Philanthropic leaders from the UK were among the 600+ delegates from 60 countries who gathered at the 20th annual European Foundation Centre (EFC) conference in Rome  to discuss the role foundations can play in tackling poverty and creating cohesive societies.

“Fighting Poverty – Creating Opportunities” was the main theme of the two-day event, which finished on 16th May.

Bharat Mehta, chief executive of City Parochial Foundation, spoke at a special plenary on the role foundations can play in alleviating migrant poverty.

Juliet Prager, deputy trust secretary of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, took part in a session on how foundations are joining forces across borders to tackle sensitive issues such as migration and integration.

President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, opened the conference. He said the fight against poverty requires “motivation and mobilisation at all levels” and “a wide involvement of actors, resources and energies which go well beyond the sphere of state action”. He described foundations as being “an essential ingredient of working liberal democracies” as well as “engines of pluralism”. He said, “foundations can, both individually and as a system, contribute to the dynamism of a society and to preserving its cohesion”.

The Conference Statement, drafted by EFC members and approved with enthusiastic applause at the closing plenary session, strongly encourages the governments of all member states “to work individually, together and with the institutions of the European Union, to build a framework for addressing migration in ways that truly respect the dignity of all human beings as defined in the European Convention on Human Rights.”

The global financial crisis and its consequences – both for foundations and for society as a whole – was a common thread running through many sessions. Delegates shared experiences of how their foundations have been affected by the consequences of the global financial crisis, leading to difficult decisions about their grant-making and investment policies, as well as, in some cases, significant cuts to operating budgets.

However, many foundations, especially those working with disadvantaged communities in Europe and other parts of the world, are determined to maintain or even increase their efforts to provide support for projects and activities that meet the needs of those who are worst affected by the economic downturn and its negative social impact.

The 2009 Raymond Georis Prize for Innovative Philanthropy was awarded to Ms Güler Sabanci, President of the Sabanci Foundation, which was featured in Philanthropy UK’s September 2008 Newsletter.  The Sabanci Foundation was created in 1974 as Turkey's first strategic grant-making foundation, focusing on addressing the needs of women, youth and people with disabilities.

More information is available on the EFC website.