The call to end 'abject humiliation' over development conferences

Almost 1,400 signatories from the global south have added their names to an open letter to funders calling out the “abject humiliation” many of them have faced when trying to get a visa to attend development conferences, and calling for five changes in how these events are run. In recent years, high-profile development leaders from the global south have frequently faced barriers in attending events in the global north. The letter emerged from some of the most recent frustrations felt by several professionals who had been invited to two recent events in Copenhagen: the People Power Conference and the conference on supporting local partners in the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. Individuals from small African organizations found out that Denmark would not issue visas to people from their countries, and had to travel to another low-income country at their own expense. “When this happened, we got together with the people who had openly talked about the problem, and we decided enough was enough,” Gunjan Veda, director of collaborative research, policy, and practice at the Movement for Community Led Development, one of the letter’s organizers, told Devex in a phone interview. Veda said that while the letter was born from a shared frustration, “it was also born from a recognition that for the first time, funders and foundations are serious about locally led development.” But she said many don't yet know how to bring about systemic change. "So, this was our attempt to assist them in the process,” Veda said. The letter, sent to funders over the last two days, was jointly facilitated by MCLD, which seeks to build capacity for communities to take charge of their development; CIVICUS, which focuses on strengthening civil society around the world; and Peace Direct, a peace-building NGO that partners with local groups to end conflicts. At the time of this writing, it had been signed by 1,368 local and community-based organizations, networks, individual activists, and development professionals. The letter said more and more INGOs and funders are trying to include professionals from the global south at their events. It also acknowledges that there has been progress on the issue recently, such as the donor statement on locally led development in 2022 and the 2021 OECD's Development Assistance Committee recommendations on enabling civil society in development cooperation and humanitarian assistance. But it said more needed to be done. “True locally-led development requires that you don’t just invite a handful of local actors to your tables,” the letter said. “It necessitates a re-setting of this table with local actors to design a system that works for all of us.” The letter called for funders to commit to five suggestions: 1. Inviting local partners to the policy and decision-making tables. Instead of allowing just a few “token representatives” to participate, signatories asked that organizations, networks, and governments from the global south be equally represented. 2. Ensuring they have access to the table. The letter outlined the visa difficulties that development professionals from the global south have to go through to attend conferences. “Current visa rules in many countries bar a majority of us from attending events held there,” it said. It asked that events be held in places where global south professionals can attend “without being subjected to the abject humiliation that many of us undergo while attempting to get a visa to the US or most countries in Europe.” 3. Respecting their participation, for example by making sure sponsorship to events covers all costs related to attendance — entry fee, but also visa, travel accommodation, per diem, meals, and insurance — and pay upfront, since many local organizations or networks may lack the resources to wait for reimbursement. Signatories also call for schedules to be shared early to allow them to plan the trip. 4. Speaking in a language that professionals from the global south understand and are comfortable with. “If we have to provide input on a policy, it has to be available in a language and context we can understand,” the letter said. 5. Finally, signatories asked to not only be invited to conferences, but to have equal representation and visibility in the agenda-setting processes ahead of them — for example by inviting global south organizations as co-hosts. The letter will remain open for more local NGOs to sign. International NGOs, who typically organize events on locally led development, will be invited to sign as allies starting Dec. 1. Like donors, they will be asked to commit to the five principles. “We are the majority of the world’s population,” the letter said. “And you cannot take decisions that affect us without us.”