Concern Worldwide Strategy 2016 – 2020

In developing this strategic plan, Concern Worldwide begins with the premise that the elimination of extreme poverty is no longer merely aspirational. We acknowledge the extraordinary progress of the past two decades that has lifted one billion people out of extreme poverty. However, we recognise that more than 700 million people still live on less than $1.90 a day, 795 million people go to bed hungry every night, and more than 60 million people are displaced; uprooted from their homes due to conflict and disaster.

Concern welcomes the new commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the pledges to end hunger and extreme poverty by 2030. The goals set a new global ambition, pledging to reach the poorest or ‘furthest behind first’ and ensuring that no one gets left behind. The knowledge, resources and skills exist to achieve these goals within the timeframe.

The triple burden of climate change, conflict and inequalities poses a serious risk to millions of people, in particular the poorest and most vulnerable. Ensuring no one is left behind will require a very significant redirection of resources towards fragile and least developed countries where the poorest live. While poverty rates have been cut in half, ending hunger and poverty is a different challenge that requires a shift in focus and thinking. Conflict, climate change and growing inequalities are massive obstacles to the goals. As we look to 2030, we see considerable risks that the poorest – the people we work with on a daily basis, people in endemic, long-term, dollar-a-day poverty and those affected by major crises – will get left behind.

Greater emphasis on tackling inequalities and building the resilience of vulnerable communities will be necessary. Disaster prevention, conflict mitigation and enhanced emergency response will be critical to saving future lives and catering for growing numbers of people affected by humanitarian crises. These are all areas in which Concern has considerable expertise.

Our focus will be on the poorest; from the subsistence farmer who struggles to grow enough to close the hunger gap, to mothers who cannot access basic healthcare and nutrition for their children, and to families forced to flee their homes in the wake of conflict or disaster. This strategy sets out how we intend to ensure that these people, the furthest behind, are not abandoned.

The quality of our work and our experience, matched by the loyalty of our supporters and partners, gives us the confidence to launch this ambitious global strategy. We will aim for excellence in all that we do. Scaling up our humanitarian programming, expanding our long-term development work, innovating with new technologies and practices, building new partnerships, especially with the private sector, and diversifying our income base will all be key components of our work.

In this five-year plan, we are committed to being more externally engaged, more informed, more open to opportunity, and more willing to integrate change on a continuous basis. This, combined with a work ethic and culture based on our core values and driven by our collective passion, will enable us to do as much as we can, as well as we can, for as many as we can.