News

Pact convenes stakeholders to discuss alternative development model

October 21, 2014

Pact and representatives from nongovernmental organizations, foundations and consulting firms gather in Washington, D.C. today to establish a framework for Locus, a landmark initiative dedicated to finding new solutions to old development challenges by focusing on local solutions and an integrated approach to development.

“Locus is a truly courageous initiative that aims to change they way the international development community approaches funding and implementation. By establishing an evidence base for an integrated approach, we hope to discover the most effective means to support the people we serve and change the way funders think about development outcomes,” said Mark Viso, Pact president and CEO.

Locus is a movement focused on engaging those the international development community serves, practitioners, the private sector, donors and government to drive adoption of locally owned, integrated solutions. Locus Partners will help further define what effective engagement models are, participate in building a shared evidence base for integrated solutions and engage government, NGOs, local communities and the private sector to discover together a more promising pathway to transformation.

“At Africa Capacity Alliance, we recognize the importance of local solutions as not just a means, but an end,” said Kristi Maasjo, executive director of Africa Capacity Alliance. “Working on the ground with local institutions across 12 countries, our diverse partners grapple with unique situations in each country and community where they work. The Locus Initiative’s commitment to ensuring both local and global voices and solutions combine to combat poverty should be a pledge we all make.”

The meeting brings together a dozen organizations involved in various capacities in international development programming. Over the course of the two-day meeting, participants will collectively set the framework for Locus in 2015 and identify outcomes, leaving with deliverable and measurable action plans for moving forward and enacting real change in the development world.

Currently, SNV, International Rescue Committee and Africa Capacity Alliance have joined Pact as Core Locus Partners.

For more information about Locus: The Point of International Development, visit the Locus website at www.locusworld.org.

 

About Pact – Pact is a promise of a better tomorrow for all those who are poor and marginalized. Working in partnership to develop local solutions that enable people to own their own future, Pact helps people and communities build their own capacity to generate income, improve access to quality health services, and gain lasting benefit from the sustainable use of the natural resources around them. At work in 29 countries, Pact is building local promise with an integrated, adaptive approach that is shaping the future of international development. Visit us at www.pactworld.org.