Working together with stakeholders to introduce innovation in approaches, institutions and enterprises, which is needed to make the transformation to sustainable development in today’s rapidly changing world.

Why it matters

Innovation is not just about doing things differently; it is about driving positive change. We need innovation to break through barriers to progress—whether financial, cultural, political or institutional—and to develop alternatives to practices, structures and enterprise models that fail to equitably serve people or sustainably protect the environment. As our countries and region confront new challenges, we need innovation to navigate new opportunities and modify what once worked and no longer works so well. Innovation is meaningless unless it is driven by those who will benefit from the changes it seeks to make.

Our approach

Innovation cuts across all CANARI’s programmes. We are a “learning organisation” which recognises that change usually comes from the margins. Our role in developing new approaches, methods and tools is less to lead and more to facilitate the work of stakeholders on the ground. We add the greatest value in bringing stakeholders together to seek innovative approaches, sharing those innovations more broadly, building people’s capacity to use them and advocating for their widespread uptake.