What we work on

The impact our work has

We collaborate with our members, governments and policy-makers to influence how we can fund development sustainably. We tie our work on economic development with the SDGs, working towards the goals through sustainable funding.

We push to make new, sustainable models a reality through our collaboration, and ensure everything we do is seen through the lens of decolonisation, anti-racism and climate realities.

We do a variety of work in the sustainable economic development space, which you can find out more about here.

If you have any questions about our work on sustainable economic development, please get in touch.

Other work

We also work in a number of areas linked to sustainable economic development.

Development Financial Institutions

Since 2019 Bond is leading sector’s engagement with the UK Development finance institution (DFI) – British International Investment (BII), which is UK’s international development instrument using investment in private sector as a pathway to poverty eradication, economic growth and prosperity. Since 2022 UK ODA transfers to BII have significantly increased and will continue to increase therefore it is sector’s responsibility to provide adequate scrutiny to keep BII and FCDO as its shareholder accountable.

Over the years we have been convening dialogue sessions with BII on topics such as gender mainstreaming, responsible investing, measuring development impact, climate action, decent work etc to discuss challenges and how BII’s performance and impact could be improved. This has allowed our members to engage directly with BII on specific aspects of their investments and provide feedback and recommendations considering local social stakeholders’ perspectives.

Moreover, Bond is working on a more forward looking piece rethinking and reimagining the role and purpose of DFIs with a specific focus on localisation, focused development challenges and business model.

To join Bond’s convening with and on BII, please join our Sustainable Economic Development Working Group.

Reforming international financial architecture

Bond is convening members to share information, build shared understanding and coordinate our individual and collective efforts to support and advance reforms to make the global financial system fairer, more equitable and fit for 21st century challenges.

We use our International Financial Architecture (IFA) Working Group where we focus on issues including but not limited to debt, tax, climate and development finance, MDBs, global economic governance and trade across different political processes and multilateral spaces (G20, Springs/ annual meetings, 4th Financing for Development conference, UNGA etc).

Using this space from September 2024 until summer 2025, we will focus convening on the 4th Financing for Development conference taking place in Spain, June 2025 which offers once in 10 years opportunity to engage on finance for development agenda within UN space.

In 2023 ahead of the Paris Summit in June 2023, our media brief outlined sector’s perspectives and key recommendations, which are largely based on 3 key priorities:

1. Governance reform
2. Rethink of approaches to development
3. More and better finance.

Reforms of global financial architecture is also one of the key asks of Bond election manifesto, where we call the next UK government to proactively support progress on the reforms which is critical for rebuilding trust with partner countries and enabling all countries to finance its development needs.

Sustainable food systems

Following the Global food security summit hosted by the UK government in November 2023 and prominent attention to food systems at COP28, we are seeing foo security and food systems agenda carving out its long overdue space on the international development agenda.
Moreover, considering the growing importance of food security and food systems in the context of climate action, poverty eradication, and humanitarian emergencies, early 2024 Bond established a new working group on Food security and sustainable food systems as a space to bring together Bond members whose work is linked to food.

Bond is facilitating collaboration, information sharing, convening of members, and coordinating joint policy and advocacy activities linked to food, including but not limited to - food security, sustainable food systems, food production and trade, food and agriculture, seeds and fertilizers, nutrition, food sovereignty.

Our policy brief ahead of the UK global food security summit (Nov 2023) is here.

G7 and C7

We work with The Civil 7 (C7) Group, which is one of the official Engagement Groups of the G7, and represents the voice and perspectives from the international civil society. It provides a platform for representatives of Civil Society Organisations from around the world to collaborate, develop policy recommendations and engage in dialogue with the G7.

Get involved

Blogs and resources

We have a wealth of blogs and resources on sustainable economic development, and regularly host events and webinars on the subject.