Priority statements for the ISP3

Developing a coherent and aligned international strategic plan for a network of over 50 countries, working across multiple sectors, is no easy task. There is much more work still to be done in the weeks and months ahead. But these three days in Valencia, and the consultation that preceded them, have provided a good foundation for us to build our ISP3 upon.

Yesterday, as you know, we worked on developing priority statements around the three key elements of the strategic plan: the Key Trends, Action Against Hunger’s Value Proposition, and our Strategic Priorities.

Today, we voted on them.

What’s interesting to see is that there is a lot of consensus around many of the areas we consider to be important, either as influencers of our work or as areas for us to work within.

Unsurprisingly, climate change was viewed by those in the room – as it was by staff and stakeholders throughout the network – as a hugely significant trend that needs to be considered in some capacity within our next strategic plan. (If you’re interested in hearing what some of our colleagues had to say on that, click here.)

Conflict also came out strongly as a global trend affecting our work, not just as a result of increased conflict globally, but also due to the changing shape of conflict in many of the places where we work.

It’s significant to see, though, that some of the other strongest trends focused around how we work, rather than what we work on or in what environment. For example, the localisation agenda and the shift to the Global South came out as a trend for us to consider embracing, as did the increasing demand for technological innovation and evidence-based programming.

Now, these themes are not concrete or set in stone: they simply give us an indication of where we might need to be headed. Though they have helped us get closer, we’re still quite far from firming up a final plan and the challenge ahead is to decide what to prioritise. As Charles, our new CEO in Action Against Hunger USA, says: “without prioritising, it ceases to be a strategy.”

We’re ready to face that challenge head on. And as we work through that process we’ll share updates and insights with you, so you can follow how the ISP3 development is progressing see how it’s shaping up.

Watch this space.