On 18-19 September, CONCORD held the eighth edition of its Learning and Exchange Forum in Brussels. Over 40 delegates from our member organisations participated in this event which was held in the framework of the EU-funded Presidency Project. This year’s forum provided a vital platform to explore and advance the Shift the Power journey, but also to reflect on our global contribution as a Confederation.
Each year, our Learning and Exchange Forum (LEF) brings together CONCORD members to exchange and learn from one another on the topical challenges in the international cooperation sector. The last three editions of the Forum have focused on opening a dialogue within the membership around North-South power dynamics and the urgency of building equal, inclusive partnerships, a core component of CONCORD’s 2023-2026 strategy.
The opening session of the first day of the Forum served as both an introduction to the Learning and Exchange Forum 2024 and a platform to explore principles, perspectives and best practices within the Shift the Power movement. Moderated by Smruti Patel, Founder of the Global Mentoring Initiative, the panel featured Myriam Ciza Gambini Project Manager at the International Civil Society Centre, Dylan Mathews, CEO of Peace Direct, and Shada Islam, Founder of the New Horizons Project.
The participants also had the opportunity to explore Shift the Power through the work of members of our Confederation. In a panel moderated by Emma Byrne from Global Focus, members shared their experiences on the journey toward decolonising language, both internally and in their advocacy messages, focusing on the practical work conducted by their organisations to deconstruct and reframe narratives. Emily Gillingham from Oxfam presented the organisation’s inclusive language guide, which incorporates an intersectional approach. Chiara Cosentino from IPPF reflected on their learning journey around decolonisation and sexual and reproductive health and rights, while Sandra Martinsone from BOND presented their efforts to reshape messaging around inequalities. Olivia López Calderón from CNCD/11.11.11 highlighted their work on colonial memory and the importance of raising awareness about decolonisation.
The final session of the first day of the Forum focused on locally-led development and equitable partnerships, giving members the opportunity to share their experiences and views on fostering equitable North-South collaborations. Speakers, including Deborah Doane, Chair of Rights CoLab, who presented her book ‘The INGO problem’, together with Lukas Goltermann from VENRO, Gigi Pasco Ong-Alok from Partos, Wawan Muhammad from Save the Children and Julieta González from Care International discussed the changes needed in the way European organisations and INGOs collaborate with local partners. The discussion, moderated by Eppu Mikkonen from FINGO, highlighted practical examples of rethinking roles and creating more balanced partnerships in the sector.
The second day of the LEF focused on assessing the progress of CONCORD’s initiatives and laying the groundwork for future work. Luísa Fondello from Caritas Europa and Karine Sohet from ACT Alliance EU, conducted a reflection session on the 2022 Learning and Exchange Forum recommendations and how the Confederation has taken them forward. This discussion included the key participation of Lungisa Huna, a leader at the Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA), a network of rural women’s movements across 11 Southern African countries and Hakim Baliraine, Chair of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) and Chairperson of the Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF) as representatives of African civil society organisations (CSOs) who outlined the main outcomes of a consultation carried out on CONCORD’s progress on shifting the power. Delegates then assessed the progress made in the different work streams and identified gaps that need to be addressed.
The afternoon was dedicated to discussing the way forward and how to overcome the challenges that have emerged for civil society since the last edition of the LEF, focusing on the shrinking civic space and the funding shortfalls in the sector. The event concluded with an open reflection, encouraging members to integrate the lessons learned into their upcoming workstream programmes. The closing session was facilitated by Antonia Potter Prentice, Director of Alliance 2015 and CONCORD’s Board Member.
All in all, the Learning and Exchange Forum 2024 offered rich opportunities to take stock of the work we have done as a Confederation in a complex context for civil society, but above all to reaffirm the need for meaningful collaboration among our members, building better policy and advocacy engagement with civil society organisations from partner regions. These reflections contributed to paving the way forward for the Confederation and to guiding the Board’s work.
Our very sincere thanks to all of the speakers and participants. We can’t wait to meet, learn, and exchange together in 2025.
