ReliefWeb

Reaching the Furthest Behind First

Responding to the climate, conflict and hunger crises in the poorest and most fragile contexts.

Introduction

This plan sets out Concern’s five year ambition to achieve the greatest possible impact for those left furthest behind; mobilising our global network to respond to rising poverty, hunger and humanitarian needs while facilitating community empowerment at the furthest frontiers of an increasingly fragile world. It is as much about the character of Concern as it is about our goals and objectives, building on more than 50 years experience and a hard-earned reputation as a professional, responsive organisation that is accountable and focused on what matters.

Our work is set within the overall ambition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and on the resolution in the opening declaration ‘to reach the furthest behind first’, the most vulnerable communities, and those in extreme poverty who have traditionally been left behind but have consistently been the focus of Concern’s work.

The plan presents an ambitious vision for even greater impact at a time when conflict, climate change and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically deepened the scale of need and vulnerability around the world. It is about retaining our focus, doing more and doing it better.

Our focus: Remains resolutely on extremely poor people, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, and those caught up in emergencies and the effects of the intensifying climate crisis. This is where, since 2000, Concern has strategically focused, and this focus will remain.

People-centred programming: Drawing on our long-standing commitment to high quality people-centred programming, we will strengthen capacity at the local level to enhance emergency preparedness, community resilience and pathways towards sustainable development.

Influencing: We will use our global positioning to influence change at a national and international level, with a primary focus on hunger, conflict and climate change.

Mobilising: We will expand our global network of 230,000 supporters and leverage our reputation with key donors to achieve greater impact and wider momentum for change.

Agility and urgency: In what is an increasingly volatile and unpredictable world, we will work hard to enhance our organisational culture of agility and responsiveness to crises.

Ways of working: We will harness the potential of remote and flexible ways of working, while retaining the necessity and power of being on the ground, and the value of working together in person.

Valued and diverse: We will continue to build a diverse workforce that is valued, committed and capable of working effectively in the varied contexts in which we operate.

Throughout the lifespan of this plan, we will hold our organisational values at the core of everything we do, while subscribing to the highest standards of accountability and transparency, delivering on the trust that has been placed in us by the communities we work with and those who generously support our work and our mission.