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What’s the point of hosting an event to help people in low- and middle-income countries if those people — and therefore their perspectives — aren’t in the room? That’s the question plenty of folks are demanding answers to.
Also in today’s edition: Are two heads better than one? Some NGO bosses think so.
Dignity denied
Conferences held in the global north meant to address problems in the global south suffer from a fundamental problem themselves: They’re often missing the very people at the heart of the discussions, Devex contributing reporter Rebecca Root writes.
The routine denial of visas and the exorbitant travel costs associated with events such as the U.N. General Assembly in New York, World Health Assembly in Geneva, and World Economic Forum in Davos prohibit many people, even speakers, from attending.
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In one notorious incident, Ugandan-born Winnie Byanyima was almost denied entry to board a plane bound for Canada to attend the International AIDS Society Conference in 2022, even though Byanyima is the executive director of UNAIDS.
“How much do we need to beg? How much do we need to constantly plead? It happens every single year,” says South Africa-based Tian Johnson of the African Alliance for HIV Prevention, who was also stopped from boarding his flight to IAS 2022 because of visa issues.
The problem extends to studying abroad as well. Research on study visas to the U.S. for 2022 showed that 54% of African students had their applications denied compared to just 9% of European students.
These exclusions deprive countries in the global north of critical expertise and on-the-ground experience.
Instead of trying to remedy an individual visa problem or blaming the system, Bijan Farnoudi, director of communications and public affairs at IAS, says NGOs should be working on long-term engagement with authorities to streamline the processes for foreign students, workers, and conference attendees.
“If you’re an organization with global or national clout this should be on the top of your agenda,” he says.
Read: How visa laws hamper development work — and what to do about it (Pro)
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Not as lonely at the top
Sharing is caring — but does that apply to CEOs? For some NGOs, the answer is yes, as they install not one but two people to co-lead their organization.
When GNP+, the Global Network of People Living with HIV, embarked on its 2021 search for a pair of bosses for what one of its co-leaders now calls an “arranged marriage,” their board chair had doubts.
“When role-share was first suggested as an alternative model of leadership I had questions — will this be efficient, what about egos, will it cause confusion with external representation?” wrote Jacquelyne Alesi, the board chair, on the organization’s site. “However, having looked at the idea in more detail I now see co-leadership through a new lens of mutual accountability, flexibility, and support — all central to a feminist leadership model.”
While the practice has roots in feminist leadership, with some such as Mama Cash, Womankind Worldwide, Black Feminist Fund, and more having adopted a shared decision-making style, many others are embracing the model as well, including STIR Education, ActionAid UK, Open Philanthropy, and Greenpeace UK.
It seems to have worked for Restless Development, which supports young leaders. Alex Kent became co-CEO of the organization alongside Kate Muhwezi when it was emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This isn’t taking one role and splitting it fifty-fifty; this is really putting two different brains, different skill sets together,” Kent says. “On the big stuff, two heads are better than one — modeling collective decision-making.”
She says success often comes down to trust, the relationship between the co-leads, and chemistry.
“I often joke it's like having a second wife,” Kent says.
Read: 'Two is better than one' — why some NGOs are choosing co-leadership (Pro)
Hazy future
In September, world leaders will meet in New York for the Summit of the Future, which will culminate in an all-encompassing Pact for the Future. But climate advocates worry negotiators are forgetting a key part of that future: climate change — and they’re pushing for stronger, climate-specific language to be included in the draft.
Climate advocates aren’t the only ones underwhelmed by this proposed pact. There has been a general lack of enthusiasm at the United Nations about the Summit of the Future.
“I think that a lot of member states have really, really struggled to get a grip on what the summit can achieve, and what their priorities should be,” Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group tells Devex contributing reporter Stéphanie Fillion.
“I just think there's an obvious discrepancy between the issues that [U.N. Secretary-General Antonio] Guterres wanted to press back in 2021 like pandemics, technology, and global threats, including climate change and what's actually been dominating the U.N. agenda ever since, which is wars,” Gowan adds.
But civil society and member states affected by climate change hope this existential threat warrants more than a fleeting mention in an already jam-packed agenda.
“In a 20-page document that's meant to tackle all of the challenges of the world, in the present and into the future, we can’t expect a heavy document with a lot of ambition but, it does feel like kind of passing the buck a little bit,” Rebecca Shoot of Citizens for Global Solutions tells Stéphanie about the second draft of the document.
Read: UN Pact for the Future draft lacks ambition on climate, states warn
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Do judge a book by this cover
In an age of LinkedIn and artificial intelligence, cover letters may seem like a relic of the past — but they’re not extinct just yet, according to experts who spoke at a recent Devex Careers event.
“It's a chance for candidates to really stand out by creating something that is unique that tells their own story,” development career coach Caroline Korda Poole said.
A cover letter, “if nothing else, is an unrequested writing sample that it is a way to convey to your reader, a hiring authority, or a recruiter that you can tell a story in a compelling way, and anything that can make you stand out is going to be to your benefit,” development writing expert Kathryn Harper said.
One interesting bit of advice: Hold off on the “I.”
Harper said that it's important to keep the focus on “what I'm going to do for you.” With this in mind, “Please don't use the letter ‘I’ in the first paragraph, at all,” she said.
For example, avoid starting off with lines like “I am so excited about this opportunity.” An “employer doesn't care if you're excited. The employer wants to know what you bring to the table right off the bat,” Harper said.
And be smart about AI. “The operative word for AI is assist. Not do, but assist, and maybe support [or] help,” Harper said. “But ultimately, the cover letter can only be written in your voice and can only tell your story because AI doesn't know who you are and doesn't care.”
Read: 3 mistakes to avoid when writing your next development cover letter (Career)
The CV checklist: 7 questions to answer (Career)
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In other news
Head of Bangladesh's interim government Muhammad Yunus held a call with USAID Administrator Samantha Power, discussing ways to best support the temporary administration on human rights, governance, and economic issues. [AFP]
The U.N. migration agency is seeking $18.5 million to combat the rising mpox threat to migrants in African regions. [UN News]
The Taliban has denied U.N. Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Richard Bennett entry into Afghanistan, citing his role in spreading “propaganda.” [DW]
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About the author
Anna Gawel
Anna Gawel is the Managing Editor of Devex. She previously worked as the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat, the flagship publication of D.C.’s diplomatic community. She’s had hundreds of articles published on world affairs, U.S. foreign policy, politics, security, trade, travel and the arts on topics ranging from the impact of State Department budget cuts to Caribbean efforts to fight climate change. She was also a broadcast producer and digital editor at WTOP News and host of the Global 360 podcast. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Maryland in College Park.
