Voices from Delhi MOBILIZING THE POWER OF PEOPLE AGAINST POVERTY
WHY
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Setting the Stage Moving towards life in a flat network, Delhi2014 (1-4 September) brought together Oxfam leaders from around the world: Executive Directors (EDs) Country Directors (CDs), Program Governance Group (PGG) chairs, Program Directors (PDs), Knowledge Hub leads, Global Campaign leads and 2020 working group members. The goal was to create dialogue (it happened) and an out of the box experience where the diversity of perspectives was leveraged. PowerPoint's were banned and evenings ended with talk shows. A marketplace brought together 2020 knowledge, and EDs and CDs came together in meaningful dialogue about pace of change, trust, accountability, and needs at the country and affiliate level. This reflection piece attempts to capture the spirit of the meeting through quotes and voices of participants. Collectively, we were inspired, challenged, influenced, and recommitted to our core purpose: to end poverty and injustice. As a group, the message coming out of Delhi was clear: “We are absolutely committed to the 2020 vision for change.” Whether you were in Delhi or are reading about the meeting now, we hope you will feel inspired by our foundational mission, and recommitted to our transformative journey forward together. For official recommendations, commitments, and links to all 2020 marketplace posters, see “Going Forward” section (pages 10-11). Key outcomes of the meeting will feed into the upcoming ED meeting in Barcelona (October 2014). The aim is to influence the agenda and ensure country leadership have a voice in the 2020 process. Meeting Objectives 1. To be stimulated and challenged by external perspectives on the major trends affecting the development sector 2. To work collectively on strengthening quality programs aligned to the OSP 3. To consider on what this all means for the type of organization Oxfam needs to be – and to co-create the future that will realize the 2020 vision 4. For each person to reflect on their own leadership contribution and how they will take actions to shape Oxfam’s reinvention.
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What inspired us? We were inspired. The week was an experience of the future where we practiced new ways of working together and engaged with major trends in our field. Together we looked outward and inward: working on a shared agenda of delivering impact through our programs and contributing to the design of Oxfam 2020.
“Good conversations and shared energy. We felt like one.” “It’s been a space to agree, build, consolidate, and disagree; an opportunity to ‘re-build’ as necessary as well.” “This is a critical time to support each other, get transparency and get the job done. No hidden agendas, there has been open communication.” “The vision. The discussion here is not about why - it's about how we should do it. ” “Self-organizing happened! The CDs have proved yet again the core values of the organization. We got together and organized. We were strategic and we influenced. It’s also evident that the confederation listens when CDs remain passionate.” “I was inspired by the energy for change in the room and the commitment on behalf of all the people across the organization to hear new things and to listen to what people are saying.” “The entire experience has been refreshing but the one moment which will clearly stand out for me was the human chain we formed to depict the timeline of Oxfam on the first day. It was fascinating to see the rich history of this organisation and hear stories of people who have been associated with Oxfam for decades.” “The highlight of the meeting for me was the conversation with EDs. We heard each other.”
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What did we learn? As the geography of poverty, power and inequality continues to change at a rapid rate, external guests helped paint a picture of the changing landscape of aid, trade and investment and what this means for Oxfam’s strategies and programs in a changing world. We heard from Action Aid and Save the Children, the Private Sector and inspiring accounts from local society organizations. See https://sumus.oxfam.org/oxfam-conference-delhi2014 for external speaker biographies.
“External speakers shared a perception of the world from where they sit. It brings out a different story. We are a more balanced team when we hear stories about the world from different sides.” “We can't always be the people who stop things, we need to be people who initiate them.” -Kiran Karnik “Your strapline is strong on alliteration - but short a ‘P.’ "Power of People against Poverty *and Patriarchy.*” -Kamla Bhasin “We have started believing that social change happens at state level, instead of contesting power at a local level.” “Our moral compass shouldn't change even if we do things differently.” -Nitin Desai “Half the population of India is under 25… There is an ever increasing frustration among youth with governments that don’t deliver.”
“Nothing secured in law can be actualized without people mobilising to make it a reality.” “We should bring the big NGOs together because this gives more strength. But does branding get in the way?” “Your right’s based approach is completely right. But do your staff internalise your values?”
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What else did we learn? “A northern human rights agenda is not anti-development. They are not in contradiction. You cannot separate anti-poverty programs from resource management and conservation. We must remain focused on dignity. The dignity of people.” -Kiran Karnik “At some level, in our drive to be more professional, we have lost that connection to the more informal movements.” “It was good to see things from the ED perspective. There are many stakeholders and external forces to bring along the journey.” “Because of mass media the other half now know how the better half live.”
