Experts from the Global South are underrepresented in the policy sector, even when their countries’ interests, challenges, and solutions are being debated. The marginalization of these stakeholders is observed in prominent academic journals and university curricula, at conferences, and at other private and public events in major decision-making locations such as Washington. Worse, even in the Global South, Western scholars are often more visible than their Global South counterparts in university syllabi.
In May, a group of experts reflected on the challenges that affect them and considered potential solutions by sharing their experiences, lessons learned, and successes. Consensus formed around the idea of changing power dynamics in the legitimization of knowledge and expertise. As one of the participants stated, “Let us be the ones who legitimize the West, and not use the West to legitimize our work.”
Bridging the Divide: Western institutions must empower Global South representation
Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives, Asia Society Policy Institute
The Global South represents a rich tapestry of diverse cultures, vibrant economies, and unique perspectives that have often been marginalized in Western policy spaces. It is imperative that we recognize the pressing need to include voices from the Global South in the larger policy discourse, as their insights and experiences offer invaluable contributions to the formulation of effective and inclusive policies. Embracing this inclusivity is not just an act of fairness, but a strategic imperative for the West in addressing the complex challenges of our ever-evolving and interconnected world. To that end, multilateral organizations, civil society organizations, and think tanks in the West have a crucial role to play in dismantling the barriers that impede Global South representation. These institutions possess the platforms, resources, and networks to create opportunities for more meaningful engagement with experts from the Global South as well as further capacity-building when it is called for.
This goes beyond simply inviting Global South experts to events in Western policy spaces. Indeed, when efforts are made to include Global South voices in large-scale international events and meetings, financial constraints often prevent individuals from attending due to the exorbitant costs and logistical challenges associated with travel, visas, and lodging accommodations. It is essential that Western institutions develop and include in their processes mechanisms and vehicles to allocate funds and other such resources that can help combat these constraints. Additionally, exploring virtual platforms and remote participation options can provide an alternative means of engagement, enabling a wider range of voices to contribute.
South-South cooperation should also be recognized as a transformative force in overcoming the challenges of underrepresentation. By fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among countries in the Global South, there is an opportunity to leverage untapped potential, harness their collective strength, and bridge the gaps in policy spaces.
It is time to reverse legitimization and power dynamics
Lynda Chinenye Iroulo, Professor of International Relations, Georgetown University Qatar
Imbalanced power dynamics between the Global North and South are pervasive in policy and academia. They manifest in many ways but predominantly in “who” shapes policy and “where” policy dialogue takes place. The North still perceives the South as a site for policy implementation, not where policy expertise resides.
This is particularly visible when it comes to youth experts’ participation in governance and development, whether through publishing in academic journals or attending high-level events. On the one hand, increasing youth civic and political engagement offers opportunities for greater collaboration between external partners and local champions of change, in line with international agendas for youth empowerment. Yet, on the other hand, international policy spaces continuously exclude the youth and prevent their active participation in the global arena. Because global governance occurs in Global North spaces ― which traditionally lack diversity ― rules and frameworks enabling [or not] young stakeholders’ participation in policy debates are often discriminatory. Ageism, visa complexity, and lengthy procedures ― and restrictions ― are a few of the major barriers affecting young scholars and practitioners from Global South countries. Underlying these dynamics are the assumptions that these actors do not have enough experience and expertise, and that they come from spaces that the Global North does not consider as legitimate knowledge producers.
These pervasive issues must convince the Global South to rethink the ways it engages the Global North. For instance, the 2022 US-Africa Leaders Summit, which occurred in Washington, was attended by 49 African leaders to discuss an agenda that was mainly driven by US interests. These dynamics must be reversed. What about a Nigerian-European Union (EU) summit, where European leaders would travel to Nigeria to discuss Nigeria’s interests in the EU? While international cooperation is essential, the Global South must ensure that it is done with mutual respect and equal partnership. The South must refrain from seeking validation from the North, and South-South collaboration must be intensified at every level. Spaces for Global South policy conversations must shift from the North to the South, and we must cease allowing the North to legitimate Global South policies; that should be the Global South’s prerogative.
The West must acknowledge its failures and respect Global South expertise
Seydina Mouhamadou Ndiaye, Social Entrepreneur and Civic Actor, Co-Founder of Consortium Jeunesse Senegal and Collectif Des Volontaires du Sénégal
African actors collaborating with international partners on politics, development, and security, very often must combat discrimination, assumptions, and stereotypes regarding their level of knowledge and expertise. As an African political and civic actor, I have had to face these obstacles when working with my Western counterparts, both in my country in Senegal and in the United States. Often, my partners’ reactions span from surprise to condescension when I share my experiences leading successful programs on youth civic engagement and with local civil society organizations in Senegal. That is not only insulting; it is also detrimental to cooperation and positive change.
