It was summit time, again.
At the end of May, our community of CEOs came together for their annual retreat ‘Vision Works’, to find inspiration, room for peer exchange, and opportunities for collaboration. Hosted by the ‘Initiatives of Change’ – about 20 Civil Society leaders spent three intense days together at Caux, Switzerland, to better understand the current challenges for the sector and to strategise for appropriate responses to counter the attacks on Civil Society values, operations, and institutions.
We were inspired by new perspectives from leaders of allies to the Centre, such as Article 19, CIVICUS, Helvetas and our affiliates at WACSI and the Cyberpeace Institute. Further to our core shareholders and allies, external expertise was also provided by Philea, the ‘Observatory on Information and Democracy’, the ‘Shadowserver Foundation’, CTIN and ‘Globethics’.
A special session focused on the success patterns for CEOs in the Sector was supported by the expertise of Conner Advisory, which brought good reflection on how one can be an impactful Civil Society leader in critical times. This topic is further explored in a preliminary joint report recently published by the Centre and Conner Advisory on success patterns and challenges for CEOs in the sector. You can download the report here.
The Vision Works retreat was a much-needed opportunity to move out of the daily operational pressures and find room for necessary strategising to develop and co-create ideas for sectoral resilience and impact. For many, it was the first opportunity to find the headspace for longer-term thinking and open–up to innovative ideas, challenges, and opportunities that can help Civil Society thrive.
It’s a wonderful community [the Centre’s shareholder organisations], where CEOs can come together for mutual support and ideas sharing, to understand what’s going on in one another’s organisations. It [Vision Works] is a really unique forum for that.
There’s so much happening in the world, that it [the Centre] is probably more valuable now, than it’s ever been…
Caroline Harper, CEO of Sightsavers and outgoing Board Chair
The Centre took the opportunity to thank its outgoing Chair for the past four years, Caroline Harper, of Sightsavers International for her outstanding leadership, and welcome in its new Chair, Amitabh Behar, Executive Director of Oxfam International. Amitabh inspired us by pushing for more collective action and developing a movement mindset, in light of the necessary solidaric action for the sector.
The International Civil Society Centre – I must say – has been an exciting idea. It is a dream that I think several generations of civil society leaders often have – of coming together and recognising that civil society is not about competing – it’s about collaborating. …This is that space we have created together – but now we need to harness it.
Amitabh Behar, Executive Director of Oxfam International and Board Chair
The Centre is uniquely owned and supported by 18 International Civil Society Organisations who have committed to collaboration across the sector. Since 2008, Vision Works has provided a unique space for CEOs from this shareholder community, to step out of their pressurised positions and come together to collectively discuss sectoral issues, define goals, and co-create strategies for the future of their organisations and civil society as a whole.
Wolfgang Jamann
Executive Director
International Civil Society Centre
Dr. Wolfgang Jamann is Executive Director of the International Civil Society Centre. Until January 2018 he was Secretary General and CEO of CARE International (Geneva). Before that he led NGO Deutsche Welthungerhilfe and the Alliance 2015, a partnership of 7 European aid organisations. From 2004-2009 he was CEO & Board member of CARE Deutschland-Luxemburg and President of the CARE Foundation. Previously, he worked for World Vision International as a regional representative in East Africa (Kenya) & Head of Humanitarian Assistance at WV Germany. After his Ph.D. dissertation in 1990 he started his career in development work at the German Foundation for International Development, later for the UNDP in Zambia. As a researcher and academic, he has published books and articles on East & Southeast Asia contributing to international studies on complex humanitarian emergencies and conflict management.