“Engage the political process: overcoming injustice and poverty requires political action.”
“Grassroots are essential: Activists whose feet are grounded in communities are very strong bridge. Oxfam’s strength is to take a message from the ground and take it all the way up the chain.” “Gender equality, when you say it, doesn’t hurt, but when you say patriarchy, it hurts.” “It is critical to get into public policy making because unless macro-economic frameworks change, we will see no reduction in poverty.” “There is a trust break down of the social contract, how are we grappling with these challenges?” “We need to have better networking with academics, or where knowledge is produced, so we can bring evidence for social change” Do’s & Don’ts from Action Aid and Save the Children: https://sumus.oxfam.org/node/151854
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What challenges do we see ahead? “Boards need to be brought along.”
“We need to trust each other, and that’s not always easy. Power needs to be acknowledged.”
“What is a flat network? Is a flat network going to replace normal organizational hierarches? Will a flat network make us faster, stronger, smarter? What skills will we need?” “A man with four watches never knows the time.” “A change management process and the team to do it is key.” “Communicating the decisions, the next steps and motivating my team.” “Is Program delivery and quality a focus of 2020 though? We have not talked so much about this during the Conference.” “To get to a substantially lighter footprint while increasing impact.”
“Communications: We need a dialogue mechanism after ED meetings.”
“Keeping up the momentum of people’s energy to change and desire to change. We need to use all the things we already know about moving people through change processes: challenging power, challenging the status quo, giving reasons about why.” “Behaviour, culture, trust.” “I see 3 main challenges: • Need to speed up the change process • Need to infuse trust into the overall change process – why we’re moving forward and carrying out this change. Trust will still need to be earned in any case – spaces like the Conference help build this trust. • Communication on the change is key – it has be consolidated at Confederation level, preventing misunderstandings and biased messages as per the different affiliates’ interpretation.”
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What did we learn from Oxfam India? “What an incredibly powerful organization! Going through a really difficult affiliation process 6 years ago: you go through this process like giving birth, but then, as they described, they felt abandoned as a young organisation. What gains they’ve made, how powerfully they seem located within civil society, what connections they have, how they've built themselves back up. They're demonstrating to everybody else across the organization how to do it. ” “I think that ‘owning’ our mission in our respective countries through the creation of national Oxfam's gives us an opportunity to raise our influence, impact and legitimacy.” “We can learn from them that they are very deep rooted, and they continue to be deeply rooted. ” “At Oxfam India, there is no talk about campaign as brands but it is all about the people and enabling them and changing mind sets.” “One difficulty is some of the fears and anxieties about becoming an affiliate, because of not being sure how to take the first steps. We can talk about the fears and anxieties and work to overcome them. The positive examples are there - we can learn from them. In Oxfam India we now can see greater impact through our work as OIN. Oxfam is now more able to address the key issues of poverty and injustice in our country. We are also now much better linked to affiliates through Oxfam 2020. We are also raising our voices in the spaces of Oxfam. The journey towards financial sustainability, has been a difficult one for Oxfam India. It's a journey and we are on the way. There is a lot to learn from our experience for the future.”
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What do we think about southern affiliates? “It takes time and energy to build an affiliate. Organizational formation and identity takes time.” “Rebalancing power is also about northern affiliates: should we look at reducing, merging, etc.”
“What is the global south? Who decides?”
“In order to be a proper, realistic and sustainable proposal (for any further national affiliate), we need a 10-year investment plan prior to taking the final decision on whether doable or not.” “We definitely need to support [new affiliates] with a lot of technical exchange, a lot of support in relation to resources and resource allocation. Not just in what they are doing now, but in the longer term: what could they do five years from now and what will they need? ” “Global balance is not only about bringing in Southern affiliates: it is also about increasing the diversity among our staff – affirmative action needed - new architectures etc…” "If you do things for me without me, then you are “I can understand why we feel we need to have against me. I will fight Southern affiliates, but I feel we’re trying to you." - Nelson Mandela create Southern affiliates artificially by approaching national organizations directly when it should evolve naturally from existing Oxfam affiliates present in the country. ” “Competences are everywhere in the world – when we open positions, we need to aim at getting the best, from the North, from the South, it doesn’t matter – we’ll be stronger and richer in diversity and multiculturalism.” “We are behind the sector in this transformation and we risk becoming irrelevant. We need to move faster to become more globally balanced.”