Lack of respect for local knowledge is reflected notably in Western actors’ work processes, which generally rely on teams who, from their offices abroad, develop strategies, policies, and programs that outline, according to them, what is best for the African continent and for African peoples. The recurring trope “There is a lack of capacities at the local African organizations’ level” is used by Western partners to justify such an approach. Instead of leveraging African savoir-faire, Western actors prioritize methodologies that are based on foreign ― and too often limited ― expertise and understanding of the political, economic, and social structures in place. They decide how to develop and execute programs in Africa, and, even when they include local stakeholders, they often limit their opportunity to lead. As a result, Africans’ aspirations and expertise are overlooked and discarded, despite the fact that African stakeholders are the best positioned to think, develop, and implement solutions based on their understanding and lived experiences of the various challenges their communities, regions, and countries face.
Consequently, despite calls to localize assistance and better target billions of dollars in foreign aid for Africa, foreign-developed programs enable little local ownership and are often inefficient, unsuccessful, and unsustainable. For this to change, it is critical to dismantle the pervasive assumption held by many in the West that Africans do not have the knowledge, innovative thinking, and intellectual and technical skills to design and execute programs that will translate their aspirations and priorities into successful action. There also needs to be frank discussions about the challenges and failures of Western partners’ work and to recognize and reflect on the successes of local initiatives.
Thanks to technology, social media, and easy access to information produced abroad, African actors ― from universities to the common people on the street – are aware of what happens in the world and across the African continent. They realize that they are the leaders of their respective countries and are responsible for the continent’s growth. They should be the ones leading decision-making processes, from setting priorities to defining and implementing development, political, and security agendas.
Challenges and solutions to access decision-making and policy spaces
Global South Experts Turn the Tables
By Aude Darnal Lead Author • Farwa Aamer • Lynda Chinenye Iroulo • Seydina Mouhamadou Ndiaye
Grand Strategy
Every month, The Global South in the World Order Project convenes a meeting of experts from across the Global South to discuss international relations from their perspectives, disrupt conventional thinking, and inject non-Western viewpoints into prominent policy circles in Washington. This publication is part of the Global South Experts Turn the Tables series, which highlights insights from select participants from these discussions.
Experts from the Global South are underrepresented in the policy sector, even when their countries’ interests, challenges, and solutions are being debated. The marginalization of these stakeholders is observed in prominent academic journals and university curricula, at conferences, and at other private and public events in major decision-making locations such as Washington. Worse, even in the Global South, Western scholars are often more visible than their Global South counterparts in university syllabi.
In May, a group of experts reflected on the challenges that affect them and considered potential solutions by sharing their experiences, lessons learned, and successes. Consensus formed around the idea of changing power dynamics in the legitimization of knowledge and expertise. As one of the participants stated, “Let us be the ones who legitimize the West, and not use the West to legitimize our work.”
Bridging the Divide: Western institutions must empower Global South representation
Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives, Asia Society Policy Institute
The Global South represents a rich tapestry of diverse cultures, vibrant economies, and unique perspectives that have often been marginalized in Western policy spaces. It is imperative that we recognize the pressing need to include voices from the Global South in the larger policy discourse, as their insights and experiences offer invaluable contributions to the formulation of effective and inclusive policies. Embracing this inclusivity is not just an act of fairness, but a strategic imperative for the West in addressing the complex challenges of our ever-evolving and interconnected world. To that end, multilateral organizations, civil society organizations, and think tanks in the West have a crucial role to play in dismantling the barriers that impede Global South representation. These institutions possess the platforms, resources, and networks to create opportunities for more meaningful engagement with experts from the Global South as well as further capacity-building when it is called for.
This goes beyond simply inviting Global South experts to events in Western policy spaces. Indeed, when efforts are made to include Global South voices in large-scale international events and meetings, financial constraints often prevent individuals from attending due to the exorbitant costs and logistical challenges associated with travel, visas, and lodging accommodations. It is essential that Western institutions develop and include in their processes mechanisms and vehicles to allocate funds and other such resources that can help combat these constraints. Additionally, exploring virtual platforms and remote participation options can provide an alternative means of engagement, enabling a wider range of voices to contribute.
