HIGHLIGHTS
2013 2014 ibis’ annual report
IBIS IN 2 MINUTES
democratic influence
quality education
fairdistribution of resources
ibis in 2 minutes TEXT ANNELIE ABILDGAARD ILLUSTRATION YERAY LOPEZ
what we do? IBIS works for a just world in which all people have equal access to education, influence and resources. how we do this? Through support to civil society in Africa and Latin America, IBIS wishes to secure people equal access to education, influence and resources. Through information and political work, IBIS wishes to influence the political agenda and create greater understanding for the problems facing developing countries, and point to specific options for actions. in other words... IBIS works to ensure quality education for all and for the education to enable them to exercise influence in a way that ensures the resources of society and the world are more fairly distributed.
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Quality education, because: Education is a human right and the path to create sustainable development for the individual and society. Our work is for girls and boys to obtain equal access to education and to ensure quality in the teaching. Democratic influence, because: Everyone has the right to influence their own life and society. This i why we support popular civil society organisations in their work of safeguarding these rights, and why we work on promoting democracy in the local community. Fair distribution of resources, because: Everyone has the right to a fair share of the world’s resources. Therefore, we support popular civil society organisations in their work so that globalisation will benefit the world’s poorest. We wish also to influence the debate on global economic and political issues.
CONTENTS
contents
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Report from the Chair / 4 IBIS Highlights / 6 How IBIS works / 12 Where IBIS works / 14
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IBIS country by country / 16 Guatemala / 17 Nicaragua / 18 Bolivia / 19 Sierra Leone / 20 Liberia / 21 Burkina Faso / 22 Ghana / 23 South Sudan / 24 Mozambique / 25 AAP and LAPI / 26
14 16
Figures of the year / 28
editorial Malene Aadal Bo, mab@ibis.dk Annelie Abildgaard (editor-in-chief), aa@ibis.dk layout Cover photo: William Vest-Lillesøe Graphic design: Oktan, Peter Waldorph Print: CS Grafisk editorial address IBIS, Vesterbrogade 2B, DK-1620 Copenhagen V, Denmark
IBIS is a member-based, independent Danish development organisation. We carry out our work in cooperation with civil society organisations and local authorities in Africa and Latin America. IBIS is a member of Alliance2015. Find out more at www.ibis.dk and www.alliance2015.org
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REPORT FROM THE CHAIR
IBIS is honouring its responsibilities AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY last year, I said that it is becoming increasigly difficult to remain pessimistic on behalf of IBIS. I feel the same this year. Once again, I have seen that our development work is of high quality and that we are creating positive results for the people with and for whom we work. Our economy is as it should be, and the entire organisation – both at home and in the field – is extremely well functioning. This is our own view, and Danida reached the same conclusion in connection with a major evaluation. This evaluation, which took place in 2013, found that IBIS is a well-run, efficient organisation which carries out impressive development work and integrates advocacy well in the activities. For example is our advocacy work is integrated in campaigns such as The Education for All Campaign, which yearly engages almost 180,000 Danish school students and their teachers. They are all very excited about the teaching materials, with stories that gives the students a unique outlook to the world. In this way IBIS is helping to shape the adults of the future, as well as influence politicians in Denmark. Influencing politicians is also the aim of IBIS’ major Taxucation campaign, which was devised in 2013 and took off in 2014. The Taxucation campaign is an effective and useful way to combine our fight against tax havens and our focus on education as a global human right, and I feel we have succeeded in explaining how eliminating tax havens and pushing multinational companies to pay a fair share of their profits in tax, can finance education in the poorest countries in the world. I hope lots of people will keep an eye on this and help spreading the word. Outside Denmark, the end of 2013 was characterised by adverse unfortunate events in both Bolivia and South Sudan. Both infinitely sad. In South Sudan, we were just about to expand our education programme when an armed conflict broke out and made thousands of people refugees and forced them to live in refugee camps. The conflict has not been resolved at the time of writing, and although we have continued our long-term development work we are at the moment concentrating on creating meaningful lives for children in the refugee camps through education activities. On 19 December 2013, our team in Bolivia was told very suddenly and unexpectedly that IBIS was no longer welcome in the country. The government felt that some of our activities amounted to undue political interference. Although a number of misunderstandings were cleared up, the end result was that the office in Bolivia had to close. Many of our activities will be 4
continuing through other organisations, and some will be continuing with funding directly from Denmark. It is too early to say what form our future work in Bolivia will take, but support to Latin America and Bolivia are such an important part of our identity that we will continue to do everything in our power to live up to our vision and put Latin America on the agenda. This is one reason why it was also important for us to contribute in a constructive and objective manner, with input to Danida’s civil society policy. It was concluded in 2014 and places emphasis on the Danish efforts, looking in particular at how Danish organisations can work in contexts where civil societys room for manoeuvre is restricted. This policy provides a clear platform for supporting progressive and constructive forces and also calls for support to social movements which are organised differently than traditional organisations. We contributed both as IBIS and through the danish NGO Forum, which has been chaired by IBIS’ General Secretary Vagn Berthelsen until the spring. I am looking forward to us continuing to demonstrate how important IBIS is as a link to local civil societies, and between north and south. The tendency is clear: the large, traditional donors – Western states and multilateral organisations – are having less and less influence locally, which gives NGOs a critical role as locally rooted organisations working to strengthen civil society. This year, questions about the future has been debated more than ever. IBIS holds a strong position and has created a number of good results over the past few years. This makes it the right time to look forward and consider how we as an organisation can best fulfill our vision and ideals. Are we in the best position as a small, independent NGO in the alliance as we are now, or should we consider becoming part of the major organisation Oxfam International? This has been the topic of conversation at IBIS offices, but also at a number of public meetings at which IBIS members and other stakeholders have discussed the pros and cons. I am very curious to see what the answer will be at the Annual General Meeting in September 2014.
Mette Müller Chairperson, IBIS
REPORT FROM THE CHAIR
Illustration: Laura Johanne Grue Danie
“This is one of my favourite pictures from this year. It shows Danish schoolchildren snuggling up to read the great stories in the Reading Rocket – and to learn about children in a another part of the world.”
Photo: IBIS
What are your wishes for IBIS in 2014? I hope we will use the favourable situation we are in to look openly and honestly at ourselves and the future. The world is changing, and there are enormous growth rates in Africa, while inequality increases. The financing of development is changing. All in all this demands new ways of organising ourselves and carrying out our work so as to ensure that we live up to our ambition of creating a world in which everyone has equal access to education, influence and resources.
Photo: Kathrine Dalsgaard
What was your best experience in 2013? Apart from the many outstanding results of our development work, I am particularly pleased to see the enormous amount of commitment from pupils and teachers all over the world – and from our volunteers and staff – in connection to the Education for All campaign. Just imagine – almost 180,000 Danish pupils are using our education materials year after year.
afford sending “If we eliminate illicit tax flight, we can is the message This l. schoo to world the in all children looking really am I and agin Camp of the Taxucation forward to see if unfold even further.”
