FDC THEMES
Building on FDC’s experience and expertise in international development, cross-sector partnerships and working with disadvantaged communities and individuals in the Asia-Pacific region, we focus our effort and resources on four distinct, yet inter-related themes:
1. Private sector partnerships for sustainable development
We leverage private sector knowledge and resources in designing and piloting cross-sector partnership approaches for sustainable development. The key sectors we work with include the resources, energy, ICT and financial services sectors.
2. Local economies, enterprise and livelihoods
We focus on participatory, human-centred, place-based approaches to deliver sustainable livelihoods, enterprises and local economic development.
3. Financial inclusion
FDC works to extend the reach and impact of its microfinance programs such as Banking With The Poor (BWTP) and the Microfinance Pasifika Network (MFPN) to promote and achieve greater financial inclusion in our region.
4. Incomes from ecosystems
We focus on designing and testing approaches to enable payments for natural resource management and the provision of ecosystem services in disadvantaged communities as a means to alleviate poverty.
Across each theme we undertake three types of activities:
In addition to conducting operations related to these themes, we also undertake activities in two other broader, yet equally important areas:
OUR APPROACH
In collaboration with partners from across a range of sectors, FDC undertakes projects that, individually, deliver outcomes for project partners, communities and participants. And, collectively, influence and direct improved development policies and practices to reduce poverty and disadvantage in the Asia-Pacific region. In order to achieve this, the key components of our approach are as follows:
Collaboration
The challenge of alleviating poverty and disadvantage in developing countries is complex and multi-dimensional, both in origin and resolution. No one sector – private, public, civil society or academia – has all the answers or the ability to effectively respond to these challenges acting alone. FDC integrates skills, knowledge, resources and passion from across organisations and sectors to create effective development solutions.
Innovation
Traditional approaches to international development only go so far. We need to move beyond trying to solve today’s problems with yesterday’s solutions, while tomorrow’s challenges overwhelm us. In order to do this we must innovate. In practice this means responding in new and inventive ways. FDC focuses on conceiving, designing, testing, evaluating and sharing new approaches to international development.
Systems Thinking
The interplay between economy, society, culture, nature and governance in the development issues we address can be complicated. The first step we take in any project is a step back, to observe the context of issues at play and how they interact. We then look beyond a short-term reaction to inherent symptoms and work towards solutions that affect long-term, positive, systemic change.
Market-Based
Markets and enterprise have a fundamental role to play in addressing poverty and disadvantage in developing nations. Our approach is to work collaboratively across sectors and scales to enable sustainable livelihoods, local enterprises and accessible financial services as pathways to effective development through economic empowerment.
Learning
Working across sectors on innovative, market-based development solutions, that seek to achieve systemic change and impact in developing nations, is a big job. To ensure impact at scale, we embed learning systems and processes in all our activities to capture knowledge and insights. We then share these learnings with others to inform and direct international development policy and practices.
Our Approach in Action
To give meaning to our approach, we utilise thinking, practices and tools at the forefront of international development in order to identify, conceive, plan, deliver and evaluate all of our activities. To ensure that we are working at the leading edge, we work closely with other recognised development ‘thought and practice’ leaders from across governments, businesses, NGOs and academia.