South-South cooperation should also be recognized as a transformative force in overcoming the challenges of underrepresentation. By fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among countries in the Global South, there is an opportunity to leverage untapped potential, harness their collective strength, and bridge the gaps in policy spaces.
It is time to reverse legitimization and power dynamics
Lynda Chinenye Iroulo, Professor of International Relations, Georgetown University Qatar
Imbalanced power dynamics between the Global North and South are pervasive in policy and academia. They manifest in many ways but predominantly in “who” shapes policy and “where” policy dialogue takes place. The North still perceives the South as a site for policy implementation, not where policy expertise resides.
This is particularly visible when it comes to youth experts’ participation in governance and development, whether through publishing in academic journals or attending high-level events. On the one hand, increasing youth civic and political engagement offers opportunities for greater collaboration between external partners and local champions of change, in line with international agendas for youth empowerment. Yet, on the other hand, international policy spaces continuously exclude the youth and prevent their active participation in the global arena. Because global governance occurs in Global North spaces ― which traditionally lack diversity ― rules and frameworks enabling [or not] young stakeholders’ participation in policy debates are often discriminatory. Ageism, visa complexity, and lengthy procedures ― and restrictions ― are a few of the major barriers affecting young scholars and practitioners from Global South countries. Underlying these dynamics are the assumptions that these actors do not have enough experience and expertise, and that they come from spaces that the Global North does not consider as legitimate knowledge producers.
These pervasive issues must convince the Global South to rethink the ways it engages the Global North. For instance, the 2022 US-Africa Leaders Summit, which occurred in Washington, was attended by 49 African leaders to discuss an agenda that was mainly driven by US interests. These dynamics must be reversed. What about a Nigerian-European Union (EU) summit, where European leaders would travel to Nigeria to discuss Nigeria’s interests in the EU? While international cooperation is essential, the Global South must ensure that it is done with mutual respect and equal partnership. The South must refrain from seeking validation from the North, and South-South collaboration must be intensified at every level. Spaces for Global South policy conversations must shift from the North to the South, and we must cease allowing the North to legitimate Global South policies; that should be the Global South’s prerogative.
The West must acknowledge its failures and respect Global South expertise
Seydina Mouhamadou Ndiaye, Social Entrepreneur and Civic Actor, Co-Founder of Consortium Jeunesse Senegal and Collectif Des Volontaires du Sénégal
African actors collaborating with international partners on politics, development, and security, very often must combat discrimination, assumptions, and stereotypes regarding their level of knowledge and expertise. As an African political and civic actor, I have had to face these obstacles when working with my Western counterparts, both in my country in Senegal and in the United States. Often, my partners’ reactions span from surprise to condescension when I share my experiences leading successful programs on youth civic engagement and with local civil society organizations in Senegal. That is not only insulting; it is also detrimental to cooperation and positive change.
Lack of respect for local knowledge is reflected notably in Western actors’ work processes, which generally rely on teams who, from their offices abroad, develop strategies, policies, and programs that outline, according to them, what is best for the African continent and for African peoples. The recurring trope “There is a lack of capacities at the local African organizations’ level” is used by Western partners to justify such an approach. Instead of leveraging African savoir-faire, Western actors prioritize methodologies that are based on foreign ― and too often limited ― expertise and understanding of the political, economic, and social structures in place. They decide how to develop and execute programs in Africa, and, even when they include local stakeholders, they often limit their opportunity to lead. As a result, Africans’ aspirations and expertise are overlooked and discarded, despite the fact that African stakeholders are the best positioned to think, develop, and implement solutions based on their understanding and lived experiences of the various challenges their communities, regions, and countries face.
Consequently, despite calls to localize assistance and better target billions of dollars in foreign aid for Africa, foreign-developed programs enable little local ownership and are often inefficient, unsuccessful, and unsustainable. For this to change, it is critical to dismantle the pervasive assumption held by many in the West that Africans do not have the knowledge, innovative thinking, and intellectual and technical skills to design and execute programs that will translate their aspirations and priorities into successful action. There also needs to be frank discussions about the challenges and failures of Western partners’ work and to recognize and reflect on the successes of local initiatives.
Thanks to technology, social media, and easy access to information produced abroad, African actors ― from universities to the common people on the street – are aware of what happens in the world and across the African continent. They realize that they are the leaders of their respective countries and are responsible for the continent’s growth. They should be the ones leading decision-making processes, from setting priorities to defining and implementing development, political, and security agendas.
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