Photo: Yeray Lopez
As Chairperson of IBIS, what are you most proud of in 2013? I am generally really proud of the way in which IBIS has managed to keep up with the changing world on the one hand and yet regenerate itself, while holding on to its identity and core values. This is true for the discussion on resources and tax, for example: we are sharp and express criticism, but we prefer to engage in dialogue rather than standing on the fringes and pointing fingers. I am absolutely certain this is a strategy which will take us far.
lsen
Three questions for Mette Müller
Mette Müller Aged 35. MA. in African Studies. Formerly worked at the Danish Youth Council and is now a programme manager at the Bestseller Foundation. Began her commitment to developing work as a volunteer in Mozambique. Chairperson of IBIS since 2008.
in Bolivia in the “I am proud of the work IBIS has done Our office is there. ng worki been have we years 30 work is being now closed, but fortunately a lot of our ers.” partn good carried on by
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ibis highlights
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Photo: William Vest-LIllesøe
HIGHLIGHTS
HIGHLIGHTS
IBIS in the future – with or without Oxfam
Far to many children in Ghana and Mali are working in goldmines instead of going to school. Some of the gold mined by these children could end up in the mobile phones we all use every day. These were the findings of a report made by DanWatch for IBIS and which motivated 8,300 Danes to sign the IBIS petition “Stop child labour in the mobile phones”. The signatures were submitted to the world’s largest manufacturers of mobile phones, calling on them to state exactly where their gold comes from, to ensure that no child labour goes into the manufacturing of their telephones. The campaign is now spreading to other countries and has paved the way for dialogue with companies on social responsibility and child labour.
In spring 2014, one question was often discussed by the members of the Board and executive and IBIS employees and members. Should IBIS become part of Oxfam International in the future or not? The same question was up for discussion at a number of public meetings, and the starting point is the changes taking place in the political climate in recent years in relation to development and the options for financing development work. The central question is whether IBIS would be better off as a small, independent NGO within more loose alliances, as at present – or as part of a strong, large organisation like Oxfam? The Annual General Meeting will decide on this in September 2014.
Photo: Lene Lyck Festersen
8,300 people said: “Stop child labour in our mobile phones”
Volunteers donated their brains to IBIS 50 young people with web design and programming talent met up in spring 2014 for a “hackathon”. Their aim was to compete in developing IT tools for charitable purposes. The challenged focused on IBIS’ efforts to ensure that the extraction of natural resources in Ghana is done with the least negative consequences for humans and environment, while also helping to create development for the local communities and the countries.
IBIS needs tools to chart the consequences of mining, needs an online platform for receiving and collating complaints from local communities and are looking for a smart way of using social media in relation to companies and politicians. Rikke Koblauch, Itai Peleg, Jesper Oskarsson and Marc Falk won the hackaton with their project “Be Cool – Stay in School”. In June, they headed off to Ghana to develop their ideas further with a team of Ghanaian IT specialists and partners.
How can Danish school students exercise while learning about life in poor countries? IBIS volunteers in Copenhagen have come up with a creative solution: an interactive nature track race involving a mixture of online tasks and physical elements. In autumn 2013, this race became part of the teaching materials for the Education for All EXERCISE scheme, where students all over Denmark competed in order to help poor children go to school.
Photo: Bertil Suadicani
Interactive orienteering for school students
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HIGHLIGHTS
Photo: Jeppe Carlsen
Photo: Thilde Baden Rasmussen
“Sharp tongues” from Operation One Day’s Work 17,000 upper secondary students spent a rainy November day in 2013 supporting youth in Sierra Leone. 300 young men and women in the West African country will undergo training to become mine watchers with the task to ensure that a fair part of the profits from diamond mining benefit poor people and the youth in the country. There was no lack of creativity from the Danish students when it came to finding things to do. Apart from doing traditional jobs such as gardening and cleaning, some students acted as hair models, performed fairy-tale plays, auctioned off their labour through the internet, taught school classes, made organic chocolate and many other. In total, their efforts collected more than DKK 4.4 million for the “Rå Diamanter og Skarpe Tunger” – Rough Diamonds and Sharp Tongues – project which aims to train 300 young people to collect information on mining projects and also train teachers and school managementators, hold discussions with the authorities and ask critical questions related to the mining activities they witness every day.
It was a beautiful sight when 1,000 colourful balloons flew into the sky from Christiansborg parliament square in Copenhagen one sunny day in May. Beneath them were 700 children and one Prime Minister, and they all wished for the same thing: for all children in the world to be able to go to school. 57 million children are today without education, and many others receive an education so poor that they never learn to read and write. The children, the balloons and the Prime Minister were at the parliament square for IBIS’ annual action day, which was also celebrated in the Danish towns of Aarhus and Aalborg. Together with the Reading Rocket and visits from IBIS’ Reading Caravan, the action day is a cornerstone of the Education for All campaign - this year focusing on children in Sierra Leone. It was the twelfth time IBIS had invited Danish pupils to learn about children in other countries, and up to now 66 per cent of all 8
Photo: Lotte Ærsøe
The flying wishes of 700 children
Danish primary schools receive copies of the Reading Rocket. Some schools are also visited by the Reading Caravan, and for one school in Holstebro this visit was extra special. On this day the Reading Caravan was accompanied by the Danish Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation Mogens Jensen. He was keen to see how children use the Reading Rocket. He also wanted to hear the tales of young IBIS volunteers from their time in Sierra Leone Later in the year, the Timbuktu Foundation carried out a survey of
what children and young people know and think about developing countries. It showed, among other things, that children who have read the Reading Rocket know more about the conditions in developing countries and feel a greater sense of responsibility than other children when it comes to helping the poorest people of the world. “This underlines how important it is to include global teaching in the school curriculum,” says Helle Gudmandsen, the coordinator of the Education for All campaign.
Photo: Ole Brink, DR
HIGHLIGHTS
Denmark supports teenage mothers in Guatemala In 2013, the Danes were for the first time able to support Latin America at this year’s TV-Collection, when IBIS joined with a project to help teenage mothers in Guatemala. More than DKK 87 million was collected, and out of this DKK 2.5 million will support the young women in Guatemala. One of them
is Kimberly (in the picture.) She was raped by her uncle at the age of 12 and now lives alone with her young son. With the funds from the TVCollection, IBIS and our partners will be working to prevent teen pregnancies and support young girls to be able to take care of them-
selves and their children. 600 of the girls are being trained to advise other young people, and 1,500 young mothers will be taught about health and reproductive rights. Finally, IBIS will be teaching and equipping 150 traditional midwives.
It seemed like a crazy idea when chef Claus Meyer and IBIS got together for the first time back in 2011 and came up with concepts on how food can create development for some of Bolivia’s most vulnerable young people and the country as a whole. Since then, a unique partnership has developed between IBIS, Claus Meyer and the Melting Pot Foundation. The first initiatives were the opening of a food school and the gourmet restaurant GUSTU. And in 2014 the project has grown to be
Photo: Kathrine Dalsgaard
Photo: Kathrine Dalsgaard
The Food School a major success in Bolivia
a “food movement” as it is called by Claus Meyer. Four new food schools have opened, and ten more are on the way in El Alto on the outskirts of the country’s capital. Hundreds of families in the countryside are trained to produce more food of better quality. 150 market women in the capital La Paz have participated in courses on hygiene, sales and service. IBIS partners has held talks at education institutions on how jobs and development can be created through gastronomy. A total of 20,000 food producers, hotel
and restaurant staff, people working with tourism and education, young entrepreneurs and the public have gathered at two major gastronomic trade fairs in Bolivia, and this cooperation has been marked in Denmark as well. Friends of the Food school have invited people to try quinoa, Bolivian wine and new foods from and relating to Bolivia. And not least, a very special cooperation with Karise boarding school has come about, resulting in five school weeks dedicated Bolivia and the Food School. 9
Photo: Mike Kollöffel
HIGHLIGHTS
Cooperation in the spirit of Hempel 2011 saw the start of a partnership between the paint company Hempel and IBIS. The aim is to combat child labour and poverty by giving children quality education. Since then, Hempel has increased its commitment every year, and its CSR partnership with IBIS was extended significantly in 2013 from DKK 1.5 million to DKK 5 million a year. The Hempel Foundation is now supporting education for children in Mozambique, Bolivia, Guatemala, Ghana and Sierra Leone.
