Collective Commitment: Progress and the Path Ahead for Anti-Racism in Canada’s International Cooperation Sector

The 2024 “Collective Commitment” report by the ARC Centre assesses progress made in addressing racism within the Canadian international cooperation sector. It presents a comparative analysis of four annual surveys, highlighting achievements and persistent gaps across three key pillars: administration and human resources, communications, outreach and knowledge management, as well as program design, monitoring, evaluation and operations. Significant progress is noted in human resources practices, particularly regarding diversity statements and the collection of demographic data. However, the communications pillar shows more limited progress. Common barriers identified by participating organizations include a lack of time and human resources, insufficient financial resources and limited expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The report concludes by reiterating key recommendations to support meaningful and sustainable anti-racist transformation.