Aga Khan Foundation Canada

La diplomatie numérique
2015-11-19 | Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, 199 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1N 1K6, Canada
19 novembre 2015 – La diplomatie numérique, parfois appelée « twiplomatie » (un amalgame de Twitter et diplomatie), désigne l’utilisation des technologies numériques pour entrer en contact avec des populations étrangères en vue d’atteindre des objectifs internationaux. À l’échelle mondiale, Facebook, Twitter, Qzone et Snapchat comptent plus d’un milliard d’utilisateurs quotidiens. La connectivité numérique a rendu le monde plus petit et a ainsi changé la vie quotidienne de milliards de personnes. Des agriculteurs des régions rurales du Bangladesh ont ainsi accès aux marchés, les femmes et les enfants de la Tanzanie ont accès à des services de santé à distance, et l’accès à l’information s’est amélioré partout dans le monde, rendant ainsi les gouvernements plus redevables envers leurs citoyens.

La diplomatie numérique, parfois appelée « twiplomatie » (un amalgame de Twitter et diplomatie), désigne l’utilisation des technologies numériques pour entrer en contact avec des populations étrangères en vue d’atteindre des objectifs internationaux. À l’échelle mondiale, Facebook, Twitter, Qzone et Snapchat comptent plus d’un milliard d’utilisateurs quotidiens. La connectivité numérique a rendu le monde plus petit et a ainsi changé la vie quotidienne de milliards de personnes. Des agriculteurs des régions rurales du Bangladesh ont ainsi accès aux marchés, les femmes et les enfants de la Tanzanie ont accès à des services de santé à distance, et l’accès à l’information s’est amélioré partout dans le monde, rendant ainsi les gouvernements plus redevables envers leurs citoyens.
Ces développements ne se sont pas limités aux individus. De plus en plus, les gouvernements et d’autres instances utilisent ces plateformes pour parler directement aux citoyens. Certains ciblent une action directe. Par exemple, des ONG internationales comme le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge utilisent des mots-clics Twitter pour acheminer des dons vers des crises humanitaires particulières. D’autres formes de diplomatie numérique sont plus larges et concernent davantage des positions de politique étrangère. En guise d’exemple, le gouvernement du Canada s’est adressé directement au peuple iranien par Twitter.
Il ne fait aucun doute que la connectivité et l’utilisation de la diplomatie numérique sont des moteurs de changement social, ce qui entraîne des conséquences négatives. En effet, la diffusion d’idées et de sentiments a mené à des perturbations sociales, de la violence et de la radicalisation.
La diplomatie numérique est-elle réellement la clé d’un avenir meilleur, comme l’affirment certains? Quels sont certains des risques latents d’une telle approche ouverte? Quels avantages offre-t-elle? Et comment le Canada pourrait-il l’utiliser à bon escient pour avancer vers ses objectifs de politique étrangère?
Allez voir le blogue de thePanel sur la diplomatie numérique!

Détails de l’événement :
Cet événement a déjà eu lieu.
Regardez la webémission (en anglais seulement) :

John Stackhouse, Vice-président principal , Bureau du chef de la direction, RBC, ancien rédacteur en chef du Globe and Mail
Taylor Owen, professeur de médias numériques et d’affaires internationales à l’Université de la Colombie-Britannique, chercheur principal au Centre Tow pour le journalisme numérique à la Columbia School of Journalism, et fondateur d’OpenCanada.org
Martha McLean, Directeur adjoint , communications en ligne et de l’engagement , des affaires Global Canada
Sébastien Beaulieu, Directeur général , Relations Moyen -Orient, des affaires Global Canada et ancien ambassadeur du Canada en Tunisie
Modératrice : Mercedes Stephenson, de CTV

En partenariat avec :

Soutien financier :

L’Afghanistan découvert : La journaliste May Jeong raconte les histoires de l’Afghanistan de l’intérieur
2015-11-06 - 2015-11-09
6 et 9 novembre 2015 – Il y a trois ans, la journaliste indépendante primée May Jeong a fait ses valises au Canada et est partie s’installer à Kaboul afin de découvrir des histoires qui seraient autrement passées inaperçues en Afghanistan. Depuis, ses reportages sont parus dans The Globe and Mail, The Guardian et The New York Times. Ils racontent des histoires remplies d’espoir de personnes et d’organisations qui contribuent au progrès en Afghanistan.

Les participants se sont joints à nous pour cette présentation et séance de questions-réponses et pour en apprendre plus sur l’histoire de Mme Jeong, sur les raisons pour lesquelles elle prévoit rester en Afghanistan et sur ses prédictions par rapport à ce pays et ses habitants.
Détails de l’événement :
Cet événement a déjà eu lieu à l’Université Carleton et l’Université Ryerson.
Joignez-vous à la conversation! @AKFCanada

May Jeong

May Jeong est une journaliste indépendante primée basée à Kaboul, en Afghanistan. Ses articles sont parus dans des publications comme The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times et Marie Claire, entre autres. Son travail journalistique sur le prix de la guerre en Afghanistan pour le Financial Times lui a valu l’édition 2014 du prix « Best in Business Award » de la Society of American Business Editors and Writers.
Mme Jeong a été finaliste aux Prix du magazine canadien, dans la catégorie des meilleurs nouveaux auteurs de magazine, pour son article de 2012 paru dans le Toronto Life, qui exposait un scandale de viol de groupe dans une communauté d’immigrants à Toronto. Avant de se lancer à la pige, elle a travaillé dans les salles de nouvelles du Globe and Mail, de Reuters et du Daily Star à Beyrouth, au Liban. Elle a effectué des reportages en Afghanistan, au Pakistan, en Inde, au Liban, en Indonésie et en Ouganda. En 2015, elle a remporté une bourse journalistique de l’International Women’s Media Foundation.
Fondation Aga Khan Canada :
La Fondation Aga Khan Canada (la Fondation) est un organisme de développement international sans but lucratif qui œuvre en Asie et en Afrique pour trouver des solutions durables aux problèmes complexes qui sous-tendent la pauvreté dans le monde. La Fondation se concentre sur un nombre restreint de défis de développement dans les domaines de la santé, de l’éducation, du développement rural et du renforcement de la société civile. Au Canada, la Fondation recueille des fonds, établit des partenariats avec des institutions canadiennes et favorise la discussion et l’apprentissage autour d’enjeux liés au développement international. Établie en 1980, la Fondation est un organisme de bienfaisance enregistré au Canada et un membre du regroupement international Réseau Aga Khan de développement.

Soutien financier :

Executive Masterclass – Roshan: Light At The End Of The Tunnel In Afghanistan
2015-11-06
Roshan Telecom, established in 2003 at the height of the Afghan war, has been widely cited as an exemplary model of corporate social responsibility, bringing mobile connectivity, economic opportunity, healthcare, and education to Afghanistan. The story of Roshan is one of unexpected transformation: of a private sector enterprise contributing to the social and economic development of Afghanistan through mobile connectivity. And the lessons drawn from the Roshan experience have significant value well beyond Afghanistan.
The masterclass aimed to engage key Canadian stakeholders in a dynamic, interactive exploration of the Roshan experience as a means to inspire new thinking on the potential of private enterprise to spur transformative social and economic development, even in fragile contexts. It further provided a particular opportunity to examine the critical role that communications technology can play in supporting social and economic development globally – especially in remote or marginalized communities.
The Executive Masterclass used the 2010 Harvard Business School case study, Roshan: Light at the end of the tunnel in Afghanistan to enable participants to actively explore the successes, challenges and operating environment that Roshan had to navigate.
The masterclass was facilitated by Shawn A. Cole from Harvard Business School and Karim Khoja, CEO of Roshan, who provided additional insights, perspectives on evolving challenges and opportunities, not only in Afghanistan, but in other developing and emerging economies.
Event details:This event has taken place.

