CIDA's Strategic Overview

Vision
Be among the most effective and accountable development agencies in the world

Mission
Lead Canada's international effort to help people living in poverty

Mandate
Manage Canada's support and resources effectively and accountably to achieve meaningful, sustainable development results and engage in policy development in Canada and internationally, enabling Canada's effort to realize its development objectives

Strategic Outcome
Reduction in poverty for those living in countries where the Canadian International Development Agency engages in international development

Program Activities

Fragile states and crisis-affected communities

Program Description

Fragile states and crisis-affected communities face particularly severe development challenges exacerbated by conflict, instability, man-made crises or natural disasters within complex national and regional contexts. They have weak institutional capacity, poor governance, political instability, and ongoing violence or a legacy of past conflict. Canada's engagement is often whole-of-government and subject to closely monitored and visible government strategies.

This program activity also features programming that is at times short term to ensure delivery of, and access to, essential humanitarian services to crisis-affected populations in order to reduce immediate vulnerabilities of the population. This program activity also features programming that is medium to long term to create conditions for sustainable economic growth and build the foundation for effective governance and delivery of basic services. It requires working with partners that have expertise and the capacity to deliver in high-risk environments.

Expected Results

• Increased access to essential health services and education by the more vulnerable female and male children and youth in crisis-affected communities
• Increased access to income opportunities, including jobs and development of micro, small enterprises, particularly for vulnerable and marginalized women, men, and youth
• Enhanced responsiveness of humanitarian assistance to address the immediate needs of crisis-affected populations

Low-income countries

Program Description

Countries within the World Bank low-income category face pervasive poverty and limited institutional capacity, but have broadly stable governance and public security. These countries generally have a high level of aid dependency, limited resilience to respond to a number of vulnerabilities and external shocks, and limited ability to attend to the human development needs of their populations.

Programming under this program activity features long-term engagement on country priorities, primarily to strengthen education and health outcomes for children and youth, address the root causes of food insecurity, foster inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and build the foundations for effective governance including ensuring country institutions can sustain the benefits of development programs. CIDA works with other donors, civil society organizations, and ministries of recipient governments. Engagement is normally anchored in the partner government's development strategy and program around which donors coordinate and harmonize their efforts. This may involve the pooling of funds or other forms of program-based approaches.

Expected Results

• Increased sustainable agricultural production by poor rural women, men, and youth
• Increased health services to mothers, newborns, and children under five
• Increased accountability of public and civil institutions to respond to the needs of women, men, and children

Middle-income countries

Program Description

Countries within the World Bank middle-income category face specific challenges in inclusive, sustainable economic growth and development. These countries exhibit a stronger economic and social foundation and a lower reliance on aid than low-income countries, but may still have a large proportion of their population facing inequality and poverty. These countries often have stark disparities along geographic, gender, ethnic, or urban-rural lines, as well as pockets of deep poverty. This is in large part due to low productivity and competitiveness, and weak political accountability that does not address discrimination and marginalization. Main areas of programming under this program activity focus on delivering targeted technical assistance to foster equal access to economic opportunities and to public services to create the conditions for more competitive and inclusive local economies, to expand service delivery to reach marginalized groups, and to build accountable democratic institutions. It requires working in partnership with government, civil society, and the private sector to build capacity including knowledge and systems.

Expected Results

• More competitive local economies, especially for micro, small and medium-sized, and women-led enterprises in poorer areas
• Increased access to quality education for marginalized female and male children and youth, in particular those living in remote communities
• Strengthened citizen participation to sustain social and economic progress

Global engagement and strategic policy

Program Description

Achieving international development outcomes requires engagement on the global stage and investments through international partners, as appropriate. Multilateral/international organizations and global initiatives tackle global problems (e.g. infectious diseases, climate change), provide a governance mechanism in areas such as humanitarian assistance or to set the development agenda (e.g. Millennium Development Goals), and provide economies of scale and of scope as well as significant expertise and capacity on the ground. Activities under this program activity aim at delivering concrete results on the ground by shaping and investing in multilateral and international institutions partners' policies and programs throughout the world, and exerting policy influence to shape international development policy in Canada and globally in line with the Government's priorities through the fostering of effective partnerships and policy dialogue.

Expected Results

• Increased effectiveness of Canadian development cooperation through engagement with, and investment in, multilateral and global organizations to address humanitarian and development challenges
• Increased ability to advance Canada's development priorities in Canada and globally

Canadian engagement for development

Program Description

CIDA supports the work of Canadian organizations to achieve development results by drawing on strengths, expertise, networks, and opportunities available to Canadian organizations and by broadening Canadian engagement in international development through outreach and education activities. Programming under this program activity involves co-investment in the most meritorious development proposals that align with Canada's development priorities. Through calls for proposals, CIDA provides complementary funding to selected proposals received from Canadian organizations such as civil society organizations, academic institutions, and professional associations. Canadian organizations in turn work with partner country counterparts to deliver development results on the ground.

Expected Results

• Improved health and education services for marginalized women, men, girls, and boys
• Enhanced income opportunities, including rural livelihoods for poor women, men, and youth
• Increased engagement of Canadians as global citizens in international development initiatives

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CIDA's Strategic Overview (PDF, 149 KB, 1 page)