International Issues

US, EU Grantmaker Groups Publish Accountability Principles for International Philanthropy

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The Council on Foundations (COF) and the European Foundation Center have published Principles of Accountability for International Philanthropy, the result of a two-year consultative process of grantmakers and stakeholders from four continents. The COF press release announcing the document says:

Clinton's Speech Stresses "A New Generation" for State and Civil Society Relations

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Date: 
May 11, 2009

Speaking at the Global Philanthropy Forum Conference in Washington, D.C., Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the audience that the State Department's doors are "wide open" to engage and collaborate with civil society organizations. The April 22, 2009 speech served as another platform for Clinton to promote her "smart power" strategy that emphasizes an increased role for aid and development in American foreign policy.

Sri Lankan Government Denies Entry to Aid Groups, Raising Humanitarian Law Questions

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Date: 
June 8, 2009

Even as the catastrophic human tragedy unfolds in Sri Lanka, the island's government is refusing to allow aid workers or journalists into the country, banning the delivery of humanitarian relief outside of the official camps. With at least 50,000 civilians unable to escape the exchange of gunfire and shelling between the military and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) along the northeastern coast of Sri Lanka, a UN spokesman described the disintegrating situation as a "bloodbath." The Sri Lankan government's actions have directly jeopardized the lives and security of tens of thousands of citizens, violating long accepted standards for humanitarian aid. 

Report: International Grantmaking Expected to Increase Despite Economic Woes

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Date: 
May 11, 2009

In February 2009, the Foundation Center released an encouraging analysis of international grantmaking for 2009 and beyond. International Grantmaking IV: An Update on U.S. Foundation Trends analyzes current and future trends of foundation giving to NGOs supporting international projects and programs. According to the report, despite the global economic downturn, the "prospects for international giving in the near term are less pessimistic" than many had anticipated. This makes removal of barriers to philanthropy caused by counterterrorism measures more important than ever.

GAO Report on Public Diplomacy Creates Opportunity for Nonprofits to Show Benefits of International Programs

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Date: 
June 8, 2009

The General Accountability Office released U.S. Public Diplomacy: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight on May 27, 2009. It finds weaknesses in U.S. international communications efforts and notes that the President must issue a new comprehensive communications and public diplomacy strategy by December 2009. Recommendations call for a "clear definition of the problem, desired results, and a delineation of agency roles and responsibilities." Development of a new strategy creates an opportunity for the U.S. nonprofit sector to urge greater recognition of the role of philanthropy and aid and development programs in countering violent extremism, and development of policies that encourage and facilitate that work. 

UK Charity Commission: Interpal Not Supporting Terror Groups

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Date: 
April 9, 2009

A Feb. 27, 2009 report by the United Kingdom's Charity Commission into the activities of Palestinians Relief and Development Fund (Interpal) concluded the charity is not funding or supporting groups sponsoring terrorism. The Commission ordered improvements in procedures for choosing and overseeing local charity partners in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Jordan and Lebanon. It also recognized the importance of charities that conduct aid related activities in "high-risk" areas of the world and acknowledged the dangers they face. The UK process is starkly different from the United States approach of shutting down suspected charities and freezing all assets indefinitely.

US Designation Causes British Bank Discontinuing Services to UK Approved Charity

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Date: 
April 9, 2009

Lloyds TSB, one of London's most prominent banks, was pressured into discontinuing financial services to Interpal, a UK based nonprofit, due to ongoing allegations in the UK and the United State's designation of the charity as a terrorist related organization.  Despite two investigations (1996 and 2003) finding no evidence of wrongdoing by the UK Charity Commissions, which monitors and regulates UK based charities, Interpal remains a target of sanctions for terror-related financing.

Future Unclear for Pakistani Charity's Services after UN Listing as Terror Supporter

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Date: 
April 9, 2009

Two months after the December 2008 shut down of a Pakistani charity, the fate of people served by hospitals, schools and refugee camps in areas hard hit by an October 2008 earthquake is uncertain.

U.S. Terror Listing Hurts Banking Services for British NGOs

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Date: 
June 28, 2009

The influence of the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is widely believed to be behind the December 2008 decision of Barclays bank to discontinue the account of a predominantly Islamic UK charity, Ummah Welfare Trust (UWT).

Charity Interpal Cleared in UK, Banned in US

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Date: 
June 28, 2009

On Feb. 27, 2009 the Palestinians Relief and Development Fund (Interpal) was cleared of supporting terrorism in the third inquiry into its activities by the United Kingdom's (UK) Charity Commission.  The charity also overcame hurdles to financing its operations created by two prominent banks that withdrew their financial services in response to the United States (U.S) listing of Interpal as a supporter of terrorism.