Karim Khoja: Chief Executive Officer, Roshan Telecom, AfghanistanKarim Khoja has over 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, including starting and managing extremely successful GSM companies in Pakistan, Poland, Croatia, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Under his leadership, Roshan has grown to be Afghanistan’s market leader, with more than six and a half million customers. Mr. Khoja started his GSM career as CEO for Mobilink in Pakistan, and then launched Era GSM in Poland. He then went on to spin out the mobile company, T Mobile, from the incumbent Croatia Telecom.
Over the course of the last eleven years, Mr. Khoja has dedicated his time to the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) to bring competition and best practices to the telecommunication industry in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. He has focused not only on financial results, but also on how technology can be used to change lives. Recently AKFED has also expanded its operations in Africa, where Mr. Khoja serves on the Board of SMART Telecom.
Mr. Khoja serves on the Board of several international companies. He is the Chairman of the Afghan Investment Climate facility (Harakat), a £30m fund to encourage private enterprise, an advisor to the GSMA Development Fund and, until a year ago, an Associate Board Member of the Legatum Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Shawn A. Cole: John G. McLean Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business SchoolShawn Cole is a professor in the Finance Unit at Harvard Business School, where he teaches and conducts research on financial services and social enterprise. Much of his research examines corporate and household finance in emerging markets, with a focus on insurance, credit, and savings. He has also done extensive work on financial education in the US and emerging markets. His recent research focuses on designing and delivering advice and education over mobile phones, with an emphasis on agricultural and financial management.
He has worked in China, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Vietnam. He is an affiliate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development. He is on the board of the Jameel Poverty Action Lab, as the co-chair for research. Before joining the Harvard Business School, Professor Cole worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in the economic research department. He has served on the Boston Federal Reserve’s Community Development Research Advisory Council, serves as an external advisor to the Gates Foundation, and was the chair of the endowment management committee of the Telluride Association, a non-profit educational organization.
He received a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2005, where he was an NSF and Javits Fellow, and an A.B. in Economics and German Literature from Cornell University. His work on insurance earned the 2015 “Shin Research Excellence Award;” in 2015 he was also named given a “Faculty Pioneer Award” from the Aspen Institute.

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Roshan: Canada’s Legacy in Afghanistan
2015-11-05
It’s the country’s largest investor, and it made Fortune’s first ever Change the World list of businesses making an impact. By offering mobile money transfers, the company extends financial services to the 97% of Afghans who can’t access banks. It also supports telemedicine applications, allowing doctors in remote areas to diagnose patients and even perform surgery. And Afghan youth, who make up the majority of the population, are using mobile phones to find their voice through social media.
Spur and Aga Khan Foundation Canada invited Roshan CEO and Canadian native Karim Khoja to a discussion of the mobile tech sector in Afghanistan. The event was moderated by May Jeong, an award-winning freelance writer based in Afghanistan.
Spur’s free festival opener took place on Thursday, November 5th, at the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat. It was followed by a public reception. This event was undertaken with financial support from Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada.
Event details:This event has taken place. Watch the webcast:

More information:
Karim Khoja
Karim Khoja, Chief Executive Officer of Roshan, has over 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, including starting and managing extremely successful GSM companies in Pakistan, Poland, Croatia, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
Under his leadership, Roshan has grown to be Afghanistan’s market leader, with more than six and a half million customers. Mr. Khoja started his GSM career as CEO for Mobilink in Pakistan, and then launched Era GSM in Poland. He then went on to spin out the mobile company, T Mobile, from the incumbent Croatia Telecom.
Over the course of the last eleven years, Mr. Khoja has dedicated his time to the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) to bring competition and best practices to the telecommunication industry in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. He has focused not only on financial results, but also on how technology can be used to change lives.
Mr. Khoja serves on the Board of several international companies. Recently AKFED has also expanded its operations in Africa where Mr. Khoja serves on the Board of SMART Telecom. He is the Chairman of the Afghan Investment Climate facility (Harakat), a £30m fund to encourage private enterprise, an advisor to the GSMA Development Fund and until a year ago a Associate Board Member of the Legatum Center at MIT.
May Jeong

May Jeong is an awardwinning freelance writer based in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her work has been published in such publications as The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times, The Guardian, the Financial Times and Marie Claire among others. Her reporting on the cost of war in Afghanistan for the Financial Times won her the 2014 Society of American Business Editors and Writers’ Best in Business Award.
May was a finalist for the Canadian National Magazine Award in the Best New Magazine Writer category for her 2012 Toronto Life article, which exposed a gang rape scandal in an immigrant community in Toronto. Before freelancing, she worked in newsrooms at The Globe and Mail, Reuters and The Daily Star in Beirut, Lebanon. May has reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Lebanon, Indonesia and Uganda. She is a 2015 International Women’s Media Foundation reporting fellow.
Aga Khan Foundation Canada:
Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) is a non-profit international development agency, working in Asia and Africa to find sustainable solutions to the complex problems causing global poverty. AKFC concentrates on a small number of specific development challenges in health, education, rural development and civil society. In Canada, AKFC raises funds, builds partnerships with Canadian institutions, and promotes discussion and learning on international development issues. Established in 1980, AKFC is a registered Canadian charity and an agency of the worldwide Aga Khan Development Network.
Spur Festival
Spur is a national festival of politics, art and ideas and is a catalyst for change in Canada.
Through nationally relevant and locally nuanced discussions, presentations and performances, the festival seeks to spur its participants to action on issues affecting Canadians. Feisty, multi-partisan, forward-looking, and solution-driven, this national railway of ideas will provide Canada with vital new cultural infrastructure for the 21st century.
Founded in 2013, the festival has already grown from three to five Canadian cities, with plans for further expansion across the country. Produced by the Literary Review of Canada in partnership with Diaspora Dialogues, Spur prides itself on its community partnerships, cultural connections and a focus on accessibility and diversity.

In partnership with:

Undertaken with the financial support of:

The Audacity of Beauty: 30 Years in Haiti through the Lens of Maggie Steber
2015-11-01
Photo: “Mother’s Funeral” by Maggie Steber
In this special event series, Maggie shared her approach to photography, lessons learned during a career spanning more than 30 years and 66 countries, and what keeps drawing her back to Haiti.