“This is entirely in the spirit of J. C. Hempel. He founded a tiny paint company in Havnegade, Copenhagen in 1915, and right from the outset he was a caring boss who took good care of his employees. When he left what was then a much larger company in 1948, he placed a major part of the profit in a fund, the Hempel Foundation. This fund is now supporting 18 different education projects throughout the world,” says Bente Mølgaard, head of Hempel’s CSR.
IBIS supported Yasuni in Ecuador
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The many photo signatures were submitted to Ecuador’s delegation with a call to heed the wishes of Ecuador’s civil society and save Yasuni. The great interest in Latin America was one of the reasons why IBIS has now taken part in reviving the Latin America Academy and will work with Danish organisations working in and with Latin America to organise lectures, film screenings and debates.
Photo: Kathrine Dalsgaard
On 16. August 2013, President Correa of Ecuador announced that he wanted to start extracting oil and hence abandon the attempt to save Yasuni, the biggest national park in the region. The international community had not backed what was known as the Yasuni Initiative, which the president launched in 2007 with the support of NGOs and environmentalists the world over. The aim of this initiative was to leave 846 million tonnes of heavy crude oil in the ground under one of the most vulnerable rainforest areas in the world, in return for USD 3.6 billion in compensation from the international community. In Denmark, IBIS had been backing the initiative on a political level since 2011 and had also got thousands of volunteers involved by means of the “I am Yasuni” campaign. When COP19 opened in Poland, a total of 2,218 people had uploaded pictures of themselves with the characteristic red face paint of the Huaorani Indians.
HIGHLIGHTS
The new Toms EKSTRA campaign rolled out in autumn 2013 fronted by Danish celeb Christiane Schaumburg-Müller. While making the Danes eat more Toms EKSTRA chocolate, she raised awareness of the development work being done by Toms and IBIS together with
COOP in the cocoa areas in Ghana. Each year, Toms donates a part of its profit to quality education for children in the cocoa districts – an initiative devised by IBIS and Toms together in 2007, and which has already resulted in far better education and less child labour in the area. Today IBIS, COOP and Toms are partners in an initiative financed by Danida, aiming at increasing the farmers income and so ensure sustainable development, as well as providing quality education.
Fighting dodgy morals “When it happens in Africa, we assume it is because our governments know no better. That they do not have the capacity to figure out these structures.” These were the words of tax expert Alvin Mosioma when he heard about the Danish government’s decision to sell part of the national Danish energy company DONG. Buyer was the major global investor Goldman Sachs, which is known to actively use intricate corporate structures and tax havens to avoid paying tax from its profits. Alvin Mosioma is the leader of the Tax Justice Network in Africa and one of IBIS’ partners in the efforts to combat illegal capital flight which each year cost developing countries DKK 900 billion in lost tax revenue. Money which could finance education, health and development. And because tax havens and capital flight are global problems, which the Danish govern-
ment is usually trying to solve, IBIS got involved in the critisism and debate on the sale of DONG. This debate followed immediately after a series of documentaries on tax havens broadcastet on national TV. Lars Koch, IBIS’ head of politics and campaigns, was one of the experts commenting on the behaviour of the Danish Jyske Bank in Switzerland and others. “An expression of dodgy morals,” as Lars Koch called it, and many Danes agreed with him and IBIS on the fact that tax evasion and capital flight should be stopped. In spring 2014, IBIS used the “Taxucation” campaign to link the fight against tax evasion with efforts to create finance for education, using examples showing that, if only multinational companies paid a fair amount of their profits in tax, we could give every child in the world a quality education.
A strong alliance Seven European NGOs, including IBIS, have been working closely together since 2000 in the Alliance2015 to contribute effectively to achieving global development goals. It gained its eighth member this year in HELVETAS of Switzerland, strengthening the alliance. The alliance has shared offices in nine countries throughout the world, and the partnership is particularly strong when it comes to disaster response initiatives. Together, we have expertise in everything from sanitation and health to food safety and education. Besides emergency initiatives, the year was characterised by preparations for the time after 2015. The world is already working on deciding on the goals that will success the so called Millenium Goals, and Alliance2015 is working hard to ensure that quality education and combating hunger is included. Alliance2015 has held two important round table discussions. The High level meeting on education was held in Copenhagen, with IBIS as chair. The findings will now be used to raise additional funds and focus more closely on education when donors and governments gather in Brussels in June 2014 in order to – we hope – allocate more money to education.
Photo: Anne Sørensen
Christiane Schaumburg-Müller was the face of Toms and IBIS
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HOW IBIS WORKS
How IBIS works IBIS WORKS FOR A JUST WORLD. HERE IS HOW WE GO ABOUT IT. TEXT MALENE AADAL BO PHOTO EVA KØNGERSKOV
IBIS support the education and training of children and young people, men and women, and the training of groups, associations and organisations and to influence politicians and the international community. Some of this work is organised through the education programmes, which are aimed at realising the right to quality education for all. This is
being done by the training of teachers and school boards, by developing and testing new teaching models and by strengthening the influence of civil society on education policy. Another part of the work if organised through the governance programmes, aiming at ensuring human rights and support individuals, groups and organisations in gaining democratic influence.
3 key words on how IBIS works
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Rights
Partnership
Quality
Everyone has the right to education, influence and a fair share of the world’s resources. This is the starting point for our development work all over the world, and means that rights are what we focus on in all contexts. In practice, we are working to inform people of their rights and support them in their own struggle to have these rights recognised.
IBIS primarily works via or together with local or international partners. First and foremost, this is a way of ensuring local support and sustainable development, and it is also the best way to create an impact and make a lasting difference.
A child can easily go to school without learning anything. And women can easily have a seat in parliament without ever having their voices heard. This is why IBIS has a keen focus on quality – ensuring that children receive good, relevant education, that their teachers are competenc, that organisations are skilled and trustworthy, and that all the people with influence use it in a good and proper way.
HOW IBIS WORKS
individual education • Develops models for quality teaching of marginalised children, youth and adults. • Works in particular with basic education, life skills, vocational training and literacy. • Supports the quality education of teachers.
democracy • Strenghtens the participation of individuals in the democracy. • Teaches men and women about rights and methods to exercise influence. • Focuses in particular on increasing the influence of women, young people and indigenous peoples.
civil society education • Supports and trains school boards, parentteacher associations, teacher associations, student councils, etc. • Supports organisations and networks who promote quality education and rights to education.
state/government education • Supports organisations and networks to influence legislation on education. • Supports local authorities in the provision of quality education.
democracy • Supports civil society in influencing legislation on fair financial redistribution and climate policy. • Initiate and facilitate dialogue with governments on anti-corruption, decentralisation and rights.
democracy • Supports civil society’s campaigning on tax policy and the extraction of natural resources. • Reinforces local and national organisations who seek democratic influence.
globally education • Supports regional education networks and perform political work in order to secure political and financial backing for targets on education for all. • Share information in Denmark and globally on children’s right to quality education.
democracy • Takes part in international networks working for transparency and fair taxation of multinational companies. • Is part of international campaigns focusing on climate change, the rights of indigenous peoples and fair distribution of the world’s resources.
IBIS’ thematic programmes are aiming at creating partnerships and synergies between all four levels. 13
WHERE IBIS WORKS
Where IBIS works
GUATEMALA NICARAGUA
BOLIVIA
DENMARK IBIS CONCERN
HIVOS WELTHUNGERHILFE PEOPLE IN NEED ACTED
HELVETAS CESVI
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OFFICES IN PARTNER COUNTRIES Guatemala, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, South Sudan, Mozambique and Burkina Faso. ALLIANCE2015 The organisations in Alliance2015 Acted, Cesvi, Concern, IBIS, Hivos, People in Need, Helvetas and Welthungerhilfe.
