ISSUES WE CARE ABOUT
We care about development as a process that can be inspired and influenced by external forces and resources, but which must essentially be driven and managed by individuals, communities and societies that are its beneficiaries.
We believe in the creativity of individuals and the ensuing capability of their communities and societies as a force for overcoming all manner of adversity, including threats from civil conflict, natural disasters, pandemics and economic malaise.
We care about good governance premised on Governments fulfilling their duties and obligations to all their citizens, and using public resources to promote more equitable opportunities. We also care about good governance based on political will and creative solutions that can help to address disparity and discrimination in access to quality basic services.
We are passionate about change that is informed and knowledge-based. We see change as a constant factor in and consistent driver of development.
We care about the totality of human knowledge, its potential to transform individual lives, as well as its strong modernising impact on our collective lives. We care about basic education as the key that unlocks the gateway to this great inheritance of human knowledge for all peoples. We care even more about quality basic education as a means of unleashing human potential and fostering progress with the development process.
We care about the rights, integrity and dignity of all human beings and the health and well being of individuals and communities everywhere as a pre-requisite for development and improving quality of life.
We care about free flow and exchange of information and communication as a basis for building consensus and social cohesion, which are key to development based on human understanding. We believe in communications that touch the mind and heart and transform audiences into partners.
We are intrigued by the paradox of systems. Whilst being stable and efficient mechanisms for conducting business in normal and routine ways, systems can also pose resistance to forms of change that do not fit in with their norms, standards, procedures and practices. Resilience of systems helps to facilitate and protect development under adverse conditions, but can also serve to obstruct and prevent progressive change. Thus, we care about dynamic and self-renewing systems that can absorb and utilise evidence-based change as part of an evolving society.
We care about evidence as the driving force in a process through which systems become better at supporting and facilitating successful achievement of development goals. We also care about the practice of mainstreaming feasible solutions as a means of making change more systemic and sustainable.
Photo credits: Above left, Asian woman, S. Yeo. Above right, South Asia, S. Yeo.
