2012 Annual Report
Photo By: Benjy Feen
Members of Partners for Democratic Change International
Mission Partners for Democratic Change works through a global network to support local leaders and create partnerships that transform conflict, strengthen democratic institutions, and achieve sustainable development.
Vision Partners for Democratic Change has a vision for the world where all of us — communities, governments, and businesses – work together to peacefully manage change. We believe in the power of local leadership and global collaboration to achieve inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous societies.
Values • Partnership: We listen to, and learn from, each other in humility and friendship to work together collaboratively and effectively. • Innovation: We develop and use the most groundbreaking methods and practices to drive progress in our fields. • Learning: We evaluate and adjust our approaches continuously, so we can learn from mistakes and successes quickly. • Respect: We value and respect individuals, their roles, their responsibilities as well as their ability to shape the decisions that affect their lives the most. Cover Photo: Girl in Haraz, Yemen by Monalisa Salib
global | local | together
Dear Friends of Partners for Democratic Change,
2012 was full of transitions for Partners. Our global family spent the year celebrating the life of our founder Raymond Shonholtz, as we grieved together over his untimely death and reflected on the importance of his legacy for Partners’ future. Raymond’s commitment to Sustainable Impact Investment was ahead of its time. It is now accepted wisdom that local organizations need to be at the forefront of leading change in their countries, with the ability to network with other local organizations and engage with government and the private sector to provide for the needs of citizens. We remain committed to our founder’s vision of supporting these local organizations and leaders. As you will see from the programs highlighted here, in 2012 Partners worked through our global network to support local leaders and create partnerships that transform conflict, strengthen democratic institutions, and achieve sustainable development. We expanded our reach to over 12 countries in the Middle East, supporting courageous local leaders and organizations as they strive to achieve more inclusive governance and a stronger civil society. In this region and in others, Partners is increasingly leading regional initiatives including a security sector reform network in West Africa, and working in concert with our local affiliates to promote dialogue with the extractive industry in Latin America. Photo By: Benjy Feen
In 2012, we strengthened Partners for Democratic Change International (PDCI), the association that ties together the global network of 19 Partners affiliates around the world. We now function as an official hub of PDCI in Washington DC, together with the other network hub in Brussels. With this structure, Partners is better able to provide value to our colleagues and clients by channeling resources and expertise, while maintaining our unyielding commitment to local capacity and leadership. All of us at Partners continue to embody the legacy of Raymond Shonholtz by building bridges, working through consortiums, and facilitating networks. In the pages that follow you will see our global funding profile broken down by region, some key statistics, illustrative examples of our work from each of the four regions where we work (Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and Latin America) and an update on recent work with PDCI. Our new tagline expresses the power of Partners’ unique value in the world. We are: global | local | together Sincerely, Julia Roig President Partners for Democratic Change
global 2012 Financials
Global $377K
Partners’ revenue increased 16% in FY 2012 to $5.4 million.
A special thank you to all the individuals and organizations that supported the establishment of the Raymond Shonholtz Fellowship for Young Professionals, including the JAMS Foundation, the Sidney J. Ungar/ J. Shapiro Family Foundation, and Systematic Management Services, Inc. LAC $1.1 Million
Europe $48K
MENA $3.1 Million
Africa $809K
2012 at a Glance
132,694 total beneficiaries
1,594 people trained across all our programs 65 local partners in 25 countries
19 members of Partners for Democratic Change International 8 nationalities represented among 19 DC-based staff
local Supporting Democracy Activists in the Middle East and North Africa Partners’ EDAMA program is supporting democratic activists in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen to engage in their country’s democratic reforms. EDAMA (“sustainability” in Arabic) has created a supportive regional platform that provides activists with essential skills to participate in governance processes that matter to them and their constituents.
“Thank you so much for all your efforts in putting together this forum. I was honored to attend and be allowed the opportunity to meet activists from around the world and share experiences and knowledge. You did the job wonderfully. — Abdo Mohsen, Yemen
Photo By: Partners for Democratic Change
In 2012, Partners’ Middle East and North Africa (MENA) team worked with 39 implementing Partners across 6 programs.
local Convening Dialogues in Latin America and the Caribbean On the south side of Belize City, Partners facilitated dialogues between Belize’s citizens, police and government to build bridges between law enforcement and the community. The dialogues have established trust between the police and the community and improved public security. Partners also began work with local partners in Guatemala, Panama, and Peru on the Sustainable Connections for Sustainable Development initiative to help resolve conflicts related to natural resource management in Latin America. In support of this initiative, Partners and Socios Peru: Centro de Colaboración Cívica are now jointly representing the PDCI network in the NGO Pillar of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights platform.
