Expertise
Gender…
Recognising that men and women have diverse needs, are expected to perform different roles, and contribute to the economy and family livelihoods in different ways is the starting point for gender work. For SDDirect, gender analysis is central to our thinking about how to improve development outcomes for poor people. Gender analysis can provide a better understanding of why some social groups are able to benefit more than others from trade reforms, economic incentives and other development interventions.
Conflict…
At SDDirect, we believe that high quality social and political analysis can make an important contribution to the prevention, reduction and management of violent conflict as well as fostering reconstruction, reconciliation and sustainable peace in the aftermath of violence.
Social exclusion…
For SDDirect, poverty is not just about economic resources and whether or not these are available: it also has sharp social and political dimensions.
Social protection…
SDDirect views social protection as a key component of efforts to tackle poverty. Social protection provides practical and policy tools to ensure that the poorest, most vulnerable and excluded members of society have basic incomes and support. It also helps to provide people with opportunities to take action to protect themselves from the risk of falling into or remaining in extreme poverty.
Governance, voice and accountability…
The UK Government's Third White Paper on International Development (2006) is titled 'Eliminating World Poverty: Making Governance Work for the Poor' and puts the promotion of better governance, both national and international, at the heart of the international effort to eliminate world poverty. Effective states 'protect people's rights and provide security, economic growth and services'.
Access to basic services…
Having access to the basic services of water and sanitation, health, education and income support is fundamental to a transition out of poverty. Access to basic services is also a fundamental right, enshrined in international agreements such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Despite this, many of the world's poor people do not enjoy these essentials.
Corporate social responsibility…
At SDDirect we recognise that business has a vital role to play in poverty reduction globally and that the scale of private sector investments in the developing world dwarf development assistance by far. A dramatic increase in public awareness and demand for socially and environmentally responsible business behaviour has contributed to many businesses reviewing their operations and developing innovative approaches that add social and environmental value whilst still making good business sense.