IBIS IN DENMARK www.ibis.dk General Secretary Vagn Berthelsen
WHERE IBIS WORKS
BURKINA FASO
SIERRA LEONE
GHANA
SOUTH SUDAN
LIBERIA
IBIS IN GUATEMALA www.ibisguatemala.org Country Director Ana Maria Mendez
IBIS IN GHANA www.ibisghana.org Country Director Tijani Ahmed Hamza
IBIS IN BURKINA FASO www.ibisburkinafaso.org Country Director Aliou Kissima Tandia
IBIS IN NICARAGUA www.ibisnicaragua.org Country Director Sergio Pivaral Leiva
IBIS IN SIERRA LEONE www.ibissierraleone.org Country Director Rosalind Hanson-Alp
IBIS IN SOUTH SUDAN www.ibissouthsudan.org Country Director Peter McCanny
IBIS IN BOLIVIA www.ibisbolivia.org Country Director Gonzalo Solares
IBIS IN LIBERIA www.ibisliberia.org Country Director Anne-Catherine Bajard
IBIS IN MOZAMBIQUE www.ibismozambique.org Country Director Anne Hoff
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PHoto: Mike Kollรถffel
MOZAMBIQUE
ibis country by country
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Photo: William Vest-LIllesøe
HØJDEPUNKTER
IBIS COUNTRY BY COUNTRY / GUATEMALA
Guatemala IBIS’ SUPPORT FOR THE COUNTRY’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IS FOCUSING ON QUALITY EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN AND DEMOCRATIC INFLUENCE FOR WOMEN, WHO HAVE TAKEN UP THE FIGHT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION. PHOTO JULIE D. KNUDSEN
A content woman sits at her office in Guatemala City. Ana Lucia Xiloj is a defence lawyer, and despite a period of difficult conditions in terms of human rights she has just won an important case. “My client, who is of Mayan origin, used to work for the Ministry of Justice. One day, her boss locked her up in a bathroom and reprimanded her for being a dirty, good-for-nothing Indian. The other day, we got a court order – after six years of struggle – saying that it was harassment and unlawful discrimination and therefore a punishable offence,” she says. Ana Lucia Xiloj spearheads one of the organisations IBIS has worked closely with this year in order to improve women’s rights and equality. We have, among other things, had guidelines for public prosecutors in cases of discrimination approved – guidelines that are expected to create more legal security for women and indigenous peoples. Another important partnership for IBIS is with the Central American think-tank ICEFI, which has been involved in analysing the economic, legal and environmental consequences of the extractive industry in Guatemala – analyses which have been used to raise awareness and spark debate. Together IBIS and ICEFI have launched a web platform where contracts, agreements and accounts from the extractive companies are now published. These initiatives are aimed at giving people better tools to access information and influence on issues such as capital flight and tax evasion. However, to be able to use such information, people need education. And intercultural, multilingual teaching is still central to IBIS work. 40,000 children from Guatemala’s Ixil region benefited from the teaching materials which IBIS supported the developent of. It was
approved by the authorities this year and distributed to all schools in the region. These schools are also the starting point for the initiative to combat teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence, which IBIS got running with funding from the Danish TV-Collection in 2013. In spring 2014, 3,000 girls were being trained as agents for change, and at the same time hundreds of girls who had been abused were given help to get back to school.
Milestones for 2013/2014 • The relatives of the victims of the Totonicapan massacre in 2012 were successful in their trial case against the Guatemalan government and received historical compensation. • The authorities of indigenous peoples have significantly reduced conflicts relating to territorial rights – more than 4,000 cases have been resolved peacefully over the year. • 40,000 children in the country’s Ixil region now have teaching materials in their own language, with content which does not discriminate.
IBIS in Guatemala IBIS has been working in Guatemala since 1990. We have strengthened the indigenous population to exercise their rights, particularly with regard to the inclusion of youth and women. IBIS has had success with strengthening the legal system, civil society organisation and defenders of human rights, among other things. We have 30 local partners. The office employs 19 people and has an annual turnover of around DKK 25 million.
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IBIS COUNTRY BY COUNTRY / NICARAGUA
Nicaragua IN NICARAGUA, IBIS IS WORKING FOR A BETTER LIFE FOR THE COUNTRY’S POOREST. THIS IS BEING ACHIEVED THROUGH QUALITY EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR JOBS AND INFLUENCE. PHOTO EVA KØNGERSKOV
If you move close enough, you will see that most of Carlos’ tattoos actually picture the names of his children and a picture of his mother. But others are tougher and tells the tale of his past as a member of one of Nicaragua’s gangs – a past which Carlos Eduardo Centeno shares with his friend Harvin Borge (left). Their stores are similar: gang member at the age of 12, taking drugs at 13 and a life full of violence, abuse, gang warfare and prison. But their stories are also about an oppotunity they both reached for when it came along. Today both Carlos and Harvin have left the gang and are working on creating new lives for themselves. The turning point came the day when a member of staff from one of IBIS’ partners offered them places on a course that would give them a trade to live on. “I’d wished to change my life for a long time. But even so, it was hard to suddenly find myself on a course with people from rival gangs. It was very unpleasant. But I stuck with it, and little by little I realised that we all wanted the same thing. We wanted to go on with our lives,” says Harvin Borge. Almost 200 members of Nicaragua’s toughest gangs were supported to make a new life for themselves, and quite uniquely this took place in close partnership with Nicaragua’s police force. The police have turned out to be a strong and valuable partner with which IBIS has worked on initiatives to counteract crime among young people, but also on efforts to guarantee the indigenous population collective territorial rights. In 2013, a joint manual was created with the help of the police, the army and the Assistant Public Prosecutor for the allocation of territorial rights, which will hopefully reduce the level of conflict between the indigenous people and settlers – and between the indigenous people and companies that want to extract 18
natural resources from the ground. Natural resources were also on the agenda for a handful of young men and women from the Caribbean coast. They received training on how to protect their environment and adapt to changes in the local climate. IBIS is also working to guarantee a quality education for the country’s poorest children. This is done through training for teachers, support to parent groups and NGOs in their demand for better education, and by creating projects which show the effects of intercultural, bilingual education.
Milestones for 2013/2014 • 54 former gang members now prevent crime by helping other young people to have education and jobs. • For the first time in Nicaragua’s history, all of the country’s indigenous peoples have worked together on a draft for a new law on collective territorial rights. • Hundreds of parents, teachers, students and head teachers have formed a network at 40 schools in Matagalpa. The aim is to increase the quality of education.
IBIS in Nicaragua IBIS has been working in Nicaragua for more than 30 years. We focus on support to the country’s indigenous peoples, whom we are strengthening in order to give them control over their own territories and natural resources. At the same time, we are supporting the children of the indigenous peoples with a quality education. IBIS in Nicaragua works together with 39 partners, has 15 employees and an annual turnover of around DKK 17 million.
IBIS COUNTRY BY COUNTRY / BOLIVIA
Bolivia ONCE AGAIN INTERCULTURAL, BILINGUAL EDUCATION WAS AT THE HEART OF IBIS’ WORK IN BOLIVIA – NOW SUPPLEMENTED WITH PRACTICAL COURSES AIMED AT CREATING JOBS AND INCOME FOR YOUTH AND ADULTS. PHOTO STEPHAN GAMILLSCHEG
“Children from the rural areas used to be deeply ashamed to show that they spoke their native language, the ancient Inca language of Quechua. Nowadays we use these children as experts when we want the class to pronounce a word in Quechua. I tell you, this result in students who are very self-confident and very talented in a way we haven’t seen before.” This is how Irene Villca, a teacher at Kinder Potosi School, explains the effects of the intercultural, bilingual education which IBIS is helping the Bolivian government to implement via its partner AAE. IBIS was there when the law and vision were up for negotiation years ago. IBIS then supported the development of new curricula, and this year we have used funding from Asta Justesen, the Hempel Foundation and others to support our partners in the creation of teaching materials. We have also provided training for almost 1,700 teachers on how to do intercultural, bilingual teaching on a day-to-day basis. 16,000 children have experienced the changes, and the results have been so convincing that the government is now planning to apply the methods throughout the entire Quechua-speaking part of Bolivia. Another project which has grown this year is the Food School in Bolivia and the other activities taking place in partnership with the Melting Pot Foundation. It essentially involve using food as a starting point for the provision of education and jobs. Four new food schools have already opened in El Alto, and another ten are on the way. IBIS works in close cooperation with the authorities of the indigenous peoples, this year supporting the indigenous peoples to influence an important law on the rights of the local population in relation to companies wanting to extract natural resources.