“It is very important that the police and youth continue to dialogue together. It can only bring strong ties between the police and the youth and we can work better together for a safer and better Belize.” — Police participant from the Belize Project
Photo By: Jessica Varat
During 2012, Partners’ Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) team worked with 13 implementing partners across 7 programs.
local Improving Citizen Security in Africa Partners is improving human security in West Africa by promoting greater participation of civilians in decisions that impact their safety and security. Through our Citizen Engagement in Security Sector Reform in the Mano River Region program, Partners and Partners Senegal brought civil society leaders from Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone together with key government and security sector officials to discuss the main security challenges facing their populations and to identify opportunities for working together to address them.
“Thank you for your efforts, and continue these exchanges to maintain the bond [that] united us during our stay in Monrovia. Regarding the Ivory Coast, we are in the process of SSR at the national level and…. in the immediate future, we decided with the other participants to organize meetings to involve NGOs in the extension phase of the SSR in our country.” — Côte d’Ivoire Government Official
Photo By: Government of Liberia
Partners’ Africa team worked with 7 implementing partners across 3 programs in 2012.
local Building Strong Democratic Institutions in Europe Albania, long rated as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe, is working hard to reform institutions in the justice sector. Partners is part of USAID’s 5-year Albania Justice Sector Strengthening Project (JUST), in which we are helping local civil society organizations (CSOs) and the media hold courts, judges, lawyers, and other institutions to higher standards of accountability and transparency. In 2012, we developed an intensive organizational development program for the professional Union of Albanian Judges (UAJ), helping them to improve their outreach to the public and services for their members. We also trained 70 CSOs across Albania on anticorruption issues, the functioning of the legal system, and proposal writing.
“Despite the fact that all the members are judges, before this training they were unfamiliar with how to run a CSO. Now, the UAJ has a solid institutional framework. The Board of Directors and staff have the skills and knowledge to manage and grow the association in the future.” — Juliana Hoxha, Organizational Development Consultant and Director of Partners-Albania
Photo By: Partners Albania
Partners’ Europe team worked with 5 Albanian and 1 international partner on USAID’s JUST project in Albania.
together In 2012, Partners hosted the NEXT Summit in Washington, DC for members of Partners for Democratic Change International (PDCI), the association of all 19 Partners affiliates around the world. This was the first time that member organizations’ senior and junior staff (other than Directors) had the opportunity to meet, network, and cement lasting friendships that will take PDCI forward into the future.
• Network: Over 60 colleagues from all the PDCI affiliates joined together with previous and current Partners staff for five days of sharing, building and fellowship. • Engage: During the Summit, participants shared information on their current and potential programs, including: youth engagement, working with minority populations, addressing citizen security, natural resource management and open governance. • eXchange: The U.S. Institute of Peace co-hosted an Expo, “Where Democracy and Peace Meet,” during the Summit for all PDCI members to share their accomplishments with each other and a public audience. • Together: The Summit provided an opportunity for the next generation of young leaders in the Partners network to come together, meet their colleagues from other countries and to participate in substantive training on collaborative leadership and conflict transformation skills.
A very special thank you to the General Electric Foundation for their support of the Partners for Democratic Change International network and for helping to make the 2012 NEXT Summit a reality.
together
Photos By: Benjy Feen
2012 Annual Report Partners for Democratic Change
Find us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/ partners4democraticchange
Watch us on Youtube
www.youtube.com/partners4DC
Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/Partners4DC
www.partnersglobal.org Partners for Democratic Change
1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 515, Washington, DC 20036 TEL: 202-942-2166 • FAX: 202-939-0606
Partners for Democratic Change International 205 rue Belliard, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium
TEL: +32 (0)2/230 7110 • www.pdci-network.org
Member Of Partners for Democratic Change International
Albania • Argentina • Brazil • Bulgaria • Colombia • Czech Republic • El Salvador • Georgia • Hungary • Jordan Kosovo • Mexico • Peru • Poland • Romania • Senegal • Serbia • Slovakia • United States • Yemen
Design by Kentyn.com