Response to Bond's report 'Decolonising economic development: the role of development sector'.

We welcome Bond's 'Decolonising economic development: the role of the development sector' report and its focus on shifting INGOs' Eurocentric approach, which indeed operates in a neo-imperialist framework, perpetuating the underdevelopment of the communities they claim to support.

For decades, we have advocated for investment in local Women’s community organisations here in the UK, while witnessing a troubling trend to industrialise our sector and co-opt us to become an arm of the state. This mirrors the global issue, as Audre Lorde famously said, “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” Poverty and inequality cannot be addressed by sectors that are co-opted, that fail to relinquish power, and do not redistribute resources in meaningful ways.

These injustices are symptoms of extractive systems that rely on the maintenance of structural oppression across race, sex, and class. Without tackling this intersectional reality head-on, these systems will remain unchallenged and continue to drive inequality. INGOs and NGOs that do not actively confront these structural dynamics cannot effectively address the root causes of poverty and inequality. It is essential to critically examine not just the delivery of services, but the deeply embedded power structures that uphold exploitation, both locally and globally.

Unfortunately, much of our NGO and INGO sector remains entrenched in a Victorian paternalistic model, characterised by the benevolent benefactor mindset. This approach catastrophically fails to examine power dynamics and overlooks the urgent need for redistribution of power and resources. Addressing these inequities requires bold action and a commitment to creating systemic change from within, domestically and internationally.

INGOs must go beyond surface-level interventions and instead dismantle harmful frameworks that reinforce dependency. Investment in grassroots movements, led by and for the communities they serve, must be prioritised. These actions are key to transforming the sector and fostering real, long-term change in addressing global poverty and inequality. 

Real progress requires a fundamental restructuring of how development is approached. Only through the redistribution of resources, power, and decision-making can we begin to make real strides in reducing poverty and inequality—both at home and abroad. There is still much work to be done.