Stories of change

14 December 2011

• The g7+ group achieved a major triumph at HLF-4 in Busan – an agreement on a New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States. This was due to the vision and commitment of the g7+ group and the support and engagement of the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding. ODI research and technical support played a catalytic role.

9 December 2011

• Since November 2010, the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) at ODI has been working to bridge the conceptual and practical gaps on risk management between donors and humanitarian agencies. As a result, HPG has helped to build a new mutual understanding on what risk is, and how it can be managed.

9 December 2011

• The European Development Cooperation Strengthening Programme (EDCSP) at ODI aims to improve the quality, vision and direction of European development cooperation. Just half way through its four-year programme, the EDCSP has already forged a European Think Tanks Group and has produced a landmark report setting out a new vision of support for the world’s poorest people.

• European Development Cooperation Strengthening Programme (EDCSP)

1 December 2010

• ODI’s 50th anniversary was a time to take stock of five decades of changes and achievements, and map out a course for the future.

1 December 2010

• ODI’s Trade programme has carried out what may be the first systematic analysis of the impact of Aid for Trade (AfT).  Although AfT is a popular concept among aid donors and recipients, little is known about its actual impact on trade-related performance. The programme has analysed the actual impact of AfT on trade performance indicators, particularly on the costs of trading and on exports.

1 December 2010

• This is the story of the Gates project on ‘stories of progress’ and the two associated MDG Report Card reports. It shows how these helped to change the message on the MDGs, highlight national achievements and move equity up the development agenda.

• United Nations General Assembly 2010

1 December 2010

• In 2010 the Budget Strengthening Initiative began to swiftly provide support to the Ministry of Finance in Southern Sudan, three months ahead of schedule. ODI is supporting on the job training for budget officials, the development of a macroeconomic planning department and support to the design of an aid strategy.  So far ODI has dramatically raised the profile and understanding of macroeconomic policy and supported the Ministry of Finance’s budget preparations. 

1 December 2010

• A study by the Humanitarian Policy Group has highlighted the needs of a marginalised group in Sudan, providing practical solutions while focusing attention on their situation.

• Inside story - Abyei's uncertain future

1 December 2010

• An important story of change in which the Social Development programme has recently been engaged involves a partnership with Plan, the international NGO focused on children’s rights.

1 December 2010

• A fundamental review focusing on how the international donor community, including researchers, works in the social protection sector, what we are achieving internationally, and how we might work in a more developmental and constructive way in the future to improve social protection outcomes.

1 December 2010

• In January 2008, ALNAP started a stream of work on innovation in humanitarian response. This led to a landmark study and a major international conference in 2009, opened by DfID Private Secretary, Minouche Shafik. Through a process of evidence-based influence and engagement, the Study has led directly to the establishment of the first dedicated Humanitarian Innovation Fund 2010, with DfID making the first multi-million dollar investment.
• ALNAP Humanitarian Innovations Initiative

1 December 2010

• Work by ODI’s Business and Development programme demonstrates the potential impact of ODI’s research on the private sector’s contribution to development.
• Zambia lowers international gateway fee
• Zambia calling: the benefits of telecoms liberalisation in Africa

1 September 2010

• How a framework developed by ODI is being used in country budgets and by more than 150 UNICEF offices across the globe to ensure that children are not overlooked in recovery efforts for the recent financial crisis.

1 September 2010

• How RiPPLE - an ODI backed initiative - is supporting progress in Ethiopia towards the MDG goal to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015.
• RiPPLE

1 September 2010

• How the book Uncharted Territory by ODI’s Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) has been used by the humanitarian community to better engage with land issues in sparking conflict, and the importance of what happens to land once a conflict ends.

1 September 2010

• How ODI has developed Climate Funds Update, the only major independent source of information on international funding initiatives to help developing countries address the challenges of climate change.

1 September 2009

• How we have built on years of environmental research and network-building to reinforce the need to include the forest-dependent poor in the climate change debate.

1 September 2009

• How changes in the way ODI communicates and are putting us in good shape to mark our 50th anniversary in 2010.

1 September 2009

• How we have highlighted the potential implications of the financial crisis for the world’s poorest countries, in work that has been drawn upon by development agencies and highlighted by the world's most influential economic media.

1 September 2009

• How we have tracked the negotiations on Economic Partnership Agreements for more than a decade to ensure that governments are aware of the implications of the '‘small print'.