Commit to Development

Heisenberg's famous uncertainty theory in quantum physics  states that either the location or the speed of an object can be determined but not both simultaneously.  That’s the way some think about development today. People can’t figure out where we are and don’t know how fast we’re moving.  As IREX celebrates its 45th year, we offer a perspective that could help.

At the macro level, in Busan in 2011, agreement emerged among countries, donors and implementers worldwide on a framework for cooperation.  Five “principles” undergirded the framework: local ownership, priority for a country’s development strategy, harmonization of best practices, sustainability and clear results.  At Rio last June, although governments stumbled over sustainability, the corporate world took on a new leadership role, and NGOs became participants, not onlookers, in the debates. The circle of discussion is steadily widening and deepening, even if achieving the goals remains problematic. 

How are we approaching these Busan and Rio challenges at IREX?  First, now in our fifth decade, we are reminding ourselves that we are here for the long run. We start with quality results. Our projects aim for permanent positive change as we strengthen communities and leaders that further local priorities with enduring results.  IREX’s 400 local partners around the world are forging new realities from the possibilities we help bring.  

Secondly, we are widening the circle.  IREX partners with private donors to accomplish what governments do not. We partner with governments to fashion the basic matrix for open societies.  We help corporate partners become better local citizens, fusing financial investment with jobs and local loyalty. When IREX touched over 500,000  lives in 2012, new possibilities blossomed around the world. 

In this common effort, our third view for development recognizes America’s own NGO expertise and insight as an irreplaceable asset.  IREX and many others have decades of practice translating available resources into fulfillment of local needs.  Much more is on offer if the opportunity is provided. 

Finally, perhaps we are overlooking something vital despite the times. Pundits usually focus on how to deal with major political and security concerns.  But take a look at an especially exciting possibility presented by Anne-Marie Slaughter in a Washington Post article on January 18. 

What if, she asks, we focus in 2013 and beyond on one of our most lasting and fundamental aspirations: positive, effective global development?  That could bring billions of people around the world into the middle class, with new economic, political and social influence to foster stable enduring human progress.  With such a plan, we might move past our Heisenberg moment and know both where we are and how fast we’re going.