Unfortunately, the year was also spent closing the IBIS office in Bolivia. Some of IBIS’ work was perceived by the government as undue political interference; and although a series of misunderstandings were cleared up, IBIS was asked to close its office and leave the country. It was later agreed that the food school and related activities could continue unaltered, and that the education work would be continued by the international NGO Oxfam with support from IBIS in Copenhagen.
Milestones for 2013/2014 • An IBIS education project relating to “intercultural, bilingual teaching” is selected as a model when introducing new curricula and teaching methods. • 1.5 tonnes of fine honey, honey shampoo and soap are the first year’s result from teaching indigenous peoples about the processing and commercialisation of various products. • A publication “Guidelines for Implementing the Right of Indigenous Peoples to Free, Prior and Informed Consent”, was developed by – among others – the indigenous peoples’ authorities in Bolivia. It was shared and discussed at the annual UN summit on indigenous peoples.
IBIS in Bolivia IBIS has worked in Bolivia for over 30 years. We have supported children and young people to have quality education and indigenous peoples’ organisations in achieving influence, rights and economic development in their territories. In December 2013, IBIS in Bolivia had 25 partners, 16 employees and a total turnover for 2013 of just under DKK 67 million. 19
IBIS COUNTRY BY COUNTRY / SIERRA LEONE
Sierra Leone AN ELECTRIC LIGHTBULB IN A CLASSROOM AND A SHEET OF PAPER WITH NEW GUIDELINES FOR THE CHIEFS. THESE ARE A COUPLE OF THE RESULTS OF IBIS’ WORK FOR QUALITY EDUCATION AND DEMOCRACY IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S POOREST COUNTRIES. PHOTO WILLIAM VEST-LILLESØE
Outside the school, the town of Kabala lies shrouded in darkness. But inside the classroom, two clear light bulbs illuminate rows of students studying intensively for their exams. And for the first time they have proper light to do so. 16-year-old Fanta Mansaray is one of the students and she is excited about the light and the opportunity it gives her to spend the evenings improving her skills. “I used to study by candle light, but that strained my eyes and candles are expensive,” says her classmate Fodie Sesay. The new classroom lights are part of a project supported by IBIS, which involves improving the quality of education by using solar energy to light up schools. So far, it has provided light and thus better education to two schools, but many more schools will soon benefit. At the same time, young men and women from the neighbourhood are being trained in how to use and maintain the solar cells – and hence create job opportunities for themselves. In addition to light, teachers are absolutely fundamental to IBIS’ work to create quality education and combat poverty in Sierra Leone. We provide training and further education for teachers, and in 2013 we worked with the Global Education Network’s campaign to prevent the dismissal of a very large number of teachers who had not completed official teacher training. Another group of teachers was aided when the government was about to remove them from the payroll because they had not been registered properly. This year, IBIS’ partners managed to initiate a dialogue with the mining company London Mining on ensuring compensation and opportunities to the local communities in which they work. In Sierra Leone, this has resulted in a constructive dialogue between the company and IBIS’ partners on how mining operations 20
can be carried out in a way that benefits everyone. A dialogue between IBIS’ partners and Sierra Leone’s Paramount Chiefs also led to important changes. For a while there has been a wish from the community to know how the chiefs spend the taxes collected in the country’s 149 chiefdoms. IBIS supported the creation of a reform of the rights and responsibilities of the chiefs and succeeded in committing the chiefs to a set of guidelines which, among other things, require them to remain politically neutral.
Milestones for 2013/2014 • Since 2009, mining companies have had to sign agreements with the local communities in which they operate. IBIS’ partners have now created a template that will ease this process and help ensure that it actually happens. • The country’s Paramount Chiefs endorsed a democratic reform of their work, including a set of guidelines which IBIS partners have helped develop. • IBIS helped prevent the dismissal of thousands of teachers who were not on the government’s payroll but worked as volunteers or were paid through the communities.
IBIS in Sierra Leone IBIS has worked in Sierra Leone since 2006. Today, IBIS’ work focuses on guaranteeing quality education for all, building up democracy to the benefit of the poorest people and ensuring fair taxation and sustainable development based on alternative energy sources. IBIS in Sierra Leone has app 50 employees, 17 partners and a turnover of DKK 18 million.
IBIS COUNTRY BY COUNTRY / LIBERIA
Liberia SINCE THE BEGINNING IN 2005, IBIS IN LIBERIA HAS WORKED FOR QUALITY EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AFFECTED BY CIVIL WAR AND POVERTY. PHOTO WILLIAM VEST-LILLESØE
Wittness Doyen is 24 years old and studying to become a journalist. On weekends and days off, he boards a bus that takes him and other young volunteers out to schools, villages, markets, football matches and other places where people gather. Their aim is to get people involved in creating a better future for Liberia. Accompanied by loud African pop music, drama and dance, the young people create an informal atmosphere where people speak freely about politics, rights and responsibilities. “A lot of young people don’t do anything. They don’t know their rights, and they take no responsibility. It’s important that someone engages them and makes them understand that they have the power and responsibility to shape Liberia’s future,” says Wittness Doyen. IBIS supports the “Bus Project”, as it is known. It is run by the youth organisation NAYMOTE which has almost 5,000 volunteers all over Liberia. Simultaneously, IBIS works to create a range of quality education opportunities for children and young people. In 2013, the Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) – IBIS’ first education project in the country – came to an end and the reigns were handed over to Liberia’s education authorities. 121 teachers have received training in the first four years of the project alone, and almost 3,000 students have attended the special classes in which they completed a six-year syllabus in half the time. Almost half of them passed the final exam, and the evaluation showed increased self-confidence and self-esteem among the young people whose ambitions and faith in the future had also greatly improved. A great result considering that many of them are former refugees, child soldiers or otherwise victims of the civil war. In 2013, IBIS helped compile a report which uncovers the abuse that many children and young people are
subjected to in Liberian schools. This report heralded an important debate on how physical and sexual abuse from classmates and teachers can be stopped. At the same time, IBIS supported the development of a Code of Conduct for teachers in Liberia – guidelines that have drawn the attention of teachers and the population at large on the crucial role of teachers in society.
Milestones for 2013/2014 • In 2013, a special forum for education headed by IBIS and Alliance2015 partner Concern was given a seat in The Education Committee which directly advises the Government on the development of Liberia’s education system. • An evaluation showed that 80 per cent of the young people who have received vocational training and basic reading and writing skills through IBIS YEP-project either have a source of income or are studying. 39 per cent have an income related directly to the skills acquired through YEP. • IBIS’ partner CENTAL put transparency on the agenda of local politicians, media and civil society in order to reduce corruption and ensure that development funds and taxation of natural resources benefit the people.