Event details:This event has taken place at Red River College in Winnipeg, the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Mount Royal University in Calgary, and the University of Regina in Regina.
Join the conversation – #AudacityOfBeauty @AKFCanada
More information:
Maggie’s online project on Haiti: The Audacity of Beauty

Maggie Steber is a documentary photographer who has worked in 66 countries. Her honors include the Leica Medal of Excellence, World Press Photo Foundation, the Overseas Press Club, Pictures of the Year, the Medal of Honor for Distinguished Service to Journalism from the University of Missouri, the Alicia Patterson Grant, the Ernst Haas Grant, and a Knight Foundation grant for the New American Newspaper project.
For over three decades, Steber has worked in Haiti. Aperture published her monograph, DANCING ON FIRE. In 2013 Steber was named as one of eleven Women of Vision by National Geographic Magazine, publishing a book and touring an exhibition in five cities. Steber has served as a Newsweek Magazine contract photographer and as the Assistant Managing Editor of Photography and Features at The Miami Herald, overseeing projects that won a Pulitzer and were twice finalists for the award. She served as a jurist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize awards. Her work is included in the Library of Congress and The Richter Library among others, and she has exhibited internationally. Clients include National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, AARP, The Guardian, and Geo Magazine.
Steber teaches workshops internationally including at the World Press Joop Swart Master Classes, the International Center for Photography, Foundry Workshops, and the Obscura Photo Festival.

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Graphic stories, graphic novels: Photojournalist Marc Ellison on pushing the boundaries of digital storytelling
2015-09-22
Event details:This event has taken place.
More information:
Listen to this podcast, featuring Marc and other journalists who are using graphic novels for non-fiction reporting: Are comics breaking into the mainstream for journalism?
Marc Ellison:
Marc Ellison is an award-winning journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. Currently Marc is a data journalist for the BBC, and a freelance photojournalist. He has produced multimedia work from Canada, Mali, Mozambique, South Sudan, Uganda, and the United Kingdom.
Marc has a diverse background with a BA (Hons.) in History, an MSc in Computer Science, and a Masters of Journalism from Carleton University. With this unique skill-set, Marc bridges the disciplines of journalism and IT, and is passionate about building online databases, coding webscrapers, and using freedom of information laws to access data sets.
His other journalism experience includes work for 60 Minutes, Al Jazeera English, BBC, The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, The Vancouver Sun, CBC, The Guardian, VICE magazine, MTV Canada, Canadian Geographic, IDRC, Uganda’s Mega FM, South Sudan’s The New Nation, OpenFile Ottawa and Vancouver, The Ottawa Citizen, and The Vancouver Observer.
Marc won a Canadian Association of Journalists award for his work with female Ugandan child soldiers, the inaugural Canadian Open Data Innovation Award for his ‘Lobby Watch’ series in the Toronto Star, an IDRC Award for International Journalism, the Martin Newland Award for Print Reporting, and the World Bank’s 2013 Picture Inequality photo competition.
In 2015, he became one of the inaugural recipients of the Fellowship for International Development Reporting, supported by Aga Khan Foundation Canada and the Canadian Association of Journalists, to report on child marriage in Tanzania for The Toronto Star.
He has covered a broad range of topics: the reintegration of female child soldiers in Uganda; bed bugs in social housing; refugees in South Sudan; missing First Nations women in Canada; the prostitution highway in Mozambique; reality radio shows in Mali; gay rights; crisis mapping; mining; child soldiers living in Canada; African cyber-crime; crime; municipal and federal elections; education in Indian schools; and even burlesque dancing.
Aga Khan Foundation Canada:
Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) is a non-profit international development agency, working in Asia and Africa to find sustainable solutions to the complex problems causing global poverty. AKFC concentrates on a small number of specific development challenges in health, education, rural development and civil society. In Canada, AKFC raises funds, builds partnerships with Canadian institutions, and promotes discussion and learning on international development issues. Established in 1980, AKFC is a registered Canadian charity and an agency of the worldwide Aga Khan Development Network.
To help Canadians develop a greater understanding of complex global issues, AKFC works to promote informed, in-depth media coverage of the developing world.
AKFC regularly hosts events on topics of media and development with a range of audiences across the country, and works with individual journalists to support reporting on international development. The Young Professionals in Media fellowship launches the careers of young Canadian journalists, through eight-month reporting placements with Nation Media Group, East Africa’s leading media house. For more experienced journalists, AKFC collaborates with the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) to manage and support the Fellowship for International Development Reporting. This program provides journalists with $25,000 in funding to undertake reporting projects on developing world issues.

In partnership with Humber College – Lakeshore Campus.
Undertaken with the financial support of:

Together: a workshop on global development
2015-09-01 - 2015-10-31
September and October 2015 – Aga Khan Foundation Canada invited Canadians to join a conversation about Canada’s role in reducing global poverty. This participatory workshop explored effective solutions to some of the most pressing challenges communities are facing at home and globally. Participants left the workshop with ideas on how they could take action as global citizens.

The workshop coincided with stops that Together: an exhibition on global development was making at university campuses across Southern Ontario. Housed in a custom-built truck, Together is an interactive, bilingual experience for all ages, highlighting Canadian contributions to positive change around the world.
Want to know more about Together? Watch this.
Event details:
This event has taken place at Humber College, the University of Toronto Scarborough, Trent University, the University of Guelph, and the University of Waterloo.

Are you as excited about the exhibition as we are? Help spread the word. Follow the exhibition’s journey and join the conversation on Twitter using #AllForChange.
To learn more about the Together exhibition, including where it is going next, email exhibit@akfc.ca or visit www.akfc.ca/together.

This event is undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.

Canada Day at Pier 21
2015-06-30 - 2015-07-02
June 30 – July 2, 2015 – On Canada Day, participants celebrated how Canadians are driving global change. Together: An exhibition on global development rolled into Halifax, stopping at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 for three days – Tuesday, June 30 to Thursday, July 2.

What is Together? Watch this:

Together: An exhibition on global development
Event details:
This event has taken place.
Spread the word
Are you as excited about the exhibition as we are? Join the conversation on Twitter using #AllForChange.
Two inspiring global citizens
Together transports visitors around the globe with powerful photography and videos, an interactive world map, a global citizen skills quiz, and unique objects from global development projects in Africa and Asia. Visitors enjoyed meeting AKFC program officers who have seen how Canadian efforts are improving lives.
Dr. Fawad Akbari, Senior Program Manager, AKFC – Dr. Akbari discussed health initiatives in Afghanistan, including construction of the new Bamyan Hospital.
Hilary Clauson, Program Officer, AKFC – Hilary discussed how strengthening education programs in East Africa supports the development of future leaders in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Learn more about Together
To learn more about the Together exhibition, including where it is going next, email exhibit@akfc.ca or visit akfc.ca/together.

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Emerging Economies: Beyond Aid
2015-06-17
Participants joined AKFC for a roundtable discussion on the current and future state of the developing world and the changing role of donors.
Event details:This event has taken place.
Undertaken with the financial support of:

From Kenya to the Kyrgyz Republic: Celebrating AKFC’s International Youth Fellows
2015-06-11
The reception featured remarks from award-winning Nigerian journalist Chika Oduah. Participants joined us for refreshments, a live DJ, and a chance to connect with fellows.
Event details:This event has taken place.
To learn more about the life-changing impact the fellowship program has had on young Canadians, watch this video.

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Think Local, Go Global: How Africa’s journalists can change the channel on global news
2015-06-09
Africa’s journalists have in-depth knowledge of local stories – and with improved training and technology, they now also have the skills and resources to report on the international stage. In this lecture and Q&A, Chika drew on her own award-winning reporting to illuminate how international stories can be told by local voices.

