By Casey Kelso, WINGS Senior Advocacy Office
Philanthropy is working in extremely innovative ways on topics that have a direct bearing on humanity and the globe’s future: climate change; localisation of development cooperation, poverty reduction; girls and women’s rights and education; and technology, research and digital communication, to name a just a few. But around the world, excessively broad discretionary powers are in place or have been proposed by governments to deny registration to foundations, restrict cross-border funding from foreign sources, curtail activities and even impose criminal charges against civil society organisations and individuals.
In order for philanthropy to flourish and fulfil its different functions, it needs an enabling environment: conditions that create easy processes for philanthropic entities and behaviours to exist, operate and grow. In addition to its roles as a part of private, non-governmental civil society and as a funder of civil society organisations, philanthropy is also a connector that can facilitate dialogue between different actors. WINGS and philanthropic support organisations — as an element of a vital civil society — therefore have a big stake in combating the rising trend towards heightened control and excessive, unwarranted restrictions on civic space throughout the world.
It is within this context that WINGS has developed its first-ever advocacy strategy for an enabling environment. The strategy took several months to develop and drew upon more than 40 WINGS members worldwide and external experts for their inputs and feedback. We listened carefully to the discussions at the Enabling Environment Working Group about advocacy. And we hope that each WINGS member will find value in it and that it might add to their own national and local efforts to create an enabling environment.
Using this strategy, which focuses on bringing philanthropy’s collective voice into global policy debates about the enabling environment – we hope to strengthen WINGS members’ own efforts in their countries.
Without going into the details of the objectives of the strategy, a key focus is on governments and engaging them strategically on the provision of an enabling environment, and secondly, to build multi-stakeholder support for joint action among civil society for an enabling environment.
Looking at the current news headlines, it is clear that the world is, yet again, at a significant turning point. There are crises that need civil society’s action: The pandemic has increased vulnerabilities and inequality. The war in Ukraine is endangering world food supply, with many low-income countries being seriously impacted by rising food prices. Climate change continues to threaten the future of all of humanity. And this is all happening in a context where official development assistance (ODA) is in decline.
All of that means that there is an urgent need for advocacy around an enabling environment for civil society, including philanthropy. When dialogue with governments and other parts of society breaks down, then the philanthropic ecosystem suffers. Engagement with governments to find ways of collaborating is therefore not just a need but an imperative to answer the questions that crisis demands. What are the terms for engagement for cross-border activity that allow philanthropy to flourish? How do we make sure cross-border giving is not constrained? How do we respond when a government introduces new constraints on foreign funding? What assistance can we give each other when philanthropy is left out of the global discussion around localisation, development and humanitarian assistance?
As a sector, we cannot ignore these global developments and have to come up with solid positions and give answers so that we, as WINGS, can effectively advocate for an enabling environment and its position in society in a way that will garner widespread societal support.
Philanthropy globally needs its voice heard as a serious force in development, social justice, slowing climate change and promoting peace at local, national and international levels. Many global debates concern key policies that constrain – or enable – organisations working in and on philanthropy. Our vision for WINGS’ future lies in pulling together as a worldwide movement and working together in advocacy and dialogue to create, protect and grow an enabling environment.
The WINGS Advocacy Strategy is available to be shared with WINGS members. If you’d like a copy or have any questions or comments about it, please get in touch with Casey Kelso, the Senior Advocacy Officer at WINGS.
Casey Kelso is a senior consultant on advocacy and strategy with experience living in and working with activists in Sub-Saharan Africa (particularly Southern Africa) and the Arab world (Middle East and North Africa). He has held senior leadership positions at International Crisis Group, Transparency International and Amnesty International.