Overview
The Institute of Cultural Affairs International undertakes programs, together with our member organizations, that advance our mission. We focus on the world’s fundamental human challenges, carrying out activities in two principal arenas:
1: Acting to influence international policy related to key human development challenges, in order to contribute to the creation and implementation of improved development policies consistent with our values and approach; and
2: Coordination and support of field programs of member organizations to address these challenges on the ground.
The Institute of Cultural Affairs International also organizes the quadrennial Global Conference on Human Development, a unique opportunity for leading practitioners and researchers to explore and develop new solutions to global human development challenges. Learn more here.
Human development challenges in focus
Ending Poverty
The statistics on global poverty overwhelm our imaginal abilities. Half the world — nearly three billion people — live on less than two dollars each day. Thirty thousand children die daily due to poverty; that is about 210,000 children each week, or just under 11 million children under the age of five each year. The Gross Domestic Product of the poorest 48 nations (a quarter of the world’s countries) is less than the wealth of the world’s three richest people combined. And the poorer the country, the more likely it is that debt repayments are being extracted directly from people who neither contracted the loans nor received any of the money.1 The approach of The Institute of Cultural Affairs International uniquely challenges poverty in its many manifestations, in the realm of international policy and on the ground.
The Institute of Cultural Affairs network works to realize the policy changes, technology transfer, practical development, and skills training that will enable the poorest of the poor to take control of their future. Our member organizations facilitate the creation of integrated human development projects, which serve as the launching pads for addressing poverty and its interrelated causes and consequences. The Institute of Cultural Affairs guides communities through the process of creating comprehensive, participatory, consensus plans for addressing the specific challenges of their societies. This process includes visioning to define a better future on the society’s own terms, as well as an in-depth exploration of the underlying causes of poverty and related challenges.
Our member organizations also support the integration of formal and non-formal educational programs, vocational training and coaching, micro-credit and other sustainable income-generation initiatives, as well as steps to address basic needs such as water, sanitation, and shelter. Yet in order for these efforts to have a significant impact on livelihoods and lifespan, the people affected by changes must maintain a meaningful voice and role in every aspect of the process. Our approach enables authentic participation to take root.
Learn more about policy initiatives and field programs that address the challenge of ending poverty.
Women’s Empowerment
Seventy percent of the world’s poorest people are female and millions of women throughout the world are deprived basic human rights solely because they are women. Recognizing that women suffer disproportionately from poverty and are often excluded from communal decision-making, every aspect of the work of The Institute of Cultural Affairs places special emphasis on empowering women to shape their own futures. Grounded in the values we hold of equality and intentionality, our network encourages exploration of the underlying causes and implications of gender imbalances, supports men and women in making intentional decisions about gender roles; and works to address gender inequities. The Institute of Cultural Affairs network also facilitates programs designed especially for women, in order to augment women’s education, economic independence, and vocational and life skills. In this way, the social barriers to gender equality are confronted directly, within the very context that generated them, and it becomes possible for changes to gender dynamics to be sustained changes over time.
Learn more about policy initiatives and field programs that address the challenge of women’s empowerment.
Youth Engagement
The past decade has seen a growing recognition of the importance of youth participation in decision-making and community building. Defining youth as young people ages 15-24, the United Nations World Youth Report 2005 finds that over 200 million youth live in poverty, 130 million are illiterate, 88 million are unemployed, and 10 million are living with HIV/AIDS. Yet youth policy and programs are too often driven by negative images that ignore the positive role youth can play in resolving their own challenges, as well as in broader development and community building efforts.2 The Institute of Cultural Affairs network advocates for the inclusion of youth in communal decision-making at all levels. Our member organizations provide specialized training to prepare youth for effective engagement and facilitate the meaningful inclusion of youth in development processes.
Learn more about policy initiatives and field programs that address the challenge of youth engagement.
HIV and AIDS
The latest statistics on the world epidemic of AIDS and HIV published by UNAIDS in November 2006 show that 39.5 million people worldwide are currently living with HIV/AIDS, with 24.7 million of them living in Sub-Saharan Africa and 7.5 million in South and South-East Asia. In developing and transitional countries, 6.8 million people are currently in immediate need of life-saving AIDS drugs; of these, only 1.65 million are receiving the drugs.3 The Institute of Cultural Affairs International is committed to preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, making it possible for those living with HIV/AIDS receive all available treatment and care, and supporting communities in coping with the long-term social, economic and political implications.