Event details:This event has taken place.

In partnership with the Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Canada and the Canadian Association of Journalists.

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Doors Open at The Delegation
2015-06-06
Designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, this award-winning building serves a representational role for the Ismaili Imamat, reflecting the wide-ranging humanistic and humanitarian agenda of the Aga Khan Development Network and its associated institutions. On-site, visitors were able to see a new exhibition and photo gallery on global development.
Visitors walked through the interactive exhibition to see how investing in communities through health and education helps break the global cycle of poverty. Guests were able to enjoy a photo booth and share their photos through social media.
Share your Doors Open experience with AKFC
Share your photos, impressions and feedback with #AllForChange.
Doors Open Ottawa is a free annual event that celebrates Ottawa’s history, culture, and stunning architecture. For more information please visit the City of Ottawa website.

Launch of Together: An exhibition on global development
2015-04-22
Visitors walked through a custom-built truck with 1,000 square feet of interactive exhibit space and explored how Canadians are driving positive change around the world.
This was an opportunity to celebrate Together before the bilingual exhibition travelled to communities across Canada.
The program celebrated the role that Canada plays in global development and the importance of global citizenship, two core themes of the Together exhibition.
Four notable individuals shared their journeys toward global citizenship!

Heather McPherson
Executive Director at
the Alberta Council
Global Cooperation
Sarah Gauthier
AKFC Fellowship Alumna

Shobhita Soor
Chief Marketing Officer at
Aspire Food Group
Chris McKhool and Anwar Khurshid

Sultans of String

Launch Program:
5:00 to 5:30: Participants arrived to meet others interested in global development at a networking reception with live entertainment from 2015 Juno Award nominees, Sultans of String. In addition, they met with representatives from Canadian civil society organizations at the NGO marketplace
5:30 to 6:30: Participants were inspired by five inspiring individuals who demonstrate global citizenship through their skills and passions
6:30 to 8:00: Participants were among the first to walk through a custom-built truck with 1,000 square feet of interactive exhibit space and explored how Canadians are driving positive change around the world. They celebrated Together at a reception with refreshments, live music and an NGO Marketplace
Event details:
This event has taken place.
Speaker Biographies
Heather McPherson
Heather has worked as the Executive Director of ACGC since 2008. Prior to her work at ACGC, Heather spent over a decade working with Canadian and international educational and community development organizations in a variety of positions. Most recently she worked with Canada World Youth, supporting international youth exchanges with partners in many communities in Western Canada, Bolivia, China, Guatemala and Ukraine. Heather has also been involved with Doctors Without Borders and VSO, and is an appointed member of the Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector Citizens’ Advisory Committee for the Alberta Provincial Government, within the Culture and Community Services Ministry. Heather has a Masters Degree from the University of Alberta in Educational Policy and a Bachelor of Education.
Sarah Gauthier
Sarah Gauthier, an Ottawa native, has extensive local and international professional experience in community empowerment and non-formal learning projects with diverse populations. As well as having worked with the immigrant population in Ottawa, Sarah has participated in international development projects in Latin America and Africa. In 2009-2010, she joined AKFC’s International Youth Fellowship Program in Mozambique as the Entrepreneurship Education Coordinator. She holds a BA in International Development and Globalization from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change from UBC, and is fluent in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Shobhita Soor
Shobhita Soor is co-founder of the Aspire Food Group. Aspire is an international social enterprise that farms insects as a way to address food insecurity. Aspire was the winning McGill team of the Hult Prize 2013. Shobhita is currently finishing her BCL/LLB/MBA degrees from McGill while managing Aspire’s Ghanaian operations remotely.
Chris McKhool
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient Chris McKhool is known for his ability to bring together stellar musicians from the world music scene. He has written and performed violin with Sultans of String, and has freelanced with Jesse Cook, Pavlo and others. With Sultans of String he won the 2014 SIRIUSXM Music Award and has received two JUNO Award nominations, three Canadian Folk Music Awards and the Green Toronto Award of Excellence for commitment to environmental and social activism through his music. McKhool’s current collaborations include Symphony Orchestras in Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton.
Anwar Khurshid
Internationally recognized sitar master Anwar Khurshid has been featured in Oscar-winning films such as Life of Pi and Kama Sutra, and has performed in Europe, North America and across Asia. Anwar pioneers innovative collaborations with musicians from other genres, creating music transcending categorization – combining blues, jazz, African, Middle Eastern, Japanese and Chinese music. Anwar’s love of music is infectious. Originally from Pakistan, he has found a wonderful home in Toronto, and is currently the director of Sitar School of Toronto.

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Harnessing Development Data: Workshop with Canadian civil society and other stakeholders
2015-03-31
GOALThe goal of this workshop was to determine where and how Canadian stakeholders, in particular representatives from Canadian civil society organizations (CSOs), were working with international development data, and where they would like to go.
WHY?With increasing publication of open aid data in Canada and beyond there is both a greater need and opportunity to further leverage this information base to understand and analyze aid flows, strengthen policy, track and measure results, communicate impact and a host of other potential use-cases.
KEY QUESTIONS:What do Canadian CSOs want to be able to do with development data that they cannot do right now?What do Canadian CSOs and other stakeholders think would be useful to them, but that someone else (e.g. NPSIA, CCIC) should do in the development data space?What are some of the key areas, related to leveraging development data, that Canadian CSOs and other stakeholders would like to collectively work on with the organizers over the next year?
AGENDA:8:45-9:00 Registration (with light refreshments)9:00-9:15 Welcome and round of introductions9:15-10:45 Harnessing Development Data: Exploring possibilities10:45-11:00 Break11:00-12:00 Interactive discussion: How do Canadian CSOs want to harness development data? (Plenary) 12:00-12:30 Small breakout groups12:30-1:30 Lunch, report back and wrap-up
EVENT DETAILS:This event has taken place.

Building Global Citizens: Educating for the 21st century
2015-03-30
Kushinayak is a leader for the day. Students are given the responsibility to lead the group and manage the class.Here she is conducting a morning PT. Pre-school in Malinchora Village. Bangladesh.
On March 30, AKFC hosted a “Lunch and Learn” featuring Ms. Soo-Hyang Choi, Director, Division for Teaching, Learning and Content, of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the lead international organization on global citizenship education.
This final event in the Making the Grade in Global Education series was an opportunity to learn more about this emerging approach, which were part of the United Nations discussions on the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015. Through Ms. Choi’s keynote address, and the Q&A session that followed, this event addressed how global citizenship education is being defined, put into action, and measured.
Event details:This event has taken place. Watch the webcast:

Ms. Soo-Hyang Choi
Ms. Soo-Hyang Choi, a national of the Republic of Korea, holds a B.A. in psychology from Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea. She obtained her Master’s degree in Education (1985) and a PhD in Educational Psychology (1990) from the University of Alberta in Edmonton (Canada).
Before she joined UNESCO, she worked in the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) in Seoul as a researcher in early childhood and a team leader for international affairs (1993-1997). Ms. Choi entered the UNESCO Secretariat in 1997, as senior programme specialist seconded from Korea. In 1998, she was appointed to the post of Chief of the Early Childhood and Family Education Section and, since then, has held various chief positions at UNESCO HQ, dealing with inclusive education; field support and coordination; and technical, vocational, and secondary education. In 2007, she took a special assignment to the UNESCO Office in Islamabad, assisting the Office’s participation in the UN reform. In 2008, she became the UNESCO Representative and Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office in Harare, Zimbabwe, covering Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, while also representing UNESCO to the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Returning to UNESCO HQ in 2010, she worked as Deputy Director of the Bureau of Field Coordination, engaged in the Organization’s field reform project. In 2012, she was appointed to the Director post in the Division of Education for Peace and Sustainable development, contributing to the setting-up of UNESCO’s work on global citizenship education.
In 2014, she became the Director of the Division for Teaching, Learning and Content, which deals with, among others, programmes on pre-primary to secondary education, inclusive education, teacher education, education for sustainable development, global citizenship education, and health education.

