No English? No French? No job: why NGOs need to rethink their insistence on colonial languages

Abbas KigoziParticipation and Leadership, Power Shifts

You could speak three languages and still not count as ‘bilingual’ to many development sector recruiters – and that needs to change, says Oxfam in Africa’s Abbas Kigozi.

When inclusion is an illusion: sign language interpreters and the pitfalls for ‘inclusive’ development

Julia ModernDisability, Research, Rights

How did a meeting for disabled people in Uganda end up using sign language that local deaf people couldn’t understand? Julia Modern reflects on how that failure is rooted in racialised ideas about who is an expert – and shares six tips for effective deaf inclusion. (And you can also watch a Ugandan Sign Language translation of the blog.)

‘Be more Norway’: a model policy report on the UK’s international future

Duncan GreenGovernance, Influencing, Research

It’s time for the country to accept it is now an ‘offshore mid-sized power’, say the experienced ‘insider’ authors of radical proposals to reset the UK’s approach to international affairs. Duncan Green on key insights from The World in 2040: Renewing the UK’s Approach to International Affairs.

Want to decolonise your INGO? Get used to taking a back seat…

Adama CoulibalyGovernance, Innovation, Power Shifts

‘Dinosaurs’ must become ‘chameleons’ and ‘ostriches’ change into ‘eagles’ as international NGOs fundamentally rethink their role so they can work in true partnership with local actors, says Oxfam’s Adama Coulibaly.

Poems, art and song: how our development journal tackled the theme of decolonising knowledge

Gender and Development editorsGender & Development Journal, Power Shifts, Research

The latest issue of the Oxfam-edited Gender & Development Journal embraces poets, artists and community activists alongside researchers as it shines a light on voices, experiences and modes of expression that are too often neglected and silenced.

Compliance for INGO partners is riddled with colonial attitudes: here’s how that can change…

Dominic VickersGovernance, Innovation, Power Shifts

As international NGOs, we need to stop assuming partners are risky, respect local standards, accept we should prove ourselves as much as partners do, and slash the form-filling, says Oxfam compliance advisor Dominic Vickers. In fact, how about encouraging partners to apply for funds by video?

Words matter: that’s why Oxfam is launching an inclusive language guide

Harley WishartInfluencing, Power Shifts, Rights

What do you think of the term “developing countries”? Ever felt uncomfortable saying “beneficiaries”? Helen Wishart introduces Oxfam’s new inclusive language guide and sets out why it’s time for all of us in NGOs to consider the power in the words that we use…