Organisations whose activities contribute to the fulfilment of Swedish development goals and work with environmentally, socially and economically responsible practices are Drivers of Change. They include organisations that drive developments within a specific business related field, like Corporate Social Responsibility or social entrepreneurship, or improve relations between NGOs and the business community. Civil society organisations in collaboration with the business sector can play an important part in transforming markets and production methods towards greater sustainability.
Sida’s work to connect business to the development agenda also includes giving support to civil society organizations and other change agents that counteract unsustainable undertakings. One way of achieving this is by providing support to watchdogs in civil society, free media and the development of rules and regulations for responsible enterprising.
To receive support from Sida as a Driver of Change, an organization must work to influence the private sector, i.e. towards large-scale actors and not just individuals. The support to organisations active in the business field is based on the cost sharing principle, which means that the organisation finances a large part of the programmes. A Driver of Change can be based in any country, but the operation must benefit people living in poverty.
Examples of Sida supported Drivers of Change
