Informal survey of the NGO community regarding engagement of private international capital flows

The purpose of the survey was to gain a sense of how the community of non-governmental organizations that until recently focused on multilateral development bank reform is responding to the rise of private investment flows to developing and transition economies. Survey participants were interviewed on a not-for-attribution basis, and were asked to comment on the opportunities and challenges facing their own organizations, as well as the broader NGO community. In particular, participants were asked about the appropriate allocation of NGO resources to private sector issues; gaps in capacity or knowledge related to private sector issues; potential allies in addressing this agenda; and plans for future program development. A listing of the organizations surveyed is included.

Summary & Highlights

Survey participants were asked to comment on whether NGO attention to the role of the private sector in sustainable development was currently overweighted, underweighted, or appropriate to the significance of the issue. Responses were a mix between “underweighted” and “appropriate,” with several respondents remarking that the community is currently in a period of flux. Several participants expressed concern that the new focus on the private sector should not come at the expense of continued engagement with the multilateral development banks:

• “There are already limited resources, and I worry about a shift away from the Bank/IMF which still needs constant pressure.”
• “International institutions are still really, really important. I think there might be a danger in this new shift towards the private sector that public institutions might be neglected.”

When asked about program development currently underway, most respondents alluded to some reallocation of resources toward private sector issues already underway, and more plans to shift in that direction. The most commonly noted areas of increased focus were:

• attention to the private sector engagements of multilateral development banks;
• attention to export credit agencies and other host country policy hooks and upward harmonization to be pursued through the OECD and G-7 fora;
• NGO training in financial literacy; and
• partnership with the corporate accountability movement and advocacy targeted at financial analysts and investors.