What does it truly mean to shift the power? How do we ensure that decolonisation doesn’t become just another buzzword for the global sustainable development sector? What does it mean to be actively anti-racist in 2022?

These are questions that have been dominating much of mainstream discourse for the sector over the last two years and are crucial to consider as individuals and organisations as we progress forward.

Whilst these concepts have many overlapping elements, it is important to consider that they are not at all interchangeable, and all represent distinct challenges that face our sector and broader society – our panel of experts will provide clear, distinct definitions of terms, before going on to provide insight into key actions to take.

This virtual learning event will consist of a panel discussion, followed by facilitated breakout sessions to encourage active reflection; leaders will provide insights and practical steps to take as a commitment to move beyond buzzwords and ensure that impactful action follows.

Agenda:

2pm Start – Introduction from Frances Guy (Alliance CEO) & Lena Bheeroo (Chair)

2.10 - 3pm - Panel discussion (led by Lena, with speakers Danny Sriskandarajah, CEO of Oxfam GB, Hamimu Masudi of the Kampala Initiative, & Radhika Govinda from the University of Edinburgh)

3 - 3.10pm - Short comfort break & switch to second Zoom link

3.10 - 3.50pm – 40 minute facilitated breakout sessions (3 parallel sessions)

3.50pm - 4pm Close – Conclusion & next steps with Lena & Frances

When you register for this event, please select which facilitated breakout session you would like to join:

Breakout Session 1: Active Anti-Racism, led by Andres & Lena

Breakout Session 2: Decolonisation, led by Hamimu

Breakout Session 3: Shifting the Power, led by Tracy

These interactive reflective sessions will be led by expert facilitators(including Andres Gomez de la Torre Barrera, Tracy Kajumba and Hamimu Masudi), and designed to provide you with a framework to reflect upon the topics and create practical steps to move forward. Numbers will be capped to ensure equal distribution of attendees across each session, and all event attendees will be sent information and resources from each session afterwards.

The Alliance has the following Safe Spaces Policy, and asks that all those registering to attend this event agree to commit to our ways of being:

Meet our chair and speakers:

(Chair) Lena Bheeroo - Lena is an anti-racism activist, organiser and curator of events across international development. She is the Engagement and Equity Manager at Bond, a committee member of CharitySoWhite and a core group member of The Racial Equity Index.

Danny Sriskandarajah - Dr Danny Sriskandarajah joined Oxfam GB as Chief Executive in January 2019. Prior to this he held leadership roles at CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Commonwealth Foundation and the Institute for Public Policy Research.

Radhika Govinda - Radhika Govinda is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and the Director of genderED, the University of Edinburgh's interdisciplinary hub in gender and sexualities studies. She has an MA from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), France and a PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK. Prior to joining the University of Edinburgh, she held a Lectureship in Gender Studies at Ambedkar University Delhi, India. Her research and teaching practice focus on the gender politics of development, intersectionality and feminist knowledge production.

Hamimu Masudi - Hamimu Masudi is a communication professional, policy analyst and a social mobilizer, based in Uganda. He has been designing and implementing social justice campaigns for development and humanitarian actors across Africa and beyond. Currently, Hamimu is the Policy and Campaign Officer of Health Poverty Action and Co-Chair of Track Changing sub-group of the Kampala Initiative –a democratic civil society space of independent, critical-thinking activists and organisations that advances alternative narratives on cooperation and solidarity within and beyond aid.

Tracy Kajumba - Tracy is the Principal Researcher & Team Leader Climate Change Group and is IIED's institutional lead for intersectional disadvantage and inequality. Previously, she was Regional senior climate change and development advisor for sub-Saharan Africa with Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Development Cooperation Division; country coordinator, Africa Climate Change Resilience Alliance; and advisor, gender, climate change and conflict management, Care International in Uganda; Government of Uganda.

Andres Gomez de la Torre Barrera - Andres is Director, Confederation Development, at CARE International. He is a member of the Board of Women for Women International, and has extensive experience in international development and humanitarian programmes, policy and operations across Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East.