From the CEO

  • May 29, 2015

    Cognitive dissonance in the development community

    Written by
    Patrick Fine, Chief Executive Officer, FHI 360

    There is an interesting contradiction emerging in the international development community in the run-up to July’s third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and September’s U.N. General Assembly in New York, where member states are expected to adopt the new sustainable development goals.

    On one hand, there is growing recognition of the value of more comprehensive programs that integrate interventions such as combining HIV and AIDS and reproductive health services, or nutrition and basic education, or women’s rights and income-generating activities. The planning for the goals has been accompanied by a growing chorus to adopt the common-sense use of integrated approaches.

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  • April 27, 2015

    In support of those affected by Nepal disaster

    Written by
    Patrick Fine, Chief Executive Officer, FHI 360

    On behalf of my colleagues at FHI 360, I extend my heartfelt condolences to those affected by Saturday’s catastrophic earthquake outside Kathmandu. Our thoughts and prayers are with those suffering from this tragedy. I am deeply relieved that all of FHI 360’s Bangladesh, India and Nepal staff are accounted for and safe.

    Our organization has deep roots in Nepal. We are privileged to work alongside talented, inspiring Nepali and international partners. We stand with them now, offering all the support we possibly can, and will continue to do so as this crisis unfolds.

    The full human impact of the earthquake remains unknown, but FHI 360 will work closely with our partners to understand how we can best support the relief effort.

    Thanks to each of you who have reached out to express your concern for our team.

  • March 17, 2015

    International development’s awkward stage

    Written by
    Patrick Fine, Chief Executive Officer, FHI 360
    Kristin M. Lord, President and CEO , IREX

    We all know that children are the future. We have seen the commercials picturing heartbreaking photos of children in need or adorable youngsters with the brightest of dreams, and asking for donations to support them. Such attention has made a difference. Children globally are healthier and better educated than at any time in human history. According to a 2014 U.N. report on the Millennium Development Goals, the enrollment rate in primary education in developing regions increased from 83 percent to 90 percent over just the last decade. In addition, the child mortality rate has almost halved since 1990, with 6 million fewer children dying in 2012 than in 1990. These are achievements that development organizations — and the taxpayers who support them — should be proud of, having plowed billions into primary education, vaccinations, and other efforts that have helped young boys and girls around the world.

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  • March 2, 2015

    The specter of segregation haunts global health

    Written by
    Patrick Fine, Chief Executive Officer, FHI 360
    Leith Greenslade, Vice Chair, Office of the U.N. Special Envoy for Financing the Health Millennium Development Goals

    There is no question that the greatest health achievements under the Millennium Development Goals have focused on single diseases. Arresting the spread of HIV and AIDS and malaria is perhaps the most significant development success of the new century. And vaccination, especially of measles, is one of the reasons that deaths among older children have fallen faster than deaths among infants or women during pregnancy and childbirth.

    In contrast, the lowest-performing areas across all eight MDGs — reducing infant and maternal deaths — are targets that don’t lend themselves to a single disease strategy. Just six countries have met the MDG target for reducing infant deaths, and only 15 countries have achieved the target for reducing maternal deaths.

    Could these targets have actually been achieved if we had pursued an integrated approach to advancing the health of women and children? Did our fascination with and confidence in the segregation of single-disease initiatives cost us achievement in other areas requiring more complex solutions?

    Read the remainder of the blog here.

  • January 31, 2015

    Let’s get real in Addis: The high cost of people-centered development

    Written by
    Patrick Fine, Chief Executive Officer, FHI 360

    When heads of state, ministers of finance and leaders of the international development community gather in Addis Ababa this July for the Third Conference on Financing for Development, I hope that the discussion will be grounded in the hard realities facing the least-developed countries struggling to provide basic services to their growing populations.

    I also hope that conference participants rise above the popular but misleading narrative that the private sector is the panacea.

    Looking to the private sector as the primary source of financing for development is particularly seductive for two reasons: Statistical evidence seems to support the argument, and it provides a rationale for reducing official development assistance at a time when donor nations are struggling with debt and budget crises.

    However, placing unrealistic expectations on the private sector to meet basic needs in health, education and public administration clouds a critical debate.

    Part of the problem is definition. “Private sector financing” is one of those catch-all terms. It encompasses business spending (foreign and domestic direct investment), remittances from migration in a globalized world, user fees to private providers of public services, and large-scale private philanthropy that has exploded out of the technology revolution.

    Read the remainder of the blog here.

  • January 5, 2015

    Words count!

    Written by
    Patrick Fine, Chief Executive Officer, FHI 360

    Let’s start the New Year by looking at how we talk about development. It is striking how certain concepts and buzzwords rally people around ideas and mobilize us into action. The buzzwords themselves become powerful change agents. Yet, when they mature into unquestioned orthodoxy, they can restrict our vision and dull our understanding. Here are two buzzwords we love to use in development that are ripe for a deeper look.

