HO-Fair Financial Flows 2019-2020 Oxfam Novib's Finance for Development (F4D) Theory of Change is part of our overall Strategic Partnership with the Dutch government. Through the F4D program we strive to reduce extreme economic inequality on the one hand via fiscal justice and on the other hand by striving for a stable, sustainable and inclusive financial sector, which can lead to less breaches of human rights, less environmental destruction and climate change, and to a strong base for inclusive economic development.
The key objective of the Strategic Partnership is to develop the influencing capacity of Southern civil society actors so they can play the role of watch dog and be an influencing actor. This involves strengthening their thematic knowledge (on the financial sector), their organization level and their technical influencing skills to ensure partners# influencing work is impactfull. Together with strong Southern influencing actors webuild a worldwide influencing network. And as part of this worldwide influencing network we leverage national advocacy agendas in Oxfam#s international influencing work.
Besides strengthening the research and influencing capacities of Southern Civil Society organizations on national level (as we did over the past years), now the Transparent and Accountable Finance program also seeks to strengthen the same capacities on a regional level, specifically by focusing on Development Finance Institutions (DFI). Through (training and thematic support on) research and assessment of investment policies of Development Finance Institutions (DFI) with Fair Finance Guide International (FFGI) methodology, the project will strengthen the knowledge, capacities and voice of the Southern CS to strengthen their influencing work towards the DFI#s and to give a voice to the people negatively affected. The project specifically focused on CSO platforms that engage with the DFI#s, like the NGO forum on the African Development Bank.
Most DFI#s use a mixture of public and private funding, where both the tax payers of the contributing countries as well as the clients/participants of the private funders (bank clients, insurance clients, pension fund participants) are often not aware how #their# money is being used. Therefore the same research data will serve to involve citizens in the global north to call upon their government and financial institutions, toabstain from wrong DFI investments and promote sustainable ones.
Furthermore the program seeks to strengthen the research and influencing capacities towards pension funds, institutional investors who#s investment choices co-define the availability of financial resources for either harmful investment projects or for inclusive and sustainable economic development. For this strands the policy assessment methodology of the Fair Finance Guide will also be used as a base.
Oxfam (togethe with SOMO) will support partners, strengthening their capacities and providing them with input so they can join CS networks / working groups that influence governmental platforms such as the G-20, on systemic issues related to the financial sector. Having a common platform and a common voice enables CSOsand influencing actors to raise their voices and be heard during the policy making process, eventually improving existing policies and regulations. Demands and influencing based on solid research and data increases the credibility and power of organizations for transparent and accountable finance from the public as well as the private sector.