In partnership with:

Undertaken with the financial support of:

À travers la lentille d’un journaliste indépendant : le photographe documentaire Valerian Mazataud présente sa vision du reportage à l'international
2015-03-25 - 2015-03-31
25 à 31 mars 2015 – Plusieurs fois récompensé pour son travail, le photographe documentaire Valerian Mazataud a couvert plusieurs événements majeurs de ces dernières années – camps de réfugiés syriens dans le nord de la Jordanie, Haïti après le séisme, les premières lignes des manifestations étudiantes au Québec, ou les communautés minières reculées des Andes. En tant que journaliste indépendant, il a cherché à déjouer l’appétit habituel pour le sensationnalisme, au profit d’histoires plus approfondies et d’angles inhabituels.

Les participants ont appris des expériences journalistiques de M. Mazataud et de sa couverture des enjeux du développement international. Il a proposé notamment des conseils pratiques pour préparer et financer des projets de reportages internationaux, de manière indépendante.
Cet événement a été présenté par la Fondation Aga Khan Canada en partenariat avec plusieurs écoles de journalisme.
La présentation a compris une séance de questions-réponses.
Détails de l’événement :
Cet événement a déjà eu lieu à l’Université de Moncton et l’Université Laval.
Valerian Mazataud
Valerian Mazataud est un photographe documentaire indépendant né en France en 1978, et basé à Montréal, Canada. Il travaille principalement avec des médias québécois comme Le Devoir, La Presse, L’Actualité, ainsi que le magazine semestriel Nouveau Projet. Il est représenté par l’agence Redux Pictures à New-York.
Il s’intéresse particulièrement aux problématiques de justice sociale, aux minorités, aux droits de la personne, à l’environnement et aux affaires internationales. Il a couvert plusieurs des grands événements de ces dernières années, du tremblement de terre en Haïti au printemps arabe, en passant par la sécheresse dans la corne de l’Afrique.
Il se concentre désormais sur des projets documentaires à long terme, tels que l’impact social et communautaire de l’exploitation des ressources minières, et développe également un projet au long cours sur les quartiers nord de l’île de Montréal.
Valérian Mazataud a été nommé photojournaliste de la relève 2011 par la Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec (FPJQ). Il a été nominé et lauréat de plusieurs prix de photographie nationaux et internationaux.
Ses photos ont été exposées lors des édition 2011 et 2013 du Festival de photojournalisme québécois Zoom, ainsi que lors de l’édition 2014 du festival Contact de Toronto.

En partenariat avec :

Soutien financier :

Leading educational change: Best practices in school improvement
2015-02-12
This education-themed painting hangs on the wall at Aga Khan University’s Institute for Educational Development in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
On February 12, participants joined AKFC to explore how research and policy changes in developed countries can be translated to the developing world, improving the way that students learn and apply new knowledge. This “Lunch & Learn” continued AKFC’s Making the Grade in Global Education event series, which launched last fall. A light lunch was provided.
Event details:This event has taken place.
Watch the webcast:

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Actions and Accountability: experts discuss the first Global Nutrition Report
2015-02-09
When children learn the basics of nutrition and hygiene at a young age, they grow up to be healthier and stronger. This preschool teacher in rural Uganda uses local foods to teach her students about nutrition.
The first-ever Global Nutrition Report, published by International Food Policy Research Institute, tracks the nutrition status of 193 countries. In addition to presenting a wealth of data and analysis, the report is a call to action to governments and civil society to put nutrition at the top of the development agenda.
Participants joined Aga Khan Foundation Canada, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the Micronutrient Initiative for a presentation of the report’s findings by Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta, a member of the Independent Expert Group that authored the report. This was followed by a panel discussion with leading nutrition experts.
Event details:This event has taken place.
Speakers:
Zulfiqar Bhutta, Centre for Global Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children and Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University. Member of the Global Nutrition Report Independent Expert GroupDominic Schofield, Director, GAIN CanadaKhalil Z. Shariff, CEO, Aga Khan Foundation Canada
About the Global Nutrition Report
The Global Nutrition Report (www.globalnutritionreport.org), launched in November 2014, tracks worldwide progress for all 193 UN countries in improving their nutrition status.
By bringing together data on more than 80 nutrition indicators (including programme coverage, underlying determinants such as food security and water, sanitation and hygiene, resource allocations, and political commitments), the report aims to contribute to country-led efforts to strengthen accountability and accelerate the reduction of malnutrition. There is a pressing need for strong leadership across society – in government, civil society, research, private foundations, and business – to achieve this goal.

In partnership with:

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Celebrating the Nobel Peace Prize 2014: The Power of Education!
2014-12-10
Participants joined AKFC and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway on December 10 for an evening featuring:

Video highlights from the Nobel Peace Prize Awards Ceremony in Oslo
A discussion on girls’ education between award-winning journalist and author of Ascent of Women, Sally Armstrong, human rights activist, Lauryn Oates, and Afghan-Canadian girls’ education expert, Noorin Nazari
A festive reception with Norwegian treats
An opportunity to purchase holiday gifts that empower women from Far and Wide Collective

Event details: This event has taken place.

In partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Canadian Humanitarian Conference
2014-12-04 - 2014-12-05
Photo courtesty of DFATD
Watch the webcasts:

Webcast
The following conference sessions are available as webcasts:
Thursday, December 4:
Opening Remarks

Khalil Shariff, CEO, Aga Khan Foundation Canada
The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and la Francophonie
Nicolas Moyer, Executive Director, Humanitarian Coalition

Presentation by Nick Harvey, Thematic Team Coordinator, World Humanitarian Summit
Responding to emergencies in the most difficult places: Is the global humanitarian system failing to reach those in need?

