Rethinking Inclusivity for a Maturing World

By Liliane Nkunzimana

The Governance Befitting statement notes how societal affairs are increasingly taking on an international scope, and how mechanisms for their arrangement are consequently prompted to become more inclusive and all-embracing. “New and more pressing challenges emerge,” it observes, “and the body politic is compelled to devise new arrangements that address the needs of the time through greater inclusivity, coherence, and collaboration.” Today, integrative processes are bringing diverse peoples across the world into closer contact with one another, creating opportunities—previously inconceivable—to collaborate, exchange information, and share knowledge.

With heightened awareness that decisions made in one locality can be felt in others, often in unintended ways, a reconceptualization of what it means to be inclusive in decision-making processes has become imperative. Against the backdrop of humanity’s unfolding trajectory, what does it mean to address the needs of the time through greater inclusivity, coherence, and collaboration? What forms of inclusivity do such developments call for and make possible, and how are they most effectively brought to bear on the needs of the time?

First, it is clear that box-checking exercises, which give the appearance of genuine inclusion and participation but not their substance, are of little benefit. Such approaches, even when well meaning, fall short in appreciating the full implications of interconnection and interdependence as the defining features of the global community today. As current global challenges—from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to climate-related risks, to the effects of an unbounded and rapidly evolving digital terrain—are not confined by locality, the contributions that inform their solutions should not be either. Indeed, the insights generated from shared challenges can help us learn how to formulate and leverage more effective frameworks for governance.

The foundations for an expanded conception of inclusion are laid at the local level. Global challenges make their effects felt on individual lives and communities, and it is at that level that global and national policies find their ultimate expression. Creating conditions which enable growing numbers of individuals to contribute to decision-making processes in their own community is therefore a powerful means of addressing contemporary challenges. As growing numbers are assisted to effectively contribute within their own sphere of influence, a locality, no matter how humble its circumstances, enjoys the benefits of an expanding contingent of active and engaged human resources. Moreover, the leadership and participation developed by those involved contribute to a growing body of knowledge and experience from which processes at the national and global levels can eventually benefit.

At the international level of organization and collaboration, effective decision-making will require consciously embedding consideration of the well-being of all people in all deliberations. This would involve creating spaces to listen to and act upon insights brought to bear by concerned groups. But attitudes and values are as important as systems and mechanisms. Such a process would need to be characterized by humility and a willingness to learn from one another. It would recognize that as long as the voices of those most impacted by challenges and policies are not included and fully considered in decision-making, appropriate solutions will be far from reach. And it would aim to foster conversations that interrogate the assumptions informing existing policies, facilitate discussions around the impact of decisions under consideration, and ensure that a commitment to learning is infused at every stage of the process.  In localities where community building processes of this kind are taking hold, we are seeing these approaches emerge among youth and historically disadvantaged populations.

Inclusion needs to become the means to achieve improved governance policy, rather than merely an end in itself. Creating inclusive spaces with the above mentioned characteristics is a way to reconceptualize inclusion by valuing diversity as a storehouse of insight to be drawn upon in devising responses to the problems facing humanity. Willingness to embrace diverse perspectives in the search for truth and to inform policies as insights are gained ensure that diversity and inclusion are in service of continuously evolving policies that advance the well-being of all peoples. Such an approach would allow for the evolution of a framework under which continued learning about inclusion can take place, as insights from larger cross sections of humanity contribute to greater levels of understanding—a process that will continue to be refined over time. Additionally, by valuing and acting upon the insights of all concerned, this process will serve to build trust between individuals, communities, and institutions without which the execution of policy lacks commitment and sustained effort.

Ultimately, the lens of inclusion and its role in governance seeks to address questions about how to create a more just society for the human family. The ways in which people have expressed a deep concern for the suffering they have witnessed at this moment in history, and the increased levels of solidarity we have seen in communities around the world in response to compounding challenges, are a testament to the growing numbers of people who have a desire to contribute to the betterment of humanity. To fulfill this highest aspiration—and solemn responsibility—the question becomes, what spaces can be created and refined so that the full range of capabilities that exist in any given community can be explored for the benefit of the whole? Humanity therefore has before it the challenge to put in place mechanisms that allow for inclusive participation. Through continued efforts to understand what inclusive governance looks like at different levels of human organization, we can work towards building institutions and communities that are truly reflective of the nobility of humankind.

Liliane Nkunzimana has a background in diversity and inclusion work, researching and writing about inclusion. She has an undergraduate degree in African Studies and Political Science and a master’s in Public and International Affairs. She currently lives in Ottawa, where she devotes a majority of her time to community building activities.