The #ShiftThePower Global Summit brought together changemakers and trailblazers from around the world and from across different parts of the international development, philanthropy and civil society systems.

A key objective was to create ‘good collisions’ and to forge new pathways between and among people who are, in one way or another, crafting and testing new people-centred practices and approaches that are driven from the bottom up, or who are leading experiments and authentic efforts to shift power from within the existing system.

Conference report

The road from Bogota is an uphill climb

Charlotte Kilpatrick, Alliance magazine

The International Emerald Museum of Columbia sits on the top floor of a tower block in central Bogota. Access to the museum involves more than just buying a ticket. Before entering the ground lobby a security guard checks your ID and bag and then a second security guard performs another check before entering the elevators. My guide informed me that the extra security was not solely out of concern for the priceless emeralds several floors above us but because the building had been the target of bomb threats since the beginning of the country’s 60-year civil conflict. Read more…

Interviews

Chernor Bah on what ‘shifting the power’ means in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leonian Minister, Chernor Bah

Although he was unable to attend the Shift the Power conference in Bogota in December, Sierra Leonian Minister, Chernor Bah, made the time to speak with Alliance to discuss how to make the movement more than a slogan. Read more…

‘The #ShiftThePower agenda is a liberation agenda’ – Interview with Dzikamai Bere, ZimRights

Tarisai Jangara, African Philanthropy Network

I was filled with excitement when I crossed paths with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) at the #ShiftThePower Summit in Bogota, Colombia.

As someone who had transitioned from the mainstream media industry to the development sector, ZimRights was the very first organisation I had the opportunity to work with back then in 2013. They are a remarkable grassroots movement in Zimbabwe, consisting of ordinary individuals who are passionate about human rights. With a membership of over 250,000 people, ZimRights has become the largest grassroots movement in the country since its establishment in 1992. Read more…

Reflections from delegates

‘When the world is in crisis, the world is not together’: Day One, #ShiftThePower Summit

Amy McGoldrick, Alliance magazine

With the audience packed into the auditorium for the plenary, we were asked to stand and move left for ‘yes’, right for ‘no’ or to stay in the middle when presented with several statements about the sector. The first statement: I am feeling hopeful, confident and excited that together we can build a good society and the system that we want. Read more…

‘A moral imagination’: Day Two, #ShiftThePower Summit

Amy McGoldrick, Alliance magazine

Day two of the Summit in Bogotá, Colombia, began with a plenary called ‘Setting the scene’ with Marta Ruiz, journalist and former Commissioner of Truth in Colombia.

‘After the war, we don’t have peace – we have wrath, sadness and grief. This is why the Truth Commission is necessary,’ said Ruiz. ‘Peace building is about more than an agreement, more than the silencing of weapons and the returning of combatants. It goes beyond the isolated actions we’ve had. Peace is a moral imagination that we need to survive. Read more…

The ancient technology of storytelling: Day Three, #ShiftThePower Summit

Amy McGoldrick, Alliance magazine

On day three, I attended one of the ‘buckets’ on Moving beyond logos, egos, siloes and haloes: Reimagining our own systems, organisational and governance structures in the pursuit of collective action and the good society.

‘The manifesto for change is our vision,’ began the convenors. ‘Governance is how we will make that vision a reality. Read more…

International philanthropy needs a strategy for human rights, well-being, justice, and peace

Pooja Singh, Adolescent Girls Investment Plan.

As I sit in the comfort of home reflecting on the whirlwind experience of the Summit last week, I realise there is much to celebrate and learn from, both in terms of how the Summit was organised and what each participant brought to the convening. Read more…

Decolonial justice at the border: #ShiftingThePower in Bogotá

Massah Esther Nyally Bockarie, We Are Purposeful, Africa.

I intended to share the incredible conversation I had at the conference. On our arrival that morning, I vividly remember being on the bus with Soheir, a Palestinian and Ruth, a Kenyan who are both human rights lawyers and activists. Our discussion revolved around Palestine and our expectations for the summit. Read more…

Reflections from #ShiftThePower Global Summit

Shelly Satuku, SIVIO Institute.

On the first day Jenny delivered a captivating speech which brought to light the journey of the ShiftThePower movement. As a person interested in statistics and evidence-based arguments, she provided the compelling need for shifting power. She stated that in 2016 there was a realisation by international humanitarian donors that 97% of aid was channelled towards international organisations while only 3% went to local organisations yet they are at the forefront of mitigating challenges that confront humanity. Read more…

Trust is the key to shifting the power

Soni Khanal, Accountability Lab Nepal and a #ShiftThePower Fellow

I got an opportunity to attend the #ShiftThePower Summit held in Bogota, Colombia in December 2023. This blog highlights the most interesting experiences during and beyond the summit that helped me gain diverse perspectives, especially on how trust can shift power. Read more…

Shifting Power for Palestine – It’s more than just power

Themrise Khan, independent practitioner and policy specialist based in Pakistan.

It is impossible to hold a gathering of almost 700 people from all over the world and not talk about the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

That is why it was an honour and a pleasure to hear Soheir Assad from Rawa Creative Palestinian Communities Fund, speak on the second day of the Shift the Power Summit in Bogota. Read more…

Three lessons for peace, from Latin America

Felipe Bogotá Rodríguez, TerritoriA

Bogota was the epicenter of a global conversation about new dynamics and ways of deciding in relation to power.

Over the three days we had the privilege of bringing together more than 700 agents of change from all continents to dream of a community philanthropy that contributes to global issues such as climate change, gender inequality, violence and armed conflict and socioeconomic inequalities. We questioned, from a critical perspective, how we can change the established power systems to solve the polycrisis we face as humanity. Read more…

Four takeaways for Philanthropy from #ShiftThePower

Ayan Ahmed, Jesse Eaves and Lexi Ferry-Smith, Humanity United

Five members of the Humanity United team traveled to Bogotá, Colombia in December to participate in the Shift The Power Summit, joining with a community of peacebuilders working toward a global civil society and funding system that center equity, justice and flourishing lives for all. Read more…