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The New Global Citizen | Spring 2014
On December 11, 2013, Asif Shaikh, a long-time practitioner and leader in international development was honored at the Society for International Development’s Annual Gala Dinner. At the event, which convened close to 750 international development professionals from around the world, he gave these remarks.
THE R APIDLY CHANGING CONTEXT OF DEVELOPMENT Asi f Shaikh I n s p i res Ma ny w i th M emories o f C h i l dh o o d , Le s s o ns fo r the Fu t u re
I
cannot be more grateful for the wonderful band of sisters and brothers that fill this grand “Global Town Square of Development” that is SID-Washington. I am humbled, honored, and overwhelmed. But I can only accept this honor on one condition—that I do so on behalf of the entire community of development implementers. This recognition does not belong to me—it belongs to all of us. I celebrate the commitment and accomplishment of this community for the work you do, every day, around the world. The world around us is changing at what many experts are calling hyper speed—sometimes driven by technology, sometimes by investment, and most often, by changes happening within societies. These changes are sometimes liberating, but often destabilizing for the poor and underprivileged in the world’s least developed countries. The Society for International Development has always taken the lead in helping understand change and its implications for
the lives of the most vulnerable. SID is a marvelous institution. Fifty-six years ago, a handful of visionaries, including a hero to so many of us, SID co-founder Andy Rice, set something in motion for which there was no category at the time: a space in which those from the so-called First and Third Worlds could come together as equals. He sought to dismantle the systematic obstacles that had been put in place over centuries to ensure some might prosper, while others would not just stagnate, but would internalize that their circumstances were dictated by “who they were.” In the great Nelson Mandela’s words, systems were in place that robbed people of their dignity. We owe much to Andy Rice. Without Andy and others like him, I, and others like us, would not be where we are today. My former colleagues at IRG know that I believe in the notion of “delusional confidence.” I have—probably ad nauseam—said to them that, whatever we try to do, if we’re not slightly delusional, we’re probably just not trying hard enough. I owe
this particular affliction to my parents, the most courageous people I will ever know. Each faced profound, life-changing challenges in the earliest years of their adulthood. They were heroes in their own way. Each was many things, but a key common element was the belief that girls were just as important as boys. Both supported and stood by the idea at a time when the thought wasn’t widely accepted, even in the West. Dad insisted on equality; Mom proved it beyond a reasonable doubt. Each had their own compass. My parents were rule breakers. They accepted risk. They embraced delusional confidence, teaching me and my siblings everything was possible if you tried hard enough. But this is not about Mom and Dad. Like all others in the subcontinent, they lived through the most terrifying of times during Partition. The horrors on both sides are well-known. So the point is that, in the forties, for them and for millions of others, the world had changed forever. Lost homes, lost families, and lost friends who were now on the other side of the divide— the loss of the very context and history that had defined their lives. The lesson that Mom and Dad taught