Global Development— It’s one of the most loaded phrases you can use in conversations on social good today. Global Development can mean humanitarian aid to relieve the insecurity and misery caused by grievous natural disaster, but it can also mean trade agreements between the World Bank and donor countries. It can mean a great social entrepreneurship initiative like KickStart, but it can also mean charity-model funding from private non-profits like charity:water. It can mean top down and bottom up. It can mean international expertise at odds with local know-how, or it can mean synergy between both. Development can mean spending on health, infrastructure, education and climate. Development cannot exist without Security, and Security cannot exist without Development.
The goal of the AIDemocracy Global Development program to break down key development issues and actions, making them accessible to students in the US. Our mandate is to provide you with impartial, informed and well-researched information to help you create awareness and action on your campus and in your community.
We are keenly aware of the links between Development, Security, Health and the Environment. We understand that for advances to be made in any one of these areas, advances must be made in all.
We support global development solutions that have accountability, transparency and sustainability. We laud global development efforts that build on south-south partnerships, local needs and appropriately used technology innovations. We call for global development projects that support biodiversity, human rights, social justice, local capacity building and women’s’ rights. We understand that this sort of development cannot be undertaken by any one system, organization, country or group. We are eager to discuss the root causes of the gravest ills faced by a majority of the worlds’ population today and we constantly strive to learn how systemic change can proactively address these ills.
Join us—we can’t do this without you!
Find out more about the issues and our work on them:
- Foreign Aid Reform
- Food Security
- International Financial Architecture
What you can do
- Organize an event on your campus. Bring in a speaker. Organize a debate. Stand up and demand change. Check out our event database for some great ideas to get you started.
- Save US Foreign Aid. We are calling on YOU, students who care about the U.S. role in the world, to campaign against the proposed budget cuts.
- Stop Gambling on Grain. Join AIDemocracy in telling our leaders, both international and domestic, that we want speculators to Stop Gambling Green on Grain!
- Show a movie discussing the issue. Check out our film library for a list of free films you can borrow from AIDemocracy. Films come with discussion guides and free shipping. It couldn’t be any easier!
- Request a mini-grant to make your film or event a success. We provide small grants to help pay for materials, food and speakers. Contact us to discuss.
- Speak out to the network. Write a blog for our site. Post something on our Facebook group. Share photos or video with us on YouTube. Share your opinions with other concerned students like you. Here’s how to submit materials.
- Ask for advice and support. Not sure how to get started? Need to talk through ideas for your event? AIDemocracy staff and student leaders are here to help
- And more…