Nigel Fisher, former Regional UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis
Stephen Cornish, Executive Director, MSF Canada
Claude Bruderlein, Strategic Advisor to the President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Catherine Bragg (Moderator), former Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Beyond Government: The Role of Humanitarian Organizations in Upholding the Responsibility to Protect Principle

Clémentine Olivier, Humanitarian Affairs Advisor,Médecins sans Frontières Canada
Eamon Aloyo, Senior researcher at the Hague Institute for Global Justice
Kyle Matthews (Moderator), Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
Marie Lamensch, Assistant to the Director at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS)

Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management into Development Practice

Nusrat Nasab, Executive Officer, Focus Humanitarian Assistance, Pakistan
Andrew Shore, Director, Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Response Group (IRH), Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
Ashbindu Singh, former Director of the Early Warning of Emerging issues Branch, United Nations Environment Program
Michelle McCombs (Moderator), Deputy Director, Programs at Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC)

Closing Plenary

Sue Szabo, Director of Social and Economic Policy, IDRC
Presentation on the Syria Crisis by Nigel Fisher, former Regional UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis
Presentation on the Ebola Crisis by Patricia Erb, President and CEO of Save the Children Canada

Friday, December 5:
Health Care in Danger: Legal and Ethical Challenges

Robert Young, Senior Delegate, ICRC
Adrian Di Giovanni, Senior Program Officer, Law & Development, IDRC
Josephine Cirezi Cishibanji, Project Coordinator, MSF
Nils Mork, Assistant Project Manager for MSF’s Medical Care Under Fire project, Director of Communications, MSF Norway
Isabelle Daoust (Moderator), Senior Advisor, Office of the Director General, International Operations and Movement Relations, Canadian Red Cross

Opening Plenary with Keynote Speaker

Khalil Shariff, CEO, Aga Khan Foundation Canada
Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
François Audet, Professor, School of Sciences and Management ESG UQAM & Director, Canadian Research Institute on Crisis and Aid (OCCAH)

Adaptive and Accountable Reponse: Use of Technology and Feedback Loops

Isabella Jean, Director of Evaluation and Learning, CDA (Cambridge, MA)
Gabriele Almon, Fellow – Humanitarian GIS Specialist, World Vision International
Alana Mascoll, World Vision Canada Humanitarian & Emergency Affairs Program Officer
Denise Byrnes (Moderator), Executive Director, Oxfam-Québec

Advancing Canada’s Humanitarian Leadership Through Cross-Sector Collaboration

Nicolas Moyer, Executive Director, Humanitarian Coalition
Paul Forgues, Principal Manager, Governance and Corporate Responsibility, Conference Board of Canada
Rosemary McCarney, CEO and President, Plan Canada

The Role of the Private Sector in Humanitarian Response: Good Practice and Opportunities for Expanded Collaboration Between Humanitarian and Business Communities

Brent Carbno, Program Director, Ericsson Response
Jay Aldous, WFP Director of Private Sector Partnerships
Charlotte Empey, Principal, FYI Media, former Editor in Chief of Metro News
Jacqueline Wright (Moderator), Vice-President International Programs, CARE Canada

Closing Plenary

Leslie Norton, Director General, International Humanitarian Assistance Directorate, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
John de Boer, Senior Policy Advisor, UN University – Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR)
Nick Harvey, Thematic Team Coordinator, World Humanitarian Summit
Nicolas Moyer, Executive Director, Humanitarian Coalition

Closing Remarks

Khalil Shariff, CEO, Aga Khan Foundation Canada
Rosemary McCarney, CEO, Plan Canada

Click here for more information on the Canadian Humanitarian Conference.

Organizers:

Undertaken with the financial support of:

#CHC2014 Tweets

Re-imagining Social Accountability for Results
2014-12-02
Participants joined Aga Khan Foundation Canada and the Global Partnership for Social Accountability for a presentation and panel discussion on the current state of civil society and recommendations for new perspectives on future engagement. The seminar also launched the GPSA report Social Accountability: What Does the Evidence Really Say? Paul Samson, Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, provided opening remarks.
Event details:This event has taken place.
Speakers:

Opening remarks by Paul Samson, Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Roby Senderowitsch, Head of the Global Partnership for Social Accountability, The World Bank
Almudena Ocejo, the Executive Director of the Centre for Social Control and Democratic Construction at CIESAS in Mexico
Sajjadur Syed Rahman, Senior Fellow, School of International Development and Global Studies, Ottawa University

In partnership with:

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Financial Inclusion and the Rise of Digital Banking
2014-11-21
Jason Lamb, Deputy Director, Financial Services for the Poor with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, provided an overview of low-cost digital payment systems and recent innovations aimed at improving financial inclusion in developing countries.
This knowledge exchange workshop was targeted towards development practitioners and academics who are active in the delivery and analysis of programs facilitating the provision of financial services to poor individuals, entrepreneurs, and small and medium enterprises.
EIn partnership with:

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Webcast: Development Finance Institutions and the Canadian Development Context
2014-11-19
This webcast is the first of a series of events that AKFC hosted on topics related to emerging economies.
Event details:This event has taken place.
Watch the webcast:

Webcast presenters included:
Brett House, Senior Fellow with CIGI, is a Visiting Scholar at Massey College, University of Toronto and Lecturer in the Economics Department and a Senior Fellow at the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation at McGill University. His research looks at the effects of trade liberalization on growth, the rise of emerging markets, and options to improve sovereign debt restructuring. He is also an advisor to and partner in Tau+ Investment Management, a start-up impact fund.
Gerhard Pries, Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer, is founder and CEO of Sarona Asset Management Inc., formerly MEDA Investments Inc. In over 20 years of frontier market investing, Mr. Pries has been a founder of a number of firms and funds, including Sarona, MicroVest Capital Management, MicroCap Capital, and the Latin America Challenge Investment Fund. He currently serves on the Investment Committee for Grand Challenges Canada and on the boards of MicroVest Holdings, ImpactAssets, and numerous companies in the Sarona portfolio.
Karim Harji is a co-founder and partner at Purpose Capital, an impact investment advisory firm that mobilizes all forms of capital — financial, human and social — to accelerate social progress. Karim is a Senior Research Associate at the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation at Carleton University, and teaches social entrepreneurship in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto. He is the co-founder of SocialFinance.ca, and serves on the Boards of the Responsible Investment Association, Small Change Fund, and CanadaHelps.
Dr. Linda Jones is the Director of SME/Investment at MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) and an international expert in the field of inclusive private sector development including. Linda has extensive strategy and implementation experience across Asia and Africa through long-term positions and consulting assignments for implementing agencies, multi-lateral organisations and private sector entities. Following a successful career as a business executive, Linda was Senior Technical Advisor at the Aga Khan Foundation in Geneva, Technical Director at MEDA in Canada, and Director of the Centre for Women’s Leadership at the Coady International Institute. She has contributed to the overall advancement of the pro-poor economic development field through positions such as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the SEEP Network, Editor of the Enterprise Development and Microfinance Journal, Founder and Chair of Women Advancing Microfinance, Canada, and Advisor to the Eurasia Foundation on women’s entrepreneurship. Linda has published extensively on inclusive economic development – including the primary resource on Agricultural Value Chain Finance with the FAO – and has been a facilitator/trainer with the Southern New Hampshire University, the SEEP Network, the Boulder Institute, and the International Labour Organisation among others. Linda was a Commonwealth Scholar and holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from McMaster University and a diploma in Peace and Conflict Studies from Conrad Grebel College.