    Sustainability

    Development and sustainability go together like bricks and mortar. But this term now has two distinct meanings in development parlance. One meaning refers to policies and actions that safeguard the environment and do not deplete our natural resources. This meaning has gained currency over the last 15 years. The second, and at least in my experience more common use, refers to a recipient partner’s interest and ability to continue projects or reforms financed by donors once donor funding ends. This use is closely associated with the concept of country ownership. When USAID adopted sustainable development as its credo in the mid-1990s, it was a response to the criticism that donor-funded projects collapsed when the funding ran out, often up-ending years of effort. This was partly a result of donors not wanting to take on recurrent costs that were seen as the partner’s responsibility. The lack of serious planning for recurrent costs remains a major challenge in international development.

    Yet, should sustainable development even be an objective in a world where technology is changing everything around us at an exponential rate? Do we really want to sustain yesterday’s solutions? I think not.

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  • November 7, 2014

    Technology alone is not enough

    Written by
    Patrick Fine, Chief Executive Officer, FHI 360

    In 1879, Thomas Edison unveiled his incandescent light bulb. Within six years, electric power had spread across the nation and ignited an explosion of invention that created new industries and thousands of jobs and transformed every aspect of society. A century later, in 1978, Steve Jobs introduced the Apple personal computer and unleashed another wave of innovation that reaffirmed our faith in the power and potential of technology to drive human progress.

    I was reminded just how high our expectations are for technology at two events in September: the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Frontiers of Development conference and the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting, each of which showcased inventions, tools and concepts to improve public health and raise living standards. A few of the breakthrough innovations highlighted at these events or in recently announced grants include:

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  • October 9, 2014

    Integrated development: Advancing the conversation

    Written by
    Patrick fine, Chief Executive Officer, FHI 360

    A version of this post originally appeared on The Huffington Post. Reposted with permission.

    The global challenges we face today are more complex, more demanding and increasingly, more interconnected than ever before. Shouldn’t the solutions we seek be more integrated, too?

    Last month in New York, FHI 360 brought together a group of distinguished leaders from across the development community to advance the conversation about integrated development. In a panel discussion, titled “Does 1+1=3: Proving the Integration Hypothesis,” representatives from the United Nations, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), academia, international nongovernmental organizations and others offered diverse perspectives on the topic.

    The discussion began with a deceptively simple question: What do we mean by integrated development? “We know when it’s lacking,” said Kiari Liman-Tinguiri, adding that while we need to move forward, we also need the solid evidence to show where and when synergy and integration work.

    It is not as simple as co-locating projects and programs or layering related interventions such as polio shots and vitamin distribution, added other panelists. Mark Viso, CEO of PACT, noted that vertical integration is messy, is often difficult and requires tackling systemic issues, such as capacity. It is also critical to create an enabling environment and engage business and markets. University of Washington professor Judd Walson added, “It’s integrating staff, management and funding, and you don’t often see that.”

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  • September 22, 2014

    A new commitment to advancing integrated development

    FHI 360 is launching a major initiative in New York City during CGI’s Annual Meeting through a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action. This investment will help FHI 360 and its partners explore the benefits and challenges of integrated programing. We will study whether and how integrated programs produce an amplified impact, and if so, to what degree these approaches are cost-efficient and sustainable.

    In a video message, CEO Patrick Fine called the commitment an unprecedented opportunity for FHI 360 and its partners to collectively reflect on what the development community is doing well and how we can leverage resources to build a better, safer and more prosperous world for all.

    FHI 360 makes a commitment to integrated development from FHI 360 on Vimeo.

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  • September 19, 2014

    Does 1+1=3? Proving the integration hypothesis

    Written by
    Patrick Fine, Chief Executive Officer, FHI 360

    integrationhypothesisLast month, we began the 500-day countdown to the conclusion of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Policymakers, the private sector, civil society groups and academics worldwide are all taking stock of progress in achieving the eight MDGs and asking, “Where are the gaps? What can we do differently? What would a post-2015 framework look like?”

    While we don’t yet have the answers to these questions, it is clear that there is much more work to be done. We are now living in a world where emerging economic, technological and demographic shifts have created more sophisticated and demanding challenges. From dramatic climate changes and rapid urbanization to a growing youth bulge, these shifts are putting previous investments at risk and forcing us to rethink how to tackle increasingly complex development challenges.

    We need to get smarter about how we approach development.

    On September 23rd in New York, as world leaders gather at the United Nations, an important conversation will be taking place down the street. Moderated by Al Jazeera journalist Femi Oke, a discussion titled “Does 1+1=3? Proving the Integration Hypothesis” will bring together academics, funders and representatives of governments, business and implementing organizations to reignite a discussion on integrated approaches to human development.

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