2014–2015 annual report PRODUCTION produced, coordinated and written by | CECI Communications printed by | L’Empreinte print run | 700 French and 250 English copies Printed in Canada | This report has also been printed in French. © 2015 ceci (all rights reserved) © COVER PHOTO : ÉRIC ST-PIERRE / CECI Our international cooperation programs are funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada. A Word from the President and the Executive Director Innovating in a Sustainable and Inclusive Manner In the places we work, 2014–2015 was dictated by human security issues and natural disasters: conflicts in West Africa, the Ebola epidemic in Guinea, Typhoons Hayain and Hagupit in the Philippines and recurrent drought and food crises in the Sahel. Global warming has unleashed forces that are severely affecting some of the world’s poorest populations. Decline in arable land, depleted food reserves, increased flooding, prolonged drought and steadily increasing numbers of hurricanes, typhoons, and earthquakes displace large populations and aggravate poverty. CECI’s teams and partners were mobilized to bring a swift and adequate response to the needs of the most vulnerable populations. This report presents our activities and the way we obtain development results, in spite of and through these crisis situations. This year, the government officially confirmed a third phase of funding for our volunteer cooperation program, Uniterra (2015–2020). The program is jointly run with our long-term partner, World University Service of Canada (WUSC). It operates in 14 countries and aims to improve the socioeconomic living conditions of over 5 million people, of whom 60% are women and 50% are young people. Each year, Uniterra will mobilize and deploy 600 volunteers from Quebec and the rest of Canada to build the capacities of over 170 partner organizations in the South. This is an exciting challenge for all of us! Implementation of the five-year strategic plan adopted by CECI’s General Assembly also got underway in 2014–2015. We worked to train country teams to become self-sufficient, especially in the area of program development. We also focused on expanding membership in our organization so that representatives from our country teams gradually become full voting members. In addition, we have convinced several civil society organizations at home to join us as associate members. These initiatives are opening up new avenues for cooperation and will bring new lifeblood into our organization. The International Forum on major development debates that took place in Montreal on January 23–25 also served as an important venue for mobilization for CECI. It brought together high profile speakers from several regions around the world. The event generated enormous interest and was attended by over 500 people. This annual report provides you with a comprehensive overview of our accomplishments in 2014–2015, illustrating the dynamic nature, ambitiousness and commitment of our teams. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks all our partners, volunteers, members and donors as well as to our board of directors and the entire CECI team in the field and in Canada. Together, we will continue to work hand-in-hand with organizations in Canada and abroad to change lives and to contribute to creating a more equitable world. Robert Perreault president | Claudia Black executive director 2014–2015 annual report StratEgIC plan ExpErtise & ConSortIa Building on Knowledge while Demonstrating Innovation Women and girls are a major focus of ceci’s sustainable develop- ment projects. A Strong, International CECI to Rally for Change In 2014–2015, the five-year strategic plan Four organizational priorities have been identified: (2014–2019) adopted by ceci’s General Assem- Promote CECI country teams’ autonomy and their transformation bly in 2013 began to take effect. into national entities in charge of developing their own program- ming in cooperation and synergy with the head office. As CECI implements its strategic plan, it aims to strengthen its position within the international cooperation community to ensure its mission to Transform CECI’s governance and membership structures to reflect fight poverty and exclusion is carried out effectively. the organization’s ties to civil society in the countries where we The combination of climate change and market fluctuations related to operate and to further anchor CECI in Quebec civil society. oil prices has raised production costs, which has had a direct impact on economic and agricultural development in the poorest populations. We Increase diversification of CECI’s funding sources in order to decrease are witnessing increasing poverty and a widening social inequality gap. In dependence on government funding. light of this, it is even more important to build a strong, international CECI that can rally key players for change in both the South and the North so as to promote sustainable socio-economic development, reduce poverty, Increase CECI’s visibility by projecting a strong, distinctive image to establish egalitarian gender relations and build the security of the most donor agencies, political representatives and operational partners vulnerable populations. in Canada and in our countries of operation. Our Expertise — A Cut above the Rest in the Face of Global Upheaval Our work in the field and know-how are rooted in four main areas of expertise that have been developed over the years and demonstrate our organization’s ability to adapt to the changing world of international cooperation. — ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT This judicious blend of know-how and innovation has enabled us to contend with a world where climate change, — fOOD SEcurITY economic crisis and conflict are pushing impoverished populations to migration routes. We have expertise in: — HUMAN SEcurITY We reaffirm our commitment to concentrating and consolidating our efforts into four areas of operation, with — gENDER EQUALITY democratic governance remaining firmly at the core of our development approaches. Cooperation with local actors is the foundation of all our operations. We believe it is important to more systematically integrate issues surrounding climate change, environmental protection and sustainable development into our approaches. A Strategic and Collaborative Approach to Sustainable Development Over the years, CECI has developed a consortium approach. These partner- Partnerships for sustainable development ships enable our organization to share expertise, work methods, resources Other consortia serve as a means to provide quick and effective response and contacts. CECI maximize its chances of success in achieving results to emergency situations. by forging relationships of trust based on complementary strengths and know-how. These temporary arrangements in response to specific emergency situa- tions often become recurrent. In 2014–2015, two such partnerships, one Cooperation is combining experience and knowledge with French NGO aCtED and the other with Filipino NGO CONCERN, were especially active. Some strategic consortia facilitate joint, diversified program development. These partnerships have been the foundation of our volunteer cooperation Likewise, the Alliance agricole internationale (AAI), a strategic partnership programs with other NGOs in Quebec and in Canada. that joins the forces of CECI, the Société de coopération pour le développe- ment international (SoCoDEVI) and the Union des producteurs agricoles CECI and the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), our main – Développement international (Upa-di), has enabled us to support sus- partner, have jointly implemented the Uniterra program for eleven years. tainable agricultural development. Through cooperative businesses, One of the foremost Canadian volunteer cooperation and international development in the agribusiness sector in poor countries aims to development programs, Uniterra offers opportunities for individuals and strengthen the economic stakeholders most capable of developing the organizations to make a difference in 14 developing countries. We have potential of rural and urban areas. also teamed up to develop other joint projects. Since 2005, CECI has also implemented the Volunteer Cooperation Program in Haiti in consortium with WUSC, the Fondation Paul Gérin-Lajoie and CESO. © JAMIE HErd / cECI 5 hUmanItarIan assistance Global warming has unleashed forces that In 2014, the number of internally and externally displaced persons reached unprecedented levels. Human migration brought on by food, are severely affecting some of the world’s economic and climate insecurity, as well as by armed conflict has sped poorest populations, such as decline in arable up and increased. land, depleted food reserves, increased flood- In 2014–2015, CECI teams and their partners were mobilized during the Ebola epidemic that hit West Africa and continues to ravage the ing and prolonged drought. One fifth of the region. This is the worst epidemic since the virus appeared in 1976, world’s population lives in coastal areas and is having claimed the lives of 11,310 of some 28,000 people infected by the disease to date, according to wHo reports. The flare-up began in increasingly threatened by rising sea levels and December 2013 in Guinea, which remains one of the hardest hit coun- flooding. Climate change is also causing greater tries along with neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia. Ninety-nine percent of deaths from the Ebola virus occurred in these three states. numbers of hurricanes, typhoons,