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Inside Afghanistan: Mellissa Fung on Reporting from One of the World's Most Fragile States
2014-11-10 - 2014-11-19
This event was co-presented by Aga Khan Foundation Canada and our partner journalism schools across the country. Mellissa’s presentation included an audience Q&A.
Event details:This event has taken place at University of King’s College, Carleton University, Mount Royal University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Regina, Concordia University, and Humber College.
Join the conversation: #InsideAfghanistan
Download the poster here.
Speakers:
Mellissa Fung
Award-winning journalist and former CBC correspondent Mellissa Fung has been on the frontlines of a wide range of stories on both Canadian and world affairs for the last 20 years. She covered the war in Afghanistan, and produced the award-winning documentaries Canada’s Ugly Secret and No Country for Horses. She received the prestigious Gracie Award for her interview Comparing Notes from Captivity. Her bestselling first book, Under an Afghan Sky, chronicles her experience as a hostage after she was kidnapped while on assignment in Afghanistan in 2008. In 2013, Fung returned to Afghanistan to report on the continuing challenges that exist there for women and girls. In addition to the CBC, her work has appeared in The Walrus, The Toronto Star, GlobalPost, and PBS among other publications. She has been featured as a keynote speaker for organizations as diverse as the Women for Women in Afghanistan, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, and the American Bar Association. Fung lives in Washington, DC
This series was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.

Maternal, Newborn and Child Health: A Challenge for West Africa
2014-11-10 - 2014-11-11
We traveled across Quebec to bring this exciting discussion to your university!
Event details: This event has taken place at Université Laval and Université de Montréal.
Download the poster here.
Speakers:
Dr. Mamadou Koné Program Manager, Health, Aga Khan Foundation Mali
Dr. Mamadou Koné has almost 15 years of experience in managing and coordinating community health programs within large international health organizations. In February 2012, he became Health Program Manager for Aga Khan Foundation Mali. Prior to this, Dr. Mamadou worked for different international NGOs: Motherland international (1998-2001); Aide Médicale Internationale (2002); and Action Mopti (2003-2012). During this period, Dr. Mamadou worked on various health related issues within international development: maternal and child health, HIV, nomadic health, health in school environments, medical and psycho-social care for orphans, and sexual and reproductive health among adolescents. His extensive knowledge of his country’s healthcare system allows him to act as a consultant and to support health-related decision-making.
Dr. Aboubakary Gollock, Research Professor, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar
Aboubakry Gollock is a consultant and associate researcher professor at the Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD), in Dakar. He holds a PhD in Economic Sciences from the Pierre Mendès France University (UPMF) in Grenoble as well as a post-doctorate in public health (Axe Santé mondiale) from the Research Centre of the CHUM (Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal). Dr. Gollock also conducts research in Senegal as part of IDRC’s West African capacity-building initiative, which is geared toward health systems research. His research looks mainly at issues related to governance, equity and healthcare funding in Sub-Saharan Africa, at assessments of public policy and international aid, and at the economy of health-related intellectual property and innovation.
Université Laval Speaker: Dr. Slim Haddad, Professor in Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval
Slim Haddad is a physician specializing in public health and also holds a PhD in Economics. He teaches in the fields of program planning and evaluation, international health, health economics and applied research methods for population health. He is actively involved in global health research. His investigations address the fight against malaria and child anemia in Africa, the promotion of vaccinations and the reduction of maternal mortality. His current research examines the sources of vulnerability among young children and mothers, the analysis of inequalities in healthcare and access to services, and the impact assessment of population interventions in the development context. He has coordinated the completion of numerous research projects and programs in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. He manages “Santé-Cap”, an inter-university research training program in world health, as well as the Teasdale-Corti research team on vulnerability and health in West Africa.
Université Laval Moderator: Dr. Jacques E. Girard, Associate Dean, Population Health, Université Laval
Jacques Girard has specialized in community health since 1981. After a three-years of international cooperation experience in Africa, he joined the Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval in social medicine, health systems analysis, primary healthcare and global health. In October 2005 he worked as an international consultant in the development of health systems and services in Chile and Mexico. In 2012 Dr. Girard was appointed Associate Commissioner for Appreciation and Analysis at the Health and Wellbeing Commissioner’s Office. More recently, he became medical assistant for Quebec City’s public health regional director. For the last two years, he has been the Dean’s assistant in population health, and he has worked in particular on global health development at Univesité Laval’s Faculty of Medicine.
Université de Montréal Speaker: Dr. Valéry Ridde, School of Public Health, Université de Montréal
Valéry Ridde, PhD, is an associate professor at the Université de Montreal’s School of Public Health, a researcher at CHUM’s Research Centre and he holds a research chair in applied public health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. His research interests include universal healthcare, health services funding, assessment of world health programs and related public policies, and healthcare access equity. His PhD in community health from Université Laval in Québec City looked at public policies related to health and equity in West Africa (the case of the Bamako Initiative in Burkina Faso). He has published over 120 articles in academic journals. His scientific writings and reflections can be found here.
Université de Montréal Moderator :Dr. Lucien Albert, Director, Unité de santé internationale
Lucien Albert specializes in management and change within health organizations. He co-founded the International Health Unit (USI) at Université de Montreal in 1996 and has been its director ever since. This organization is affiliated with Université de Montreal’s School of Public Health and to its hospital (CHUM). In his role as director, Mr. Albert manages the development, planning and coordination of international health projects in more than 30 countries. He has supported the design and implementation of healthcare reforms (including hospital reforms) in several countries, supported strategies aimed at improving human resources systems, supported the inauguration and management of various hospitals, led numerous restructurings and audits, supported health planning at the national, regional and local levels, and has supported the strategic planning of several teaching and health institutions. These programs have been carried out directly for developing countries or for bilateral or multilateral cooperation organizations such as the World Bank, the World Health Organization, DFATD, the French Development Agency (ADF) and private foundations, among others.

This series was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.

Youth (Un)Employment: Global Problems Meet Local Solutions
2014-10-20 - 2014-10-24
Why youth economic opportunities? Young people bring energy, capacity and ingenuity to economies and communities. Yet 73 million young people across the globe continue to look for work without many opportunities. We wanted to bring attention to innovative initiatives, such as the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Pakistan, as well as community driven initiatives in Canada, that are paving a path to increase economic opportunities for young people.

Event details:This event has taken place at the University of Calgary, the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, the University of Ottawa, and McGill University.
Watch the webcast:

Download the event poster here.
Join the conversation: #AKFCYouth
Speakers:
Abdul Malik, General Manager, Aga Khan Rural Support Program in Pakistan
Abdul Malik has more than 12 years of professional experience in the field of development and has been General Manager of AKRSP Pakistan since 2011. At AKRSP, he is leading a number of key initiative surrounding youth development, rural livelihoods and institutional development. Previously, he worked in the United States with a number of leading institutions, including the World Bank and the Brookings Institution. Mr. Malik has primarily worked on issues surrounding aid effectiveness, migration, poverty and local development. Mr. Malik holds a Masters degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and an MBA from LUMS Pakistan.
Erin Markel, Principal Consultant, MarketShare Associates
Currently Erin is a Principal Consultant at MarketShare Associates (MSA), a boutique consulting firm committed to supporting innovative economic development programming and results measurement. She heads MSA’s Economic Opportunities practice area, which focuses on empowering women and youth. Erin has led a variety of consultancies including work with USAID, the IFC, Plan, CARE and the Aga Khan Foundation. Prior to joining MSA, Erin was a Program Manager, Market Development and Access to Finance at the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC). Past experience included working for Women’s World Banking, ProMujer International and the Aspen Institute. Erin holds a Master of International Affairs in Economic and Political Development from Columbia University.
Local speakers:
Toronto – Cindy Tan, Project Director, CivicAction
Over the past five years, Cindy has contributed to CivicAction’s work driving multisectoral collaboration on issues ranging from transportation, leadership diversity, to regional economic cooperation. Cindy is now project director of CivicAction’s newest initiative, Escalator: Jobs for Youth Facing Barriers. She also oversees CivicAction’s DiverseCity Fellows program and Emerging Leaders Network (ELN), two initiatives that are nurturing the next generation of city-builders and changing the face of our region’s leadership. Prior to this, Cindy spent almost a decade focused on social, economic, and cultural change in China, including managing a poverty reduction grants program. She has degrees in anthropology, political science and women’s studies. Cindy is passionate about supporting others to reach their potential and bring about change in their lives and in their communities.
Halifax – Denise De Long, Project Manager, Greater Halifax Partnership
Denise manages the Halifax Connector Program – a networking program that helps local and international graduates connects people with business leaders and better succeed in Halifax. She has an M.Ed is in Educational Policy (International/Global) and a graduate diploma in Adult Education. Her background spans 20 years of intercultural communication training and teacher training in Canada, Taiwan and China. Denise also provides support to the National Connector Program that is being replicated in cities across Canada. Denise worked in educational project management and program development across Alberta. Since returning to Halifax in 2008, Denise has worked at Immigrant Settlement and Integration Services and Dalhousie University. She has been a certified administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and has lead workshops for teachers and faculty.
Ottawa – Gordon Betcherman, Professor in the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa
Gordon Betcherman is a Professor in the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa, with a cross appointment to the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. He is the Supervisor of the doctoral program in International Development at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Betcherman is also a Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Germany. His research interests are in labor economics, demography, social policy, and the economics of development. His most recent publications are on the impacts of labor market institutions in developing countries. He was a co-author of the World Bank’s 2013 World Development Report on Jobs. Dr. Betcherman joined the University of Ottawa in 2009 after 11 years at the World Bank where he last was Sector Manager and Lead Economist in the Human Development Sector, Europe and Central Asia Region. He holds a PhD from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Montreal – Darlene Hnatchuk, Director, Career Planning Service (CaPS), McGill University
Darlene is Director at CaPS, McGill’s central career services. She works with employers who want to connect with and recruit the great talent at McGill, and assists students in understanding and articulating the skills and qualities they have developed through their experiences. Darlene has worked in career services for over thirteen years in universities and non-profit organizations where she has focused on youth employment and career development. She was previously on the board of directors for the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers. She is currently on a mission to promote increased experiential learning opportunities for students. Darlene holds a master’s degree in organizational development from Université Laval.

This event was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.

Book Launch: Making Markets More Inclusive
2014-10-16
In honour of World Food Day (October 16), participants joined AKFC for the launch of Making Markets More Inclusive, a book that shows how NGOs and companies can connect poor producers with the right markets to create better social and economic impact.

The event featured presentations by author Kevin McKague and CARE’s senior technical advisor, Farouk Jiwa who discussed the challenges, successes and lessons learned from their experiences in market engagement and value chain analysis in Bangladesh. The presentations included short videos and photos from development projects and were followed by a question and answer session with the audience. The book was available for purchase immediately following the event.
Event details:This event has taken place.
“Making Markets More Inclusive is a rare book that makes the local relevant for the global by drawing out lessons from CARE’s project work in Bangladesh’s dairy industry through a flexible, pragmatic, and ultimately satisfying application of value chain tools. There’s much to be commended in this book!” – Timothy J. Sturgeon, Senior Research Affiliate, Massachusetts Institue of Technology
Speakers
Dr. Kevin McKague is an assistant professor of eEntrepreneurship and strategy at the Shannon School of Business, Cape Breton University, and an internationally experienced academic and researcher of market-based and social enterprise-led approaches global poverty alleviation.
Farouk Jiwa is senior technical advisor for economic development at CARE USA, and co-founder and director of both Farm Shop and Honey Care Africa.
Synopsis
Making Markets More Inclusive: Lessons from CARE and the Future of Sustainability in Agricultural Value Chain Development bridges the management literature with original research on agricultural value chains in developing and emerging economies. This exciting work is the first to delve into the skills, capabilities, strategies and approaches needed for inclusive value chain development. McKague shows how NGOs and companies can connect poor producers in developing economies with the right markets to better create social and economic impact. He also analyzes one of the leading agricultural value chain initiatives in the world, which is being replicated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in several different value chains in Malawi, Tanzania, Ghana, India and Mali.

In partnership with:

Undertaken with the financial support of:

Making the Grade in Global Education: Unlocking the Power of Play
2014-09-30
Unlocking the Power of Play marked the debut of AKFC’s new event series, Making the Grade in Global Education. Several youth leaders and trainers from Right To Play gathered in Ottawa to demonstrate the games and activities they use to educate children and youth, both in Canada and abroad.
Following the live demonstrations, three knowledgeable speakers took the stage to discuss the effectiveness of play-based learning: Amina Mwitu, Program Director for the Madrasa Early Childhood Program, Dennis Bright, African Policy Director for Right To Play and Louise Zimanyi, Early Childhood Development Advisor at the Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. The panelists shared a wide range of perspectives, from how teachers are trained to play and how child-centred learning fosters the development of a child’s language and social skills.
Over 130 guests attended the event in person and via webcast. The discussion was moderated by Kristy Kirkup¸ a journalist for CBC News in Ottawa.
Thank you for joining us
Join the conversation: #GlobalEd2014
See what participants had to say: View the story “Unlocking the Power of Play” on Storify
To join the conversation, use the hashtag #GlobalEd2014 on Twitter.
Watch the webcast
The event is now available online for anyone who could not attend.

Learn more about early childhood development
Investing in quality education is proven to enhance a person’s quality of life. Yet, many regions of the world are challenged by access to education, lower standards of education, low retention rates and a shortage of teachers who can help students succeed. It is well established that play, sport and other child-centred learning practices have the power to address such challenges.
Watch this video to learn how investing in early childhood development helps break the cycle of poverty.
Read this brief to learn how nutrition influences a child’s ability to succeed.
Download this brochure about the Madrasa Early Childhood Programme.
Read more about the Aga Khan Development Network’s education initiatives in Kenya.

In partnership with:

Undertaken with financial support of:

Please note that there is no parking at the Delegation. Street parking is available nearby, on Boteler Street, Dalhousie Street, Parent Avenue, and Bolton Street. Please take care to respect all posted parking regulations. The Delegation has visitor entrances on Sussex Drive and Boteler Street.

Belonging Matters: Identity, Health and Sustainable Development
2014-06-02
A panel of experts from the Aga Khan Development Network and CIFAR’s program in Social Interactions, Identity and Well-being presented their latest insights on the importance of social networks. A moderated discussion included a question and answer session with the audience.
The evening inspired and informed policy-makers, scholars, practitioners and engaged citizens who are searching for new ways to understand well-being and to build resilience in vulnerable communities worldwide.
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Guest speakers:

CIFAR Senior Fellow Alex Haslam
CIFAR Advisor John Berry
The CANADIAN PRESS Medical Reporter Helen Branswell

Biographies

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The 25th Anniversary Celebration of the International Youth Fellowship Program
2014-06-01
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Undertaken with the financial support of:
