By – Alinea Asia Pacific team

As the world’s fastest-growing region, the Indo-Pacific plays a vital role in defining global stability and development. The recent launch of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and Australia’s Official Development Assistance budget summary 2022-23 reflect the region’s growing significance. These commitments, together with Australia’s forthcoming new development policy, provide an opportunity to rebrand how Australia and Canada support Indo-Pacific development. New donors, complex development issues, and outdated aid modalities require donors to change the way they respond- this includes Australia and Canada. Ways of working to date are being referred to as ‘colonial’ and proving increasingly ineffective. Development programming based on the principles of inclusion, diversity, and partnership will enable effective, equitable, and sustainable investments in the region.

Australia and Canada’s priorities

Investment in climate action is a priority in the region for both Australia and Canada. Climate action forms the largest portion of Canada’s investment. Australia has doubled its climate finance commitment for 2020-2025, signalling a shared response from Australia and Canada to the growing concern of climate change consequences in the region.

While this focus is a welcome shift, it is critical to ensure that the prioritisation of investments in climate change go hand-in-hand with the interests of the area’s people. This requires working in partnership with local communities and organisations, advancing gender equality, and ensuring more vulnerable groups are not left out of development processes. Australia and Canada also need to consider appropriate representation in existing and new regional bodies to ensure priority development issues are addressed in these regions globally. Australia and Canada need to work collaboratively with local stakeholders to adapt and mitigate the many consequences climate change will bring, such as increased numbers of internally displaced people (IDPs) and continued vulnerabilities to natural disasters. Renewed policies and partnerships to support labor migration and respond to humanitarian crises need to be considered. Australia and Canada could meaningfully demonstrate their commitment to gender equality by significantly targeting resources to address gender-based violence and gender inequalities.

What can Australia and Canada do to improve?

Invest in local partners and local expertise – good development policy is one built on the principles of inclusion, diversity, and partnership. Localisation means valuing, trusting, and leveraging the existing expertise of the partners countries where we are working. Australia and Canada must look strategically to long-term partnerships with organisations who are already making changes on the ground. This could include greater engagement with grassroots organisations working on challenging issues (such as gender, human rights, disability, and transparency) as these community groups tend to be natural leaders, have extensive local networks, and will help to ensure the sustainability of development investments.

Look to a greater presence in regional bodies to position both countries on equal footing with Indo-pacific countries. Canada’s commitment to establishing a new office of the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada is a good start. A presence and participation in regional bodies could help to ensure Canada and Australia are seen to be working in real partnership.

Continue to strengthen people-to-people linkages. Canada and Australia should continue to build people-to-people linkages to those in the Indo-Pacific region. A scale-up of Global Affairs Canada’s Technical Assistance Partnership-Expert Deployment Mechanism (TAP-EDM) Project could be one of the ways. Similarly, Australia may want to expand its current exchange programs for volunteers, scholarships and workers to enhance knowledge, information, cultural and skills exchange.

Prioritise the community level as a space where change is more likely to occur. It is important to recognise the benefits of, with, and through coalitions and networks. Canada’s Women’s Voice and Leadership Program and Australia’s MAMPU Program in Indonesia are some great examples of programs to learn where partner countries and local organisations lead.

Lastly, continue to ensure robust monitoring and evaluation and rigorous performance management of development programming. A greater willingness to invest in quality monitoring, evaluation and learning processes (and documenting this) is required. This includes investing in program performance reviews, independent evaluations and, if in place, annual health checks against progress in bilateral country strategies.

alinea’s whistleblower policy

1.1 Purpose

The following Whistleblower Policy has been established to provide guidance to Alinea International employees and sub-contractors on how to deal with known or suspected improper conduct within the organization. The objectives of this Policy are to:

Create awareness of the Policy and available whistleblower protections
Act as a reference guide to potential whistleblowers wishing to make a disclosure
Define the structure of the whistleblower system, including reporting and investigation procedures, whistleblower protections, and confidentiality, among others
Improve the communication and transparency in the processes associated with whistleblowing and assure protection against derogatory consequences, namely reprisals and detrimental action
Complement the current communication channels between employees, sub-contractors and immediate managers, and hierarchical channels flowing to the President and Senior Management team
Provide guidance to all parties involved in either whistleblowing or whistleblower protection.

1.2 Scope

Alinea requires all employees and sub-contractors to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. All employees and sub-contractors of Alinea are required to comply with applicable laws and regulations of Canada and the countries where we operate. Any allegations of known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources will be dealt with in accordance with this Policy, and reasonable steps will be taken to protect those who come forward with allegations. Alinea’s Whistleblower Policy covers both internal and external whistleblowing, and establishes the controls and procedures for dealing with allegations of malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is intended to encourage employees and sub-contractors to report known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources and to enable Alinea’s Senior Management team to address and correct inappropriate action. It is the responsibility of all Board of Directors’ members, the Senior Management team, employees and sub-contractors to report concerns about known or suspected malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is applicable to all employees and sub-contractors of Alinea International.

1.3 Reporting Procedures

Alinea recognizes the value of transparency and accountability in its administrative and management practices and supports the making of disclosures that reveal improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. Our internal controls and operating procedures are intended to detect and prevent malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. As detailed in Alinea’s Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals, employees and sub-contractors are encouraged to share complaints and/or concerns regarding ethical or legal violations with their immediate managers. If the employee or sub-contractor is not comfortable speaking with their immediate manager or is not satisfied with the response, they are encouraged to speak with the Gatineau or Calgary Office Managers, the Vice Presidents or, as required, the Chief Financial Officer. All members of the Senior Management team are required to report complaints and/or concerns about suspected ethical or legal violations in writing to Alinea’s Ethics Committee who has the responsibility to investigate all reported complaints and/or concerns. In the event that the complaint and/or concern is about the President, it should be raised by the employee or sub-contractor to their immediate manager or the Ethics Committee who will determine how the investigation will proceed. All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective measures will be taken if warranted by the investigation. Alinea’s Ethics Committee is responsible for acknowledging receipt of the suspected violation and notifying the whistleblower of the outcome of the investigation. Anyone filing a written complaint concerning suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation. Personal grievances or complaints related to employment are not covered under Alinea’s Whistleblowing Policy. For cases such as this, employees and sub-contractors are advised to first refer to Alineas Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals when considering a disclosure under the Whistleblowing Policy. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.

1.4 Confidentiality

Maintaining confidentiality is crucial to ensure reprisals are not made against the whistleblower. Alinea is committed to safeguarding the identity of the whistleblower and to protecting the whistleblower against detrimental action taken in reprisal for allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. The Ethics Committee is responsible for ensuring whistleblowers are protected from direct and indirect detrimental action, and that the culture of the workplace is supportive of suspected allegations being made. Any employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.

1.5 Review

Alinea is committed to implementing ‘best practice’ policies and procedures for dealing with allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources (as defined by this Policy) and the management and protection of whistleblowers making allegation(s). This Policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure it meets the objectives of relevant legislation and remains effective for Alinea, and may be changed at the discretion of the Board of Directors at any time. For allegations of fraud, securities law, or human rights concerns, or when you are not satisfied or uncomfortable with following the Company’s open door policy, individuals should contact the Company’s Ethics Committee directly.

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Shifting our priorities on how to deliver development assistance in the Indo-Pacific

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