Our Approach

As a relatively small national donor, Jersey Overseas Aid must work hard to ensure that our aid is effective.

Over its first half century, JOA supported development projects of almost every type in almost every poor country in the world. We now realise that we can effect lasting change for greater numbers of people by narrowing and intensifying our development assistance, implementing larger, longer-term programmes in fewer places.

We also understand that we can achieve the greatest impact by focusing our development grants in ways that enable Jersey to add more value than just the funds we contribute – by focusing on three key themes where Jersey has skills and knowledge that can be shared: Dairy for DevelopmentFinancial Inclusion and Conservation Livelihoods.

JOA approaches its mission guided by the following ways of working:

  • Playing to Jersey’s Strengths

    We believe that one of the best ways of ensuring that our programming delivers the best value for money in a way that resonates with people from Jersey is to specialise in areas of development programming where the Island already has a comparative advantage.

  • Sharing Knowledge

    The sharing of knowledge and learning within and between organisations is a key driver of improving the success and sustainability of overseas aid. Donors have a key role to play in ensuring that they encourage (and fund) grantees to gather and disseminate knowledge which will assist others in pursuit of similar goals.

  • Political Independence

    JOA will always pursue the good of the Island and cooperate with other bodies which also promote Jersey’s international personality and reputation but will maintain the operational independence safeguarded in its founding legislation.

  • Partnerships

    JOA is delighted to partner with other donors in support of mutual developmental and humanitarian goals. Co-funding provides an opportunity to increase the scope and impact of projects, improve coordination in target countries or emergencies, and to share information and good practice between funders.

Guiding principles

JOA is guided by the principles of Aid Effectiveness, as developed in the 2005 Paris Declaration, the 2008 Accra Agenda for Action, the 2011 Busan Partnership Document and the 2014 Mexico Communique.

In addition, JOA is guided by the principles of Good Humanitarian Donorship in the financing of humanitarian assistance, including the core values of Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality and Independence.

Thirdly, JOA is guided by Jersey’s staunch commitment to Environmental Protection and taking action to halt climate change, including the Government’s 2019 declaration of a ‘Climate Emergency’ and its commitment to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.