Strategy

2007 - 2011 Strategy Development Process

The transport and development sector is changing - broad initiatives such as the Millennium Development Goals are shaping the international context whilst issues such as safety, gender, trade and urban transport are rising up the agenda.  Increasingly transport is seen as a cross-cutting issue with its significance being recognised across a variety of sectors such as energy, economics and the environment.  In the five years since IFRTD developed its last strategy it is not just the external environment that has changed, but the network itself.  Membership has tripled, National Forum Groups (NFGs) and Communities of Practice have been introduced and expanded, regional networks have taken on their own identity and networked research programmes have been established as a successful approach to bridging research, policy and implementation. 

It is in this context that IFRTD recently endorsed our new strategy for the strategic cycle 2007-2011.  It is a clear statement not only of what the Forum wants to achieve, but how we hope to achieve it.  At the very start is our new vision: “poor and vulnerable communities in developing countries are able to improve their lives through enhanced mobility, access and economic opportunity”.  In working to achieve this vision the six sections of the strategy: What we stand for, What we do, Who we are, How we organise, How we generate resources and How we assess our work, set out key priorities that will guide the Forum’s work over the next five years.

The strategy was developed during an intensive year long consultation and the same principles contained in the document of non-hierarchical, democratic and participatory networking were applied to the process itself.  The Forum’s members must be recognised and thanked for the time and resources they have provided during the strategy development process.  IFRTD is a global network operating at the international, regional, national and local level and the strategic priorities it contains are a reflection of the views across all of IFRTD’s constituents (for more information on the process please see Annex 1 in the strategy document downloadable below).

The document was officially endorsed by representatives from IFRTD’s regions, institutional members, donors and co-opted members at the recent Executive Committee meeting held in London from the 27-29 November 2006.

But the work doesn’t stop there!  The next stage is to operationalise the strategy. The 18 strategic priorities will form the backbone of IFRTD's work plans - at the international, regional and national level.
Already IFRTD has developed a set of simple and common indicators to ensure upward and downward accountability for the strategy. These indicators were developed for a Logical Framework Analysis included in the new core funding agreement with Sida - please click on the link below to download the Logframe.


As part of this process IFRTD commissioned four ‘think-pieces’.  Written by leading experts from their field each think-piece assessed a different element of IFRTD’s external environment.  As well as providing the background and context to IFRTD’s strategy development process, they are also a great resource for anyone interested in the changing face of international networks and the transport and development sector - to download these documents click on the links below.

Contact:
Marinke van Riet
IFRTD Secretariat
Email: marinke.vanriet@ifrtd.org

For more information on the strategy please read IFRTD's latest Update that features the new strategy or click on one of the following links:

IFRTD Strategy 2007-2011
- Download (PDF 841kb)

Logframe for Sida core funding agreement
- Download (Word 48kb)

Trends in the development sector by Steve Bonnist
- Download (Word 46kb)
Trends in the rural transport sector by John Hine
- Download (Word 49kb)
Trends in donor activities by Steve Bonnist
- Download (Word 32kb)
The rewards and challenges for international networks by Juerg Christen
- Download (Word 46kb)