Development Starts Here — A Pledge to Action for Diversity and Inclusion

This post originally appeared on Devex.

So often international development professionals facilitate incredible change in the most challenging environments, yet it can be difficult to practice what we preach. By the very nature of our work with people from all parts of society, all over the globe, international development firms — including Chemonics — have, and truly benefit from, a diverse staff.

Rather than take that diversity at face value, it is important that we in the development sector look beyond numbers and engage that diversity for the good of the communities we serve. We must examine where diversity sits across our organizational structures and ensure our diverse staff feel included and supported. I believe the development community has the opportunity to lead the charge for diversity and inclusion, and I invite leaders and members of our industry to actively engage and collaborate on this effort.

We cannot, however, do the work of diversity and inclusion without deep reflection. Diversity and inclusion efforts do not simply comprise of a practical set of approaches. Rather, this work requires acknowledgment of historical and current discrimination, injustices, and power structures, and a strategy for sustained commitment…Read the full article on Devex’s website.