WASHINGTON, D.C. — Results for Development has launched the Governance Action Hub, a new initiative that builds on R4D’s governance and anticorruption work.
The Governance Action Hub will explore and expand the frontiers of what is possible in terms of governance reforms, by fostering collective action initiatives that are designed to respond to governance challenges. The Action Hub will connect diverse stakeholders and their networks, engaging them in action around the implementation of governance reforms that have the potential of positively affecting their lives and economic activities.
The Action Hub will focus on three types of governance challenges in resource-rich countries: persistent, such as the use of extractive revenue in local development processes and social development; emerging, such as the urgency of a just energy transition to respond to climate change; and underlying, like the undue influence of private interests over policies. All with particular attention to action at the subnational level.
This country-level work will be complemented and supported by a global community that leverages new voices and perspectives in the governance space and promotes better coordination between local and global action, as well as greater audacity in the pursuit of much needed governance reforms.
“In the governance and anticorruption space, there is general agreement on the importance of collective action to achieve results; but much less consensus on how to make it work, how to turn it into effective coalitions that achieve, and as importantly, sustain change. We envision actors with different agendas, from civil society, private sector and the state, working together to achieve common goals despite their differences, and generating new ideas on how to achieve needed governance reforms despite challenging context,” said Mario G. Picon, director of the Action Hub.
This initiative is made possible thanks to initial funding from the BHP Foundation, a global philanthropy collaborating with partner organizations to catalyze new solutions to the world’s most complex social and environmental challenges. “Supporting people to have agency and voice in decisions that affect them is essential to eliminating corruption and harnessing the power of natural resource wealth for sustainable and inclusive human development,” said Fiona Avery, natural resources governance program director at BHP Foundation. “We believe this model of collective action is what is needed to increase participation, create locally- led solutions, and build trust that will contribute to improved governance systems, a just transition, and improved outcomes for people.”
The Governance Action Hub design is consistent with learnings from recent R4D work in Peru, Mongolia, and Nigeria under the Leveraging Transparency to Reduce Corruption (LTRC) initiative; the recommendations of R4D Senior Fellow Daniel Kaufmann and director Mario Picon in The Audacity Deficit in Natural Resource Governance (2022); as well as a 2020 global dialogue on the future of natural resource governance organized by The Brookings Institution, R4D, the Transparency and Accountability Initiative (TAI) and the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI).
“The Governance Action Hub reflects R4D’s mission to position change agents at the forefront of action,” said Gina Lagomarsino, CEO of R4D. “It focuses on local stakeholder needs and approaches problem-solving with a systems lens. By building local alliances and implementing local ideas, the Governance Action Hub fosters inclusivity and agency of local voices. This initiative also provides a unique convening space for R4D’s sectoral and practice expertise in resource-rich countries.”
Learn more about the Governance Action Hub here. For questions about the Governance Action Hub, contact GovActionHub@r4d.org.
Register for a hybrid launch event on Oct 11 to learn more about the Action Hub’s approach, and to explore synergies at the country and global levels..
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About Results for Development
Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — supporting them as they navigate complex change processes to achieve large-scale, equitable outcomes in health, education and nutrition. We work with country leaders to diagnose challenges, co-create, innovate and implement solutions built on evidence and diverse stakeholder input, and engage in learning to adapt, iterate and improve. We also strengthen global, regional and country ecosystems to support country leaders with expertise, evidence and innovations. R4D helps country leaders solve their immediate challenges today, while also strengthening systems and institutions to address tomorrow’s challenges. And we share what we learn so others around the world can achieve results for development too. www.R4D.org