IBIS in Liberia IBIS started working in Liberia in 2005 in order to support a generation of children and youth who had never gone to school because of the civil war. Today, IBIS also supports organisations that work to promote democratic influence. We cooperate closely with the Ministry of Education on the development of the education sector. IBIS in Liberia has 58 employees and a turnover in 2013 in excess of DKK 17 million. 21
IBIS COUNTRY BY COUNTRY / BURKINA FASO
Burkina Faso QUALITY EDUCATION FOR 75,000 CHILDREN AND MORE GIRLS COMPLETING BASIC EDUCATION. THESE ARE THE FIRST INTERIM TARGETS FOR THE WORK WHICH IBIS HAS JUST INITIATED IN OUR LATEST PROGRAMME COUNTRY. PHOTO CONNIE DUPONT
A schoolgirl is writing in a notebook. Nothing special at first sight, but when you realise that we are in a medium-sized town in a country in which only a quarter of the population can read and write, the tale is quite different. Few children in Burkina Faso go to school. And even fewer - especially among girls - stay there. “Far too many children don’t go to school, and far too many children go to school without learning muchbecause of the poor condition of the teaching. Up to 100 students in a class, no teaching materials and teachers without proper training. A teaching system like this keeps the population in poverty and makes it difficult for them to gain influence or excercise even the most basic rights,” says Connie Dupont, senior advisor at IBIS. The great need for quality education and the chances of being able to make an important and lasting difference were the reason why IBIS decided in 2012 to make Burkina Faso in West Africa IBIS’ new cooperation programme country. Aliou Tandia was taken on as the new country director this year, and his first job was to set up an IBIS office in the capital city of Ouagadougou. 1. April heralded the formal launch date for IBIS’ first project in the country. This is an education project aimed at 75,000 children in Bazéga and Ziro, two of the poorest provinces in the country. The project builds on the work which IBIS has been doing together with BØRNEfonden since 2010. The aim is to create better education for more people (in particular girls), by providing training for teachers and head teachers, support the development and distribution of new materials and methods, and supporting local school boards. IBIS also works closely with the education authorities in Burkina Faso’s to secure finance for the sector 22
and greater transparency in how the funds are spent. Another important aim is to support local and national organisations working to improve schools by influencing national policies and practices. Besides the education project, IBIS has taken the first steps towards extending its work. Democratic participation and influence, taxation of the country’s extractive industry and climate challenges are all issues that could show relevant.
Milestones for 2013/2014 • The IBIS office in Ouagadougou was established. • Education partners were found, and the first few activities aimed at creating better education for 75,000 children have got off the ground. • Experience from the project run previously by IBIS together with BØRNEfonden in Burkina Faso is seen to be valuable by people from the Ministry for Education, teachers and parent groups at the schools.
IBIS in Burkina Faso IBIS has worked in Burkina Faso since 2010. In 2012 the country was selected as IBIS’ new programme country. We embarked upon our first project on 1. April, with focus on quality education and equality in primary schools. This project is being run in partnership with BØRNEfonden. IBIS has three employees at the national office in Ouagadougou and an annual turnover of little more than DKK 3.5 million.
IBIS COUNTRY BY COUNTRY / GHANA
Ghana EDUCATION TO THOSE WHO WOULD OTHERWISE RECEIVE NONE, AND INFLUENCE ON MATTERS RELEVANT TO PEOPLE’S LIVES. THIS IS KEY TO IBIS’ WORK IN GHANA. PHOTO WILLIAM VEST-LILLESØE
12-year-old Ganiu lives in the village of Tachipe in northern Ghana. He loves going to school, and English is his favorite subject. Every time he takes a seat in front of the blackboard, it is a special experience for him, because until recently there was no school in Tachipe. 2013 saw the end of one of IBIS’ largest and most successful education projects ever, when the Wing School project, as planned, was passed on to Ghana’s Education Services, who have committed to continue and expand the concept. But funds raised through the Danish Christmas Calendar collection in 2012 provided the opportunity to open 20 new schools. One of them is in Tachipe where Ganiu has been given the chance of getting an education for the first time in his life. Children in remote villages like Tachipe are not the only ones in need of special support if they are to get an education. The same is true for Ghana’s girls. In 2013, the efforts by IBIS’ partners to support schooling for girls and ensuring equality in the classroom began to show results. The girls are performing better and particularly the creation of what are known as girls’ clubs outside school hours are appearing to influence the girls’ self confidence and their courage to strive for an education. “Focus on education” was the key message in a campaign which was successfully implemented by young Ghanaians and local NGOs with funding from IBIS in the autumn of 2013. The campaign was the first of its kind, aimed at Government with a view to persuade it to allocate the proceeds of Ghanaian oil extraction to matters such as education. This resulted in an increase from zero to 12 per cent allocation. Efforts to guarantee the local community a fair share of the profits from their natural resources are central to the work of IBIS in Ghana. A critical but constructive
public debate is key in this regard and for this reason IBIS’ partners trained local decision makers in the country’s mining areas while also providing journalists with further training to be capable of uncovering matters related to the extractive industry.
Milestones for 2013/2014 • School Management Committees, consisting of parents, teachers and school staff, have previously helped increase the quality of children’s education at a local level. In 2013, they joined forces in a few district-wide networks that have already shown their strength. • The Government earmarked funds in its budget to give no fewer than 50,000 older out-of-school children a special teaching course to bring them back to school; something IBIS and partners have worked to achieve for a long time. • 20 new Wing Schools were opened in 2013 with funding from the Danish Christmas Calendar. At the same time, the previous Wing Schools were taken over by the Government and many of them were expanded into fully fledged primary schools.
IBIS in Ghana IBIS is working to create quality education for children and young people in Ghana, while also supporting civil society to reinforce the rights of the population and their participation in decision making processes. IBIS in Ghana has 29 partners, 45 employees and a turnover in 2013 in excess of DKK 24 million.
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IBIS COUNTRY BY COUNTRY / SOUTH SUDAN
South Sudan EDUCATION IS KEY TO OUR WORK IN SOUTH SUDAN. TRAINING OF TEACHERS AND SCHOOL BOARDS AND SUPPORT FOR LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES ARE IN FOCUS. PHOTO HANNE SELNÆS
Wearing white knee socks and black shoes, Victoria Alaka and Paska Aleng each carry a bowl of porridge in their hands. They are just off the breakfast queue at one of the few boarding schools for girls here in South Sudan. “Boys are disruptive. That’s why I like to be here, where there are just girls. You can still have boyfriends that you see at home in the holidays, but at school it’s nice to have some peace and quiet,” says Paska. She is 18 years old and does not have a boyfriend. But Victoria, her 21-year-old classmate, does. Two, in fact. This is potentially a very practical arrangement. “Having two boyfriends is good, because that way you haven’t promised either of them that you’ll marry them,” says Victoria. Being a girl in one of the poorest countries in the world requires a proper strategy, even when it comes to boyfriends, to reach as far as Victoria and Paska. Not only have these two girls made it all the way to the final year of upper secondary school, but they also go to a boarding school with well trained teachers, computer teaching and a science lab. The school has, with support from IBIS, been developed into a model school to show how equality and development can be created through quality education. There is particular emphasis on training of teachers – an initiative that has resulted in high level of participation, lower dropout rates and better academic results. It is crucial in general that the local communities support their children’s education. This is why IBIS’ priority again this year is to raise awareness of the right to education. As a result a village organised food in schools when it was known that many children dropped out because of hunger. Hunger also used to be a daily challenge for almost 150 street children, whom IBIS has helped to start 24
school in the capital, Juba. Together with the local authorities, IBIS has supported the training of social workers, who give children a secure place to be while also motivating them to resume their schooling. Since December 2013 IBIS has also been investing a lot of effort in helping the many children who have been forced to flee with their families on account of the conflict which has brought the country in a state of emergency. More than 3,000 children are now receiving basic education in the refugee camps in Juba and are also learning about hygiene and safety. The classes are held in safe places where children can play surrounded by adults who have been trained to take care of them.
