Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Paragraph: 42
The aid sector does not operate in a vacuum.
Conclusion
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 attitudes within these organisations will have a negative impact on the communities they work with and the programmes they deliver.
Paragraph Reference:
42
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The FCDO is committed to representing the people we serve. The Business in the Community Race At Work Charter, which the FCDO signed up to on its first day as a Racism in the aid sector: Government response to the Committee’s First Report 9 new organisation, contains five calls to action2 to ensure that minority ethnic employees are represented at all levels in the organisation. As at March 2022, representation rates for Minority Ethnic UK-based staff at the higher grades of Grade 6 and the Senior Civil Service grades was just under 10%, whereas the Administrative Assistant, Administrative Officer and Executive Officer grades had disproportionately higher representation of staff from ethnic minority backgrounds (33%, 29% and 20% respectively). We are therefore focused on ensuring the progression of Minority Ethnic staff towards the higher grades. For UK-based staff, we aim for parity at all grades with the UK’s economically active minority ethnic population (14%). In addition to the five calls to action in the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter, the FCDO added a sixth, FCDO-specific, externally focussed commitment: “Leverage the FCDO’s racial diversity to improve UK foreign and development policy, lead and promote racial equality overseas, and build better relations with communities within the UK.” This Commitment includes ongoing work to review the FCDO’s current foreign and development policy approach through a series of Dialogues with a critical “race-inclusive” lens to identify where practical policy and programmatic improvements can be made. The learning provision of the FCDO’s International Academy on specific countries and regions aims to point staff to useful material on the history of the place concerned, including colonial history, and how this has shaped international relations and states’ foreign policies and priorities.