Israel and International Development

The Hartog School of Government's program in international development, in partnership with the Pears Foundation, aims to act as a catalyst for improving the scope and quality of Israel and world Jewry's contributions to the developing world. In the past, program activities have focused on the contribution of Israel's official development aid program and of Jewish and Israeli NGOs to the developing world. Present research aims at developing policy tools to support Israeli businessmen and entrepreneurs engaged in transfer of technology and co-innovation to and with the developing world.

Research

Innovation, Transfer of Technology and International Development: This ongoing research project examines how to support Israeli entrepreneurs and exporters interested in providing needed technological solutions to the problems of the developing world. The program focuses on green technologies in the fields of water, agriculture and energy due to both Israel's technological advantage in these fields and their importance for the developing world. The research program is in cooperation with the Israeli Foreign Trade Administration, as well as a wide variety of Israeli private sector and international partners. For the Hartog's Innovation & International Development mini-site click here.

The Rise and Fall of Israel's Aid Budget – 1958-2008: This paper documents the impressive origins and dramatic decline over time of Israel's development aid budget. It investigates the reasons underpinning the establishment of what was, at the time of its inception, one of the largest South-South development cooperation programs of its time. It then documents the reasons for the fall of Israel's aid budget to its present position as the smallest aid donor of all OECD countries. The historical analysis forms a basis for policy recommendations which identify how Israel's aid program may be revitalized in the future.

Jewish and Israeli Aid NGOs: Mapping Activities and Assessing Needs: This study maps and assesses the needs of the many Israeli and other Jewish NGOs involved in humanitarian assistance and international development. The study: presents commonalities and differences among NGOs; assesses the support and capacity building needs of Jewish and Israeli NGOs; and examines the potential for strengthening NGO activities through greater inter-organizational coordination and/or cooperation. The study offers fresh insight into the world of Israeli and Jewish aid NGOs, providing numerous recommendations for how collective action can be used to support individual NGOs and enhance the impact of their work.

Public Opinion Survey on Israel's Development Assistance: The survey examines the attitudes of Israeli society towards international development assistance and humanitarian aid.

The School has published a booklet together with the American Jewish Committee, entitled and Africa – Assessing the Past, Envisioning the Future".

Workshops and Conferences

Roundtable on Water Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Transfer of Technology for the Developing World – March 2010
The School of Government and Policy co-hosted, with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a roundtable discussion featuring Julia Bucknall, Sector Manager for Water in the World Bank Group and including senior representatives of both the private and the public sector and academia in both the fields of water and innovation policy. Amongst the roundtable participants were Booky Oren, Chairman of the Arison Group's water company MIYA, Assaf Barnea CEO of Kinrot Ventures, the largest water technology incubator in the world, and Gaddy Weissman of the Foreign Trade Administration. Participants discussed obstacles to transfer of water technologies to the developing world and how to facilitate better access of Israeli companies to international water technology tenders in the developing world.

Do No Harm - Avoiding Negative Consequences of International Aid- June 2009
The Hartog School of Government and Policy, in cooperation with IsraAid, held a panel discussion aimed at raising the awareness of Israeli International Aid NGOs to potential harmful effects of well-intentioned aid programs. Session participants, including the directors of approximately 20 aid NGOs, listened to presentations by senior aid workers stationed in Israel, including Philippe Lazzarini - Head of OCHA's Palestinian office, Moira Little of UNSCO and Luigi Biondi of Oxfam. The panel was held in the context of the Hartog School's ongoing capacity building program for Israeli Aid NGOs.

Colloquium: Inter-ministerial discussion on "The Rise and Fall of Israel's Bilateral Aid Budget" – January 2010
On Thursday 14 January, MASHAV hosted a three-hour inter-ministerial discussion on the School of Government's report "The Rise and Fall of Israel's Bilateral Aid Budget" (see pictures here). The discussion was extremely well attended, despite the fact that some of the invitees could not come because of emergency discussions on aid to Haiti which were held at the same time. Approximately 40 mid-level and senior representatives attended from several government ministries, including: Foreign, Finance, Trade and Labour, Environment and Agriculture. In addition, there were representatives from the Bank of Israel, the Israel Export Institute and the Peres Centre for Peace. In all, attendance was much larger than expected, and was held in a packed meeting room with overflow seating in the hallway. The session was chaired by Haim Divon, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Ministry and Head of MASHAV. The discussion began with a detailed 90 minute presentation on the report's contents by Aliza Belman Inbal, co-author of the report. Following the presentation, the second half of the session was devoted to a heated discussion on Israel's foreign aid policy, based on the report's policy recommendations. Amongst topics discussed: what should be the aims of Israel's aid program, what role should the Israeli private and civil society sectors have in Israeli aid-giving, and what needs to be done in order to launch a successful campaign for increase of Israel's aid budget.

Limmud UK – December 2009
Senior Pears Fellow, Aliza Belman Inbal, was sponsored by the Pears Foundation to give a series of presentations on international aid at the annual Limmud conference in the UK. Ms. Belman Inbal participated in a panel discussion with Yitzhak Abt, one of the founding fathers of Israel's agricultural cooperation program on the history of MASHAV (Israel's National Agency for International Development Cooperation), as well as speaking on Jewish religious perspectives on international aid, current issues in aid and, for young Limmud, on the UN Convention on the rights of the child.

Workshop on Faith and International Development – March 2008
In March 2008, the School held a two day workshop in Neve Ilan, on "Faith and International Development". The workshop involved one hundred and twenty representatives of more than 50 Jewish and Israeli humanitarian groups. Its goal was to deepen the academic and spiritual content of the work done by Jewish and Israeli groups and to investigate platforms for boosting existing efforts.
Released at the workshop was the draft of a mapping project which explores the extent of involvement of Jewish organizations and philanthropies in international development. The School has invited submissions from those who wish to contribute comments or amendments to the draft, which can be viewed by clicking here .
Also released at the workshop were the results of a public opinion survey on Israel's international development assistance. To read the survey results in English, click here , or in Hebrew, click here .
To see the main booklet from the workshop, click here . And to view photos of the workshop, click here .

Tikkun Olam Workshop – June 2006
In June 2006, the School held the inaugural Tikkun Olam workshop in New York City, to explore the feasibility of the project. The workshop was hosted by the Pears Foundation UK and Stanley Bergman, Chairman of the Hartog School's International Advisory Board. It was attended by approximately 55 delegates from 35 organizations, spanning four continents and seven countries. Letters in support of the project were received by the workshop participants from Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Professor Jeffrey Sachs .What emerged from the workshop was a clear enthusiasm for exploring and proposing modalities of cooperation.

For more details on the Tikkun Olam workshop click here and to read an article about the workshop published in the Jerusalem Report click here