Executive Director’s Message
Human development, poverty reduction and rights-based approaches have become core principles of development. While they are promoted at the policy level by donor country governments and leading international agencies, developing effective programming approaches to people-centred development has been more challenging. Placing people at the centre of development requires extensive knowledge of the wide-ranging issues and needs that impact on human development. It requires appropriate approaches to creating space for economic and political rights, with an explicit understanding of the role that global poverty plays in denying these rights to over a billion people. The challenge of people-centred development is to balance the need to make real changes at the macro-level with initiatives that address people’s most critical needs at the grassroots. Most of all, it requires an enduring commitment on the part of all of us in the international community.

For 25 years FIT’s work in this area has focused on capacity building. With our overseas partners our projects aim to build the institutional frameworks, public policies and organisational and individual capacities needed to enable people to participate in the development process and bring about real change. Capacity building is also a potentially powerful tool to foster connection and linkages. By developing capacities with our partners, we work to remove the barriers—conceptual or systemic—between people and their abilities to envision and create change.

Connecting people to the development process and linking cross-cutting issues is an important activity in every FIT project. Over the past year we have helped strengthen the capacity of organisations to mobilize and connect communities to bring about change. In Bangladesh, Jamaica and the Baltic States, FIT has helped civil society organisations develop their capacities to act as agents of change and build stronger linkages with their communities. In China, FIT continues to build an institutional capacity that connects local experts and small enterprises to develop and promote viable solutions for cleaner production. In Egypt, our micro and small enterprise development projects have contributed to the development of institutions capable of linking new business development to poverty reduction strategies. During the past year we have also begun programs in two exciting new areas—child rights and disability issues related to poverty reduction. This work will require a sound knowledge of and sensitivity to political frameworks, socio-economic structures and cultural attitudes. While the challenges are considerable, especially those related to the lack of resources, the opportunities for improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable are significant and we look forward to contributing to development in these important areas.

FIT is fortunate to have an outstanding Board of Governors that provides strategic direction and stewardship to the organisation. Through the extensive professional and personal experience of our Board members, FIT is able to remain connected to emerging approaches and practices within international development. I thank them all for the hard work and dedication they give us throughout the year. I also wish to thank the FIT staff, Associates and partners for the professionalism, commitment and passion they bring to our work. We are grateful to the agencies that have funded our projects this past year: the Canadian International Development Agency; the Social Fund for Development-Egypt; various ministries and departments of the Government of China; the Swiss Agency for Development; the Lee Foundation, States of Malaya; and the Asian Development Bank.

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Mirabelle Rodrigues,

Executive Director