The development sector replicates many of the very injustices it claims to work against, reproducing these historical power dynamics and stripping agency from the very people it claims to support. How can international organisations truly work towards equality when they underpay local staff, continue to think of development as unidirectional, and don’t allow for a true shift in power towards local leaders who most fully understand the needs of their own communities?

By Anna Heikkinen

Twenty years have passed since the end of the Guatemalan civil war. The country has managed to take notable steps fostering its economic and human development. However, inequality and poverty still remain at concerning level. Investing in education is what Guatemala urgently needs to raise its people out of poverty and continue the success story of its economy on a sustainable basis.

By Victoria Greaves

We, in the international community, want to believe that development is possible and human rights can be respected, but we must ask ourselves: whose interests do we actually represent? And hearing from local people in the developing world reveals that even positive movements, like environmentalism, can have devastating results.

Survivors of COVID-19 from 37 countries are among almost 1,000 people who have signed an open letter to pharmaceutical industry leaders calling for a ‘people's vaccine’ and treatments that are available to all.