Milestones for 2013/2014 • 1,562 boys and girls have learned basic reading and writing in special literacy classes. At the same time, a number of teachers have been trained to teach these classes. • 15 social workers received funding to complete their education and are now working on the IBIS project for street children in Juba. • More than 3,000 children have been given a safe place to stay and a basic education at the refugee camps in Juba.
IBIS in South Sudan IBIS has worked in South Sudan since 2007. Emphasis is on education for children and young people in a country where most adults are illiterate. This work is being carried out in close partnership with local and state authorities and an emerging civil society. In 2013, IBIS had 24 employees in South Sudan and a turnover of DKK 8 million.
IBIS COUNTRY BY COUNTRY / MOZAMBIQUE
Mozambique INFLUENCE TO WOMEN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AND QUALITY EDUCATION FOR THE CHILDREN AND. THESE ARE KEY TO IBIS’ WORK IN OUR OLDEST PROGRAMME COUNTRY. PHOTO MIKE KOLLÖFFEL
At the end of 2013 the government of Mozambique published ten important documents. It was contracts with the multinational corporations that extract oil or gas in the country. The public had demanded to se these contracts after two analysis was published by the Mozambiquean NGO CIP with funding from IBIS. “The publication of these contracts was a huge victory,” says Fatima Mimbire, coordinator at CIP. “The reports we had compiled on Sasol and Kenmare showed that the companies hardly paid any tax at all, but they had apparently negotiated special terms and rights. This created debate and forced the hand of the government, which eventually presented these important contracts,” she says with satisfaction. There was also debate related to the local elections in the autumn of 2013. IBIS supported women and young people to stand up and seek influence, and we supported initiatives that would help to ensure that the elections were fair and peaceful. Not least the youth parliament, an IBIS partner, urged people to maintain a constructive, tolerant discussion in all contexts. Members were also active during the elections themselves in several places, averting clashes between different groups of voters. IBIS partners helped to put women’s issues and rights on the agenda in the political debates. This was particularly the case with a manifesto compiled by IBIS partner Forum Mulher, and in a documentary shown on national TV. The documentary is about six women who were all part of the IBIS project “Women in Politics” and their journey towards self-esteem and influence. It is evident that there has been an increase in the numbers of young people and women on the new town councils and in other influential positions.
For IBIS in Mozambique, 2013 was also the year where the education concept developed and tested at what are known as “Happy Schools” was extended. Close partnership between regional and national authorities led to the inclusion of further training and ongoing supervision of teachers in the national recommendations for how to create quality education.
Milestones for 2013/2014 • 425 men and women received training on IT, management, political participation and advocacy at the civil society centre CEDESC, which IBIS supports in Maputo. • 325 volunteers have started working as agents for change in their local communities and have received training on how to use the new social media platform OLAVULA, which aims to combat corruption in the school system. • The percentage of women on school boards has gone from 16 per cent in 2012 to 31 per cent in 2013 at the schools supported by IBIS.
IBIS in Mozambique Mozambique is the country in which IBIS has worked the longest. We have been helping to create education and democracy development there since 1976. We work together with 25 different local organisations and have 27 employees. In 2013, IBIS in Mozambique had a turnover in excess of DKK 42 million.
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IBIS COUNTRY BY COUNTRY / AAP AND LAPI
Global advocacy AAP AND LAPI ARE ABBREVIATIONS FOR IBIS’ REGIONAL PROGRAMMES, WHICH AIMS AT INFLUENCE LEGISLATION ON TAX, CLIMATE AND THE EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRY. THERE HAS BEEN PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON TAX AND TRANSPARENCY THIS YEAR. PHOTOS WILLIAM VEST-LILLESØE AND EVA KØNGERSKOV
In January 2013, the government of Mozambique bowed to enormous public pressure and began publishing the country’s contracts with the international mining and gas corporations. The breakthrough came after a report supported by IBIS revealed that the country received hardly any share of the profits from one of the first major mines in the country, run by Kenmare Plc of Ireland. And there have been lots of other positive results over the year from the regional policy work done by IBIS via the AAP and LAPI programmes. In Sierra Leone, a similar report as the one from Mozambique attracted a lot of attention and is expected to play a part when the country’s new tax rules are negotiated in the near future. In the EU, constant pressure from IBIS and a long list of allied NGOs helped the fight against tax evasion and capital flight to get off the ground. Among other things, what is known as the Accounting Directive was adopted, with requirements for transparency in payments from the oil and mining industries. And in Denmark, Danida has launched a plan for integration of fair tax as part of its development work, thereby helping partner countries to halt capital flight and strengthen tax collection. AAP and LAPI also work on the local level. In Ghana, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, IBIS has supported the rights of poor and vulnerable groups over the mining companies. In Ghana, for example, IBIS partners have supported five local communities to join forces in a network which has used surveillance and campaigns to stop violations of locals’ rights, including destruction of rivers, forests and farmland. In Sierra Leone, partners have successfully set up an agreement template which could become a crucial tool when local communities negotiate with new companies. 26
A similar agreement template has been created in Latin America, where natural resources are mainly found in indigenous peoples’ territories and often extracted without their consent. The template for “Free Prior and Informed Consent” has been compiled by IBIS partners. It was presented at the annual meeting of the UN’s Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and used to influence new global standards for companies’ social responsibilities. In Guatemala, IBIS partner ICEFI was responsible for a major report entitled “Mining in Guatemala”. As in Sierra Leone and Mozambique, the analysis is a tool for creating awareness and debate, and in the long term to guarantee more sustainable legislation in respect of the extractive industry in the shape of the reform of the Mining Act, for example, which is taking place in Guatemala. The report from Guatemala showed – among other things – that the state revenue from the mines is minimal, and that mining has an adverse impact on the environment and causes serious social conflicts. The other big topic on the Latin American agenda is climate change, which is predicted to present significant challenges over the next few decades – not least for the continent’s indigenous populations. This is why IBIS has supported the indigenous peoples to put their views forward at international climate fora and helped with climate change adaptation at a local level. In Nicaragua, one of the universities on the Caribbean coast now offers a diploma in climate change adaptation, and IBIS also supports a major women’s organisation which is developing tools and ideas across the region for food production which is adapted to suit the changed climate. Some of the campaign work is based in Denmark, and over the past year the Yasuni campaign in particu-
IBIS COUNTRY BY COUNTRY / AAP AND LAPI
lar has mobilised volunteers in their thousands. They all took photos of themselves with the characteristic red face paint of the Huaroani Indians, and these photo signatures were submitted to the delegation from Ecuador during the climate summit in Warsaw, calling for a halt to oil extraction in the Yasuni National Park, part of the Amazon, which is under threat.
Milestones for 2013/2014 • After major pressure from civil society, the government of Sierra Leone put in the necessary effort and, following a one-year suspension, was reaccepted as a member of EITI – the biggest international initiative for transparency in the resources industry. • Gathering together the police, citizens, mining companies and government staff in a constructive dialogue led to a successful end to the violent clashes which plagued
AAP and LAPI Africa Against Poverty (AAP) is IBIS’ regional programme in Africa and focuses on advocacy in relation to the extractive industry. IBIS works through partners and networks to promote socially and environmentally sustainable extraction of natural resources with respect for people’s rights. One important element involves stopping illegal capital flight and ensuring that extraction of a country’s natural resources creates revenue and development for that country. Latin America Against Poverty and Inequality (LAPI) has much the same aims in relation to the extractive industry in South and Central America, but with greater emphasis on climate change and the rights of indigenous peoples. LAPI supports networks and alliances which work to mitigate the effects of climate change and fights for respect for democracy, indigenous peoples and poverty reduction in all climate actions. The two programmes have five employees. AAP has a turnover in excess of DKK 5 million, while LAPI has a turnover of DKK 4.5 million.
several mining districts in Ghana in 2012. The model has been successfully copied without AAP support in other places. • Analyses of the significance of the mining industry in Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Peru and Guatemala created debate and helped to create important dialogue with politicians and ministers on the taxation of multinational oil, gas and mining corporations. A number of countries are currently working on strengthening their legislation. • The “I am Yasumi” campaign mobilised volunteers in their thousands in Denmark and abroad. The Danish photo signatures were submitted to the Danish Minister for Climate and, later, to the national delegation from Ecuador at the climate summit in Warsaw. • An alliance of indigenous peoples across Latin America has succeeded in having the interests of indigenous peoples included into the major international climate and forest conservation initiative (REDD). • Denmark, the EU, G20 and OECD are all continuing their efforts to reduce opportunities for tax evasion and aggressive tax planning using tax havens all over the world.