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What are we taking away? “There are creative solutions being delivered in countries. Let’s surface them!” “We (affiliates) need to feel connected to the work.” “I was inspired by this morning’s panel, with representatives of the Indian organisations, and especially the women. It reconnects us with the reason for the work we do in Oxfam and means we don't spend all our time talking about internal processes which can be very, very tiring. I really believe that women’s rights should be in the centre, not just because Oxfam says so, but because I believe it should be so and I have felt totally affirmed by this morning. ” “Simplicity is complex.” “We are talking about change. We believe in the power of people against poverty. If you are willing to make change you have to be transformed. Otherwise it’s just colonization. Let the communities where we work transform you.” “Friendship and comradery between people.” “Leadership is about empowering others. Managing change always comes down to people.” “We have to have post-affiliate thinking. We have to take off our affiliate hats and think: We are Oxfam!” “An opportunity to share, explain, express. You realize you’re not alone in solving your problems.” “All the important things are about love.” “It has challenged me as CD to remember and ensure that I touch base on a more systematic way with my team to infuse trust. It’s not just about trust at affiliate level, but also at country level – it’s our job as a CD to ensure this happens.”
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GOING FORWARD As we look ahead to Barcelona, the next big 2020 milestone where implementation plans will begin to take shape, we can all feel pride in what was achieved in Delhi. The week was a space for conversation, exploration, and mobilizing the power of Oxfam leaders to own the 2020 change process and give a united steer to the Executive Board (EB). Even without formal decisions made, Delhi2014 surfaced key areas of commitment and concern. Winnie and the EDs present (Nisha Agrawal, Jim Clarken, Farah Karimi, and Mark Goldring) have committed to taking the conversation in Delhi forward at the ED level. Excellent work happened in the roundtable sessions, which will help the 2020 design team prioritize and develop implementation sequencing with country concerns at the center.
At its core, the topline messages coming out of Delhi are: • The vision for change is affirmed. This group of leaders is firmly committed. • The PDs' commitment and engagement to support and lead the implementation at country and regional level was affirmed. • CDs and PGG chairs share the urgency to move faster and eagerness to move into implementation. At the country and regional level, the risk of slow change is losing staff, our most important resource. This message has been heard at the highest level. • Coming out of Barcelona, CDs want a clear roadmap and timeline for change. • CDs have offered to work closer with EDs to support bringing boards along. • The importance of culture and behaviors based on trust was surfaced. Leaders need to walk the talk and model the behaviors of flat network thinking. • Acknowledgement that CDs have an already complex job to managing at the country level – with organizational change being added. This challenge has been compounded by conflicting messages from affiliates. Winnie is committed to ensuring a smoother communications channel and consistency in messages. • OGB and Oxfam NOVIB will move forward to fast track implementation in countries in Asia where OGB and ON are the only two affiliates. • Unified statements from the CDs and PGG Chairs for EDs to consider in Barcelona. See Key Documents (page 11). • And finally, we’re in this together. This is the beginning of new chapter in Oxfam's history. “We are here because we have a global mission. This is about all of us making history and ending poverty in the world. We are working to become that flat network where we challenge poverty everywhere … I stand in solidarity with you. You are the biggest champions of this change. Let’s stand together as global citizens, challenging inequality, challenging injustice, bringing your life journeys into this movement.” – Winnie Byanyima, OI ED
Learn more about Oxfam 2020: https://sumus.Oxfam.org/Oxfam-2020 Add your voice and join the Global Conversation: https://oxfam.crowdicity.com
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Key documents .
Document
Link
Country Directors 2020 Recommendations
https://sumus.oxfam.org/oxfamconference-delhi2014/documents/cd-2020recommendations
PGG Statement
https://sumus.oxfam.org/oxfamconference-delhi2014/documents/pgg-chairsstatement-sept-2014-delhi
Round table reports
https://sumus.oxfam.org/category/o xfam-conference-delhi-2014/roundtable-reports
Marketplace Posters
https://sumus.oxfam.org/category/o xfam-conference-delhi2014/marketplace-posters
Our 2020 Global Conversation
https://oxfam.crowdicity.com/
All staff around the world are invited to talk about 2020. This conversation will run for another 2 weeks.
“Oxfam Times” (Daily Newspapers)
https://sumus.oxfam.org/category/o xfam-conference-delhi2014/newspapers
“What is my message to Oxfam staff around the world? Don't give up! We have a lot of people waiting for us, to work with us. Not just to help solve problems, but to network solutions and have an impact on poverty. All in all we are optimists and we believe in what we do.”
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