pension plans. Panelists will discuss how your mission and relief or development concerns are (or should be) incorporated in decisions about what investments to make and how to use your leverage as an investor to press for changes in company policies and practices. The conversation will include strategies about how to engage in shareholder activism around social concerns as well as how to make earmarked Community Development Investments. It will be led by executives from companies that are leaders in social investing and will include input from InterAction members who have demonstrated history in this area.

Plenary and Luncheon
Keynote speaker: President William Jefferson Clinton, UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery

In early 2005, William Jefferson Clinton was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan as the UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery. In this role, the former President of the United States is working to keep the international community committed to the recovery and rebuilding effort, making the region a better place than it was before the tsunami disaster. Prior to this, President Clinton worked with former President Bush to provide much needed aid to the victims of the tsunami.

View webcast of the Clinton plenary

2:30 pm – 9:00 pm

By special invitation only.

Challenges to Undertaking Charitable Work in the Arab and Muslim World post-9-11

2:30 - 4:30 pm
Challenges: Undertaking Charitable Work Today in the Arab and Muslim World, in the context of the U.S. War on Terrorism
Sponsoring and implementing relief and development work in the Arab and Muslim world by NGOs and their donors are facing myriad challenges posed by the U.S. treasury and banking guidelines, deteriorating staff security in the region, government corruption, and the evolving role of the U.S. military in humanitarian work. This session is designed to examine these challenges and to offer strategies for overcoming their potential, detrimental impact on relief and development programs in the region.

4:45 - 6:30 pm
Opportunities: Building Trust through Humanitarian Work: Charity as a Bridge Between the West and the Arab and Muslim World
Through the lens of several case studies, this session will examine the need for and the potential outcomes of cooperation between western-headquartered, transnational non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as non-indigenous Muslim NGOs headquartered in non-Muslim countries, with Muslim NGOs, undertaking relief and development work in the Muslim world. This session will emphasize the need for forming partnerships, capacity building and program diversity.

6:45 - 7:15 pm
Reception

7:30 - 9:00 pm
Dinner
Keynote speaker: Karen Hughes, U.S. Under-Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs [Invited]