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report 2013
REPORT 2013
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TEXT PETER BRO-JØRGENSEN, HEAD OF ADMINISTRATION
2013 was the year in which IBIS’ new country strategies really began to unfold. Now all our programme countries – except for South Sudan – have cohesive thematic programmes in the fields of education and governance. And in all countries, these programmes proved to provide particularly useful frameworks for our development work, which has brought about some really good results in both Latin America and Africa. In all areas there has in particular been major emphasis on building strong partnerships with local organisations and authorities, and there are many examples which indicate that the initiative has helped. We see strong organisations which can now act as advocates for the right to education and democratic participation and help to make democratic and economic rights more widespread. Only in Liberia and South Sudan have the thematic programmes been delayed. In Liberia, this delay is due to a major fraud case which began in 2012. And in South Sudan, an armed conflict put a stop to the decision to turn the projects into an actual education programme. Our successful programme work attracted new and additional new donors in 2013. We have identified a spread in the donor base in all our programme countries, which secures more resources for our work and less dependency on few large donors. The regional programmes for Africa (AAP) and Latin America (LAPI) were evaluated by Danida over the course of the year and were praised, particu-
larly for their marked influence on the Danish and international development agenda. The debate on tax havens, which IBIS has helped to drive forward over the past few years, gained international momentum and also came to the attention of the general public with the DR documentary “In tax havens”. In 2013, IBIS invested in reinforcing its education policy profile by continuing with its strong Education for All campaign, and by increasing its emphasis on advocacy efforts for the financing of quality education in Denmark, internationally and in our programme countries.
The financial results IBIS’ financial year ended fairly close to the budgeted deficit, which was to ensure that some of the accumulated equity was spent on development activities. The deficit amounted to DKK 1.88 million against a budgeted DKK 1.33 million, overall very satisfactory. This means that IBIS’ equity at the end of 2013 amounted to DKK 12.8 million. This is equivalent to 4.6 per cent of the turnover for the year and is not far off our target of 5 per cent. Two things in particular characterise our 2013 financial year. One is a frustrating and extraordinarily large fraud case in Liberia, which has not yet been settled. We have, however, earmarked DKK 1.1 million for a potential loss. The other, more positively, is that IBIS’ turnover in 2013 exceeded quarter of a billion Danish kroner for the first time ever – DKK 277.3 million, to be precise.
The turnover on Danida’s allocation alone rose from DKK 106.5 million in 2012 to DKK 121.5 million in 2013, equivalent to 44 per cent of the total turnover. This increase is due in particular to an extra allocation of DKK 8 million DKK a year for three years, which was awarded to IBIS by Danida on the basis of our results. However, the main reason for this large turnover is an increase in contributions from “other institutional donors”, which at DKK 135.1 million – equivalent to 49 per cent of our total turnover – exceeded the allocations from Danida for the first time. Private doners in Denmark supported with DKK 20.2 million to IBIS’ development work in 2013. This is a satisfactory, indeed excellent figure, but less than the corresponding amount for 2012, where a single large inheritance increased the amount we collected. We will be attempting to counter the small decline in contributions from members and support members in 2014 by focusing on recruiting and retaining people engaged in IBIS and our work. 88 per cent of IBIS’ funds in 2013 was spend on long-term development work. 4 per cent was spent on humanitarian efforts, while 8 per cent was spent on global campaigns and advocacy, including awareness in Denmark. The administration percentage – measured as the other expenses part of the total income as of this year – amounted to 5.2 per cent in 2013 compared with 6.2 per cent last year, which must be regarded as very satisfactory.
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Photo: William Vest-LIllesøe
REPORT 2013
FIGURES FOR THE YEAR
Income statement for the period 1/1 – 31/12/2013 amounts in 1,000 DKK
Income 2013 2012 Development activities
Danida frame allocation Other institutional donors Private funds
121.386 135.238 20.222
106.498 73.568 21.753
Development activities, total 276.846 187.222 Other operating grants 489 397
Total income
277.335
202.216
Expenses 2013 2012 Project and programme activities
Development activities Humanitarian efforts Campaigns and advocacy
228.126 10.957 21.887
152.359 14.103 19.889
Project and programme activities, total 260.970 186.351 Losses and provisions for projects 793 79 Innovation 2.991 1.550 Other costs 14.463 13.733
Total costs
279.217
201.713
Results for the year +/(-)
-1.882
Income 2013 Danida allocation 121.386 44% SIDA 21.921 8% Alliance 2015 64.714 23% Humanitarian efforts 11.489 4% Other Danida 12.749 5% NORAD 13.029 5% Dutch Government funds 794 <1% EU 4.659 2% Private funds 20.710 7% Other 5.884 2% 277.335 100%
8% 44% 23%
4% 5% 5% <1%
2% 7%
Number of members and supporters, year-end 2013: 30
503
2%
9.011
FIGURES FOR THE YEAR
Balance sheet as at 31.12.2013 amounts in 1,000 DKK
Assets
2013 2012
Fixed assets Deposits
2.595 809
2.263 789
Current assets Accounts receivable 4.383 2.141 Securities 340 301 Cash and cash equivalents 32.651 51.235 Total current assets 37.374 53.677
Total assets
40.778 56.729
Liabilities 2013 2012
Equity
Equity as at 1. January Results for the year
14.660 14.157 -1.882 503
Equity as at 31 December
12.778
14.660
Short-term liabilities
Funds for use for activities 11.450 29.716 Interest payable on donor funds 196 466 Severance pay 4.108 4.109 Other liabilities 12.246 7.778
Creditors, total
28.000
42.069
Liabilities, total Expenses 2013
40.778
Guatemala 20.936 8% Nicaragua 28.584 10% Bolivia 67.520 24% Mozambique 41.195 15% South Sudan 9.720 4% Ghana 16.732 6% Liberia 17.850 6% Sierra Leone 17.004 6% West Africa, reg. 7.310 3% AAP 5.977 2% Latin America, reg. 4.956 2% LAPI 5.134 2% Other project activities 17.768 6% Loss/provisions 793 <1% Innovation 2.991 1% Other expenses 14.747 5%
1% <1% 6%
56.729
5% 8% 10%
2% 3% 6%
24%
6% 6% 4%
15%
279.217 100%
In 2013, expenses to administration were: Read the entire annual accounts at p책 www.ibis.dk
5,2% 31
2013 2014 Thank you for your support A very warm thank you to all who work with us to create a better and more just world. Thank you to all IBIS partners, members and supporters and a special thanks to the many volunteers. Also a warm thank you to Erik Thunes Legat, H.C. Bechgaard & Hustru Ella Marys Fond, Asta and Jul P. Justesens Fond, Fonden af 17/12-1981, LĂŚrerstandens Brandforsikring and Danida. And to our CSR partners Toms, COOP, the Hempel Foundation and Melting Pot. You have all given us invaluable support.