First Report - Racism in the aid sector
Select Committee
International Development Committee
HC 150
23 June 2022
Government Response (AI assessment · 37 of 37 classified)
Accepted
19
Acknowledged
14
Deferred
1
Rejected
1
Recommendations
11 results
3
Accepted
Para 19
The FCDO should consider whether applications for funding must always be submitted in English –...
Recommendation
The FCDO should consider whether applications for funding must always be submitted in English – especially in bids for small projects administered by embassies, which are to be undertaken by local civil society organisations.
Government Response Summary
The FCDO states that they do not require bids to always be in English, and that the decision is up to the post running the competition, taking into account the local context and resources.
6
Accepted
Para 25
The FCDO should apply these same principles to do no harm when it removes funding,...
Recommendation
The FCDO should apply these same principles to do no harm when it removes funding, as well as when aid programmes are initiated.
Government Response Summary
FCDO teams have access to guidance under the Programme Operating Framework which emphasises the importance of engagement with project partners, including Early programme closure guidance that factors in Do No Harm principles and Equalities assessments used to inform allocation decisions.
9
Accepted
The FCDO should consider how it can restructure its funding commitments to give long-term certainty...
Recommendation
The FCDO should consider how it can restructure its funding commitments to give long-term certainty to local civil society organisations to ensure funding that has been committed cannot be suddenly withdrawn at short notice. (Paragraph 27) Communications and storytelling
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Government Response Summary
In contracts, ‘Exit Plans’ are written with delivery partners to provide certainty of a responsible exit and mitigate risk.
14
Accepted
Guidelines on informed consent for obtaining and using images should be observed just as thoroughly...
Recommendation
Guidelines on informed consent for obtaining and using images should be observed just as thoroughly in relation to individuals from the communities that aid organisations work with, as they are in the UK. It is unacceptable for images to be …
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Government Response Summary
The FCDO has a consent form and guidance related to use of photos, including language about getting consent to use people’s images in its Memorandum of Understanding and Accountable Grant templates, and continues to remind staff about this.
16
Accepted
Para 42
Aid organisations must ensure their working practices and programmes are mindful of the intersecting identities...
Recommendation
Aid organisations must ensure their working practices and programmes are mindful of the intersecting identities of their staff and the people they serve.
Government Response Summary
The FCDO signed up to the Business in the Community Race At Work Charter, and added a sixth, FCDO-specific commitment to improve UK foreign and development policy, lead and promote racial equality overseas, and build better relations with communities within the UK.
18
Accepted
Para 45
All aid organisations should have effective processes in place to tackle instances of racism when...
Recommendation
All aid organisations should have effective processes in place to tackle instances of racism when they occur. They should also be able to measure and assess whether those processes are working.
Government Response Summary
The FCDO is launching a new Dignity and Respect at Work Policy in December 2022 which aims to respond robustly to bullying, harassment and discrimination, including on grounds of race.
25
Accepted
The FDCO should publish the first tranche of inclusive data this year and set out...
Recommendation
The FDCO should publish the first tranche of inclusive data this year and set out a timeline for when it will be able to publish further data relating to race, ethnicity and income. (Paragraph 63) Building an equitable and inclusive aid sector
Government Response Summary
The government states it already publishes diversity information via existing reports.
29
Accepted
Para 72
All aid organisations, including private sector contractors should reflect on their diversity data and seek...
Recommendation
All aid organisations, including private sector contractors should reflect on their diversity data and seek to understand if their recruitment practices need strengthening to support talented candidates from diverse backgrounds. We need sector-wide cooperation to share best practice and identify …
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Government Response Summary
The FCDO states that it operates its resourcing and recruitment in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, including selection being made on merit, a fair and open process, anonymised applications, diverse interview panels, and efforts to expand recruitment markets.
32
Accepted
Para 83
It is the responsibility of those in the sector who hold the most power to...
Recommendation
It is the responsibility of those in the sector who hold the most power to increase diversity, inclusion and transparency, and be accountable for the steps their organisations are taking to dismantle structural racism. Responsibility for engendering culture change and …
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Government Response Summary
The FCDO states that a Director General level Board Sponsor for Race was appointed in September 2020, and that the Executive Committee agreed to a series of actions to ensure progress on race, including a zero-tolerance environment for bullying and discrimination.
