How Inclusive Development Can Have a Global Impact
This month on Agrilinks, we are highlighting the importance of inclusive development and showcasing evidence and programming that reaches and empowers marginalized or vulnerable populations. Inclusive development is smart development and acknowledges that the impacts of marginalization can be devastating for individuals, communities, and societies. USAID’s Bureau for Resilience and Food Security’s vision of a resilient and prosperous world for all will not be met unless our development approach helps to create the conditions where every person, regardless of identity, is instrumental in the transformation of their own societies.
Through USAID’s Transformation process, USAID recently launched the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security (RFS). The new Inclusive Development Division within the RFS Program Office helps to ensure the thoughtful incorporation of gender, youth, vulnerable and marginalized groups, digital technology, and local partners — including civil society — in the development and implementation of all RFS and related mission programmings. Our work aligns with and supports Agency policies, including the:
- Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy;
- Disability Policy;
- Youth in Development Policy;
- Policy Promoting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
- LGBT Vision for Action; and
- Promoting Nondiscrimination and Inclusive Development in USAID-funded programs (ADS Reference 200mab).
The RFS Inclusive Development Division adopts an expansive view of inclusion and also promotes local capacity development and digital development as cross-cutting themes that are integral and foundational to all programming that aims to advance inclusive development. Efforts to integrate local capacity development and digital development are guided by the following Agency policies and guidance:
We know that an inclusive development approach, one in which all people contribute to and benefit from the development of their countries, leads to better development outcomes and is necessary for a country’s journey to self-reliance. Therefore, we are excited to host the July Agrilinks theme month on Inclusive Development to highlight the many examples of how resilience, agriculture, and food security, WASH, and nutrition programming can and should be truly inclusive and make a difference in so many lives. We are grateful to the many partners who have contributed tools, approaches, programming examples, and stories of what is being done and how progress is being made.
As we reflect on the recent events in the United States, we are called to further examine racism’s impact on our own society and how we can elevate diversity and inclusion in our daily lives. RFS is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are updating our own policies and initiatives within the Bureau, making changes and drawing on solutions from our most valuable resource — our diverse staff community.
This month you’ll find blogs related to gender and resilience and local governance; inclusion in organizational performance improvement and research prioritization; COVID-19 and using phone surveys for inclusive data collection; what local governments are doing to promote inclusion; digital and inclusion youth empowerment; and much more. There will also be a blog with further reflections on diversity and inclusion in RFS and actions we are taking.
As the month comes to a close, we’ll be hosting a webinar on July 29 with presentations of two important new reports on inclusion: The IFPRI 2020 Global Food Policy Report on Building Inclusive Food Systems and the World Bank’s Inclusion Matters in Africa report, as well as a panel of voices from the field focusing on inclusion in their organizations and work.
Join us as we explore the many ways that inclusion is being addressed and how it is making a difference.
