The Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC) is a coalition of voluntary non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which promotes international development through overseas projects and development education in Manitoba. These organizations involved in international development are committed to:
• respect, empowerment and self-determination for all peoples;
• development that protects the world's environment;
• and global understanding, cooperation and social justice.

The definitions of "development" and what constitutes a good development project are many. The following criteria are from MCIC's guidelines for funding overseas projects. MCIC defines development as a long term process promoting community involvement in designing strategies to correct and improve chronic and structural problems in all areas of individual and community life.

MCIC's principles include:

1. Partnership and Indigenous Control
MCIC supports partnership between Canadian and Southern Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Partnership is a sharing of power, resources, information and experience based on equitable arrangements of trust, accountability and exchanges. MCIC encourages partnerships which promote indigenous control and self-reliance. MCIC supports the hiring of indigenous personnel.

2. Popular Participation and Self Reliance
Popular participation is a cornerstone of sustainable development and the degree of participation by the community in the proposed activities must be clearly identified. Moreover, MCIC supports initiatives which strengthen the ability of NGOs to engage policy makers, either in the South or Canada, in democratization and popular participation.

3. Respect for All Persons

A. Gender and Development
MCIC supports programmes which address women's relative position in society in response to both their practical, (or immediate), needs and their strategic, (or long-term), interests.

B. Persons with Disabilities
The World Health Organization estimates that while 10% of the world's population have a disability, 80 % of people with disabilities live in the developing world. Therefore it is assumed that at least 10 % of project participants are people with disabilities.

4. Respect for the Environment
Sustainable development meets the needs of people today without compromising future generations. Environmental sustainability integrates the preservation of fragile ecological systems with the need to improve economic opportunities and living standards. Such strategies involve local populations and encourage community control of the initiative.