Global Development Sector, We See Through Your ‘Evolution’.
By: The Racial Equity Index
Tags: Racial Justice, Global Development, Racial Equity, Women Deliver, International Development

Global Development Sector, We See Through Your ‘Evolution’.

The composition and culture of leadership within the global development space does not live up to its purported values. Existing leadership normalises whiteness and upholds white supremacy culture. Standards crafted by white people are categorised as being the right or ‘professional’ way to do things within the global development sector.

The white experience is considered to be superior, the most trustworthy and the guaranteed answer to success. This contrasts starkly to the Black, Indigenous and person of color (BIPOC) experience or perspective, which is often undervalued, deemed problematic and is challenged rather than being wholeheartedly accepted and centred in the global development sector. In this space, BIPOC staff are disproportionately forced to observe leadership rather than directly hold it.

We must change the global development sector’s ineffectual commitment to ending systemic racism. Organisations cannot claim to advance racial equity if the makeup of their leadership boards are majority white and the culture across their organisation seeks to preserve and aggrandise white supremacy and white leadership. Existing culture places too much entitlement, trust and power in the hands of white people. Achieving racial equity in a space where power is preserved to be in the hands of white leadership and a collective white lens is both difficult and artificial. Any outcome achieved in a context like this, would only result in Fake Equity rather than Racial Equity.

The recent scandals within white women-led ‘feminist’ organisations is a direct example of the preservation of white privilege and oppression of BIPOC staff and communities.

We are looking at you Nobel Women’s Initiative:

In August 2020, 5 BIPOC staff members and 2 core consultants issued a collective resignation to the Nobel Women’s Initiative, a women’s rights and global peace organisation founded by 5 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. The former staff and consultants felt their voices within this organisation had been diminished and that the organisation was failing to uphold its values on transparency, equity and inclusivity. They had asked for profound organisational change but were met with a statement full of platitudes and inaction. Since the departure of staff, an external review was launched to investigate the rationale behind their resignation. Sound familiar? This is because it is.

The Nobel Women’s Initiative, based in Ottawa, is the third major women’s rights organisation to announce reviews of working practices in the past two months. The International Women’s Health Coalition, in addition to Women Deliver, have also launched investigations into allegations of racism, bullying and discrimination.

We are Talking to You Women Deliver:

BIPOC employees of global advocacy organisation Women Deliver have bravely spoken out on social media against the toxic culture within their workplace, the long standing harassment and discrimination they have had to face, and the continuous underestimation of their talent despite their sweat, tears and dedication to the organisation. Former BIPOC employees have revealed how they were bullied by senior management, including the former CEO of Women Deliver, Katja Iversen.

In response to the allegations of racism, an external investigation was launched in June 2020. The purpose was to investigate whether racism and harassment had occurred at Women Deliver. When the findings of the investigation were published in October 2020, they (to put it mildly) were disappointing. The investigation lacked any sense of transparency and did not provide justice for Women Deliver staff who had experienced abuse. The report published used weak justifications that absolved all leadership of accountability. Presently, many junior- and mid-level staff have faced overwhelming pressure to take on additional responsibilities and participate in newly created diversity, equity, and inclusion working groups and task forces, without any additional compensation for their work or support from the board and senior leadership. For a more detailed analysis of the investigation, read this letter to leadership from Women Deliver for Change, a group of Women Deliver staff anonymously advocating for change within the organisation.

But that’s not all. This month Women Deliver announced that due to the challenging financial environment, it would lay off staff members in order to ‘evolve’. While it is unclear how the organisation will choose which staff will be let go (transparency is not their strong suit…), the timing of this announcement, only three weeks after it pledged to include all staff in its work to become an anti-racist organisation, is beyond suspect. It’s also absurd that financial justifications are being used for layoffs. During the investigation, former CEO Katja Iversen took a leave of absence, during which it was revealed that she was paid 84,000 USD for her 4-month leave of absence, and then resigned in October 2020, from which she likely received a hefty severance. Focusing blame on junior staff and seeking to silence or remove staff from the organisation, is not evolution. This does not lead to positive outcomes or progress- but rather aims to maintain white supremacy and deliberately retain power and influence in the hands of a majority white senior staff.

We also take issue with Women Deliver’s former CEO Katja Iverson, who stepped down following the investigation. During her resignation, a statement was released on both the Women Deliver website and Katja’s personal Twitter account. Katja announced that she “decided to relinquish her post and step back to let someone from one of the many communities [they] work for and lead”. As noted in this Twitter thread: the term ‘relinquish’ means to give over possession or control of power. The usage of the term ‘relinquishing’ here is problematic, as it implies that she has given up power over something she believes she bears natural ownership to. Her response supports and bolsters the white supremacy culture framework not only within the organisation, but the global development sector at large.

As a multi-million dollar non profit organisation, we expect better from Women Deliver. This scandal reveals more than ever: The importance to harness, meaningfully centre and value the lived and learned experience of BIPOC staff. The universal approach to leadership has favoured white supremacy culture, conduct and action. Upholding white supremacy within your leadership, does not enable you to move towards racial equity. Failing to hand power to BIPOC staff, failure to actively listen and understand BIPOC needs and experiences, hinders racial equity. Leadership positions must be representative- they must visibly uproot white supremacy culture, thinking and practices.

It must also be noted that representation at leadership or Board level is not the end but the start. It is not enough to have one BIPOC member of staff or leader managing race equity movements across organisations by themselves. If a few members of staff or one individual is granted responsibility for race equity thinking and practice, this yet again enables white leaders to absolve accountability, preserve privilege and seek to defer power in certain circumstances. Meaningful racial equity work starts with challenging traditional power dynamics, power sharing, providing BIPOC staff the platforms to provide expertise and providing BIPOC staff a strong network of support for the increasing physical and emotional labour they are undertaking. If leadership’s answer to growing concerns of racism is to lay off staff or defer power, thinking and hard work to junior staff members, this does not seek to challenge or change white supremacy culture.