Launch of the second annual report of the Anti-Racist Cooperation (ARC) Taskforce on Accountability

By the ARC Team

The report is launched! We are so excited to be sharing with you the second annual report of the Anti-Racist Cooperation (ARC) Taskforce on Accountability. Collective Commitment: Sustaining Efforts Towards Anti-Racist Change in Canada’s International Cooperation Sector is an inside look on where we are as a collective committed to anti-racist change in the work we do.

With a set of 5 recommendations and some new data points this is an important read for everyone and an opportunity for accountability to the sustainability of our efforts as a sector. While this data brings together the experiences of 83 orgs in this work we must begin to acknowledge that even the experience of just some is something to address.

To summarize some of the key points from this years report by way of the recommendations:

1. Organizations still need support in creating collaborative and intentional organizational anti-racism strategies
2. There is a need for investment in human and financial resources to create inclusive, safe, and sustainable work environments
3. Centering the experiences of people from Indigenous, Black and/or other communities who have been disadvantaged due to race is key to doing good work
4. It is necessary to measure, monitor and use qualitative and quantitative data to inform workplace structures, people and culture
5. Redefining communications and reporting strategies to reverse harmful dominant narratives that uphold and are key to racially biased and colonial architecture has to be one of the many places we start

You can read the full report here as well as our summary. You can also access the 2021 report here.

We know that this report offers a lot to reflect on and work through so don’t miss out on our session at the Cooperation Canada International Futures Festival,  The Future is Anti-Racist: Sustaining efforts towards Anti-Racist change in Canada’s International Cooperation Sector will be an opportunity to really delve into the data and find where you and your org stand in it. We will be creating an open and inviting space to present the history and findings of this reporting process and the ARC project. We are all so excited to continue this work with and alongside you.