33
Accepted
Para 83
Aid organisations and private sector contractors with a large enough leadership team should appoint senior...
Recommendation
Aid organisations and private sector contractors with a large enough leadership team should appoint senior leaders with the remit to tackle racism and increase diversity, equity and inclusion in their organisations, with the full support of the senior leadership team.
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Government Response Summary
The FCDO states that a Director General level Board Sponsor for Race was appointed in September 2020, and that the Executive Committee agreed to a series of actions to ensure progress on race, including a zero-tolerance environment for bullying and discrimination.
35
Accepted
Para 90
We urge the FCDO to recognise their important role in determining levels of pay across...
Recommendation
We urge the FCDO to recognise their important role in determining levels of pay across the sector and commit to undertaking a full audit of its pay structures to assess the impact of them on staff hired in-country. The department …
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Government Response Summary
The FCDO assesses wages in categories and job families, considering the value of local and contextual knowledge in the evaluation process.
Conclusions (8) Observations and findings — click to expand
1
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 18
Across the global aid sector, racism manifests in decisions around whose expertise we value. Evidence to our inquiry suggested that institutions in high income countries like the UK assume they have the knowledge and best practice to assist people in low- and middle-income countries. Due to a belief that these …
Government Response Summary
The government states that it does not value international expertise over local expertise, aims to structure tenders accordingly, and requires the use of small and local organizations.
10
Conclusion
Accepted
Fundraising is extremely important to many international aid organisations, but public appeals that depict the communities they serve as helpless and needy strip those communities of their dignity. They contribute to the narrative that the countries where they work are somehow inferior to the UK. (Paragraph 31) Racism in the …
Government Response Summary
The FCDO states it is focused on changing attitudes towards development, dismantling harmful narratives, and supporting low-income countries to shape their own development narratives; giving local partners a voice in how their work should be represented.
11
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 31
Fundraising appeals should depict positive, realistic stories and wherever possible use local filmmakers. They should seek to inform audiences about the drivers of poverty and inequality instead of giving simplistic messages about the difference donations can make.
Government Response Summary
The FCDO states it is focused on changing attitudes towards development, dismantling harmful narratives, and supporting low-income countries to shape their own development narratives; giving local partners a voice in how their work should be represented.
15
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 42
The aid sector does not operate in a vacuum. The different forms of discrimination that permeate British society manifest in the aid sector too. Racism is particularly pertinent for aid organisations because they work directly with individuals from around the world who are Black, Indigenous and People of Colour. Discriminatory …
Government Response Summary
The FCDO is committed to representing the people it serves, signed the Business in the Community Race At Work Charter, and aims for parity at all grades with the UK's economically active minority ethnic population.
17
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 45
Evidence submitted to this inquiry and recent surveys by actors in the UK charity and international aid sectors show the scale of racism experienced by staff who are Black, Indigenous and People of Colour. Any level of racism in the workplace is unacceptable, and the findings that leaders and HR …
Government Response Summary
The FCDO is launching a new Dignity and Respect at Work Policy in December 2022 which aims to respond robustly to bullying, harassment and discrimination, including on grounds of race.
22
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 62
We are concerned that the decision to designate the merged Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as a ‘reserved department’ shuts down the possibility of civil servants from the countries where UK aid funding is spent, from taking part in funding decisions. It appears to go against other commitments to diversity …
Government Response Summary
The government states that the reserved department model best meets the FCDO's objectives and security requirements, and that any non-UK national employed at the time of the creation of the FCDO would be retained in their role.
26
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 68
The barriers to entering the aid sector for candidates from diverse backgrounds can be considerable.
Government Response Summary
The FCDO removed the requirement for specific qualifications for some roles, opening the FCDO as a career path to 275 people.
28
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 72
Some aid organisations are taking action to increase diversity in their workforce, such as reducing unnecessary stipulations in person specifications in job descriptions and banning all-White recruitment boards.
Government Response Summary
The FCDO states that it operates its resourcing and recruitment in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, including selection being made on merit, a fair and open process, anonymised applications, diverse interview panels, and efforts to expand recruitment markets.