Winnie Byanyima: How iNGOs are adapting to the new development paradigm

The geography of poverty has changed — and the development paradigm is shifting to adapt to this new reality. Instead of rich donors giving money to poor countries, the majority of poor people are now in middle-income countries aspiring to become much richer like China or India. International nongovernmental organizations are thus “focusing more on inequality and dealing with poverty amidst riches in growth,” according to Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International. “We are trying now to focus on how do you make growth inclusive. How to ensure that as a country is moving up, it’s lifting all its people out of poverty, and that’s different from taking money from rich countries to save those people in poor countries,” she told Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar at the European Development Days in Brussels. Byanyima noted this is truly changing how international civil society works. “We are rooting ourselves in the countries where we work and we are raising money there, calling on the middle classes in the developing countries to take responsibility to hold their governments accountable on issues of inequality, environment and also raising money from them to address issues of inequality in their own countries,” she said. “That’s a different way of engaging.” READ:Winnie Byanyima: ‘Excited but skeptical’ on private sector’s role in development Watch the full video here to find out more insights from the head of Oxfam on the shifting development landscape and how an incentives-based approach is necessary to get the private sector more — and better — involved. See more: - Maarten van Aalst: Future of climate risk management is local - GAVI needs partners to ‘learn by doing’ - Let’s make procurement less obstructive, more pragmatic — Cordaid Visit us at the 2013 European Development Days and watch out for more Devex coverage of news and views from Europe’s leading global development event of the year.