The Institute of Cultural Affairs network has responded to the HIV/AIDS crisis with a multi-pronged program that includes: awareness campaigns and education programs, targeting youth and adults; HIV testing, counselling, and home-based care; specialized training of traditional healers and community leaders; providing anti-retro-viral medications and condoms; improving transport and communication for people living with HIV/AIDS; and cultivating positive self-image in order to enable independent thinking and behavioural change.
Learn more about policy initiatives and field programs that address the challenge of HIV and AIDS.
Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources
The increasing human population puts ever more pressure on ecosystems, as people search for ways to increase food production. It is estimated that in the next 20 years, farmers in developing countries will have to nearly double their productivity to provide sufficient food for a healthy and active population. With very little new land available to be turned over to farming, the challenge is how to increase production in land already being used for agricultural purposes without stripping the Earth of its resources through overuse of pesticides, soil degradation, and inefficient use of water supplies. The Institute of Cultural Affairs International advocates for policies that promote sustainable agricultural practices and preservation of natural resources. In the field, our member organizations assist communities to integrate the objectives of sustainable agriculture – environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity – into customized programs for ensuring food security. Demonstration farms and training also serve as practical tools for transferring methods and technologies.
Learn more about policy initiatives and field programs that address the challenge of sustainable agriculture and preserving natural resources.
Forest Preservation and Management
Forests cover about one-third of the Earth’s land surface 4, and hundreds of millions of the world''s poorest people depend almost entirely on these forests for their subsistence and survival.5 Yet deforestation continues at an alarmingly high rate of about 13 million hectares per year, with Africa and South America presently experiencing the largest net loss of forests.6 The extent of this deforestation constitutes a major threat to not only the preservation of biodiversity on earth, but also to the survival and cultural integrity of indigenous groups and other forest-dependent peoples. Indeed, the forest serves as an intricate network of resources and relationships integral to the economic, political, and cultural dynamics of a people. The Institute of Cultural Affairs International supports the rights of forest-dependent peoples to play a central role in determining forest policies, as well as to take actions to protect their forests and implement sustainable forest management programs, rooted in their traditions and social patterns. Our member organizations enable the involvement of local communities, indigenous peoples, and forest dwellers in decision-making processes about forest management, in order to ensure a sustainable result that integrates human needs and concerns. In addition, we work with forest communities to identify sustainable sources of livelihood from the forests and bring these items to market for income generation.
Learn more about policy initiatives and field programs that address the challenge of forest preservation and management.
Peaceful Communities
Violent conflict imperils human survival, and makes development an impossibility. The practical impacts of conflict are immesurable, with some 25 million people presently living in situations of internal displacement.7 In order to ensure the right of all peoples to define and shape their own futures, it is necessary to take dramatic and creative action towards the cessation of inter-group conflict, as well as the realization of post-conflict reconciliation. The Institute of Cultural Affairs International advocates for the basic human rights of peoples caught in the midst of larger struggles. In addition, our member organizations help communities in conflict chart their own paths toward resolution, and support efforts to maintain lasting peace in post-conflict societies. We play the role of facilitator rather than mediator, which means guiding peoples through a process of identifying and committing to their own solutions. To date, our members have played a role in peace-building processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, East Timor, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Nepal, and South Africa.
Learn more about policy initiatives and field programs that address the challenge of ensuring peaceful communities.
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), established in 2000 by global heads of state at the United Nations, represent an attempt to achieve dramatic human development progress in the span of just fifteen years, with eight critical targets to be met by 2015. Yet based on current trends, most countries will fail to meet the majority of the MDGs by 2015. As the mid-point in MDG implementation nears in 2008, The Institute of Cultural Affairs International advocates for governments in developed and developing countries alike to make the MDGs a top priority. We also coordinate the efforts of our members to hold their national governments accountable for fulfilling their commitments to the MDGs. This program includes: facilitating members in advocacy toward improved national policies to enable achievement of the MDGs; enabling training for members in how to conduct regular monitoring of government activities to evaluate implementation; and member education about best practices and trends in each of the MDGs focus areas.