IDEA: An action plan for Amnesty International UK

If Amnesty International UK is to thrive in the years ahead, we must become a truly anti-racist and equitable organisation, in our own community and in our campaigning. We have already started on this journey but more work is required.

This action plan sets out some of the important steps and actions in how we will become a more inclusive movement over the next strategic period. It details the actions needed in a range of key areas: People Processes; Governance; Lived Culture; Learning and Development; Data, Reporting and Infrastructure; Campaigns and Advocacy; Fundraising and Communications; and Activism and Movement Building.

Achieving the goals in the action plan will help Amnesty International UK better represent the diversity of people and communities we work for and with, and drive human rights changes that meaningfully dismantle inequality and discrimination.

Sacha Deshmukh,
CEO, Amnesty International UK
January 2022
 

IDEA Plan Introduction

Amnesty International UK has an important role to play in advocating for the rights of marginalised and oppressed people and has done so with the confidence of its members, staff and activists for the last 60 years. This has included vital research projects, partnerships, campaigns and mobilisation efforts to combat human rights abuses globally. With the launch of AIUK’s 2030 strategy, our work will begin to take a more focused look at the root causes of human rights abuses and recognising that at times these are being influenced by institutionalised and systemic inequalities that impact rightsholders in different ways.

From policies that reinforce racism towards communities of colour to transphobic rhetoric in the media, we recognise that there are various and often intersecting factors at play, often entrenched in policy, culture and behaviours, that result in human rights abuses. Our work, and the ways we engage with rightsholders and partners, must reflect these nuances in human rights and as a result, we must prioritise building the necessary confidence, capacity and agency in all our people – staff, activists and leadership – to challenge and dismantle inequality wherever it manifests.

At the same time, AIUK has a responsibility to internalise this vision for human rights by creating a movement where all people – from any background – feel a strong sense of belonging and can play their part in delivering inclusive and meaningful change for rightsholders all around the world. This means taking proactive and innovative steps to make our movement more inclusive, equitable and representative of the different communities we work for, and with.

The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism (hereafter referred to as IDEA) Plan looks at focusing our resources and building competencies in our people throughout our next strategic period to ensure:

Amnesty International UK will be a more inclusive movement, representing the diversity of people and communities we work for, and with, while winning human rights changes that dismantle inequality and discrimination.

In order to do achieve this impact, we have designed this plan to support us in delivering the following strategic vision:

An actively anti-racist and equitable movement:
• that has an inclusive and diverse leadership and supporter base
• which publishes, and is informed by, meaningful evidence and data
• where all our people feel safe, supported, and empowered to work with each other
• that campaigns, advocates and mobilises with IDEA values at the heart of our human rights work
 

Contextualising this Plan

To position AIUK – its people, spaces, and governance – to build the movement our vision statement describes, we are embedding IDEA actions across each area of the organisation – from investigating how best to structure our governance to lead this work to looking at the ways we communicate with our members and supporters. These actions are assigned to eight enabling pillars. They are:

• People Processes
• Governance
• Lived Culture
• Learning and Development
• Data, Reporting and Infrastructure
• Campaigns and Advocacy
• Fundraising and Communications
• Activism and Movement Building

The importance of delivery of this plan, and the need to ensure proper prioritisation and accountability for delivery of the different actions in each of the pillars, means that we have given responsibility for each pillar to a specific member(s) of the SMT, relating to their remit and expertise. Each of these pillars acts as an enabler for AIUK to meet its strategic vision and key prioritises. While the plan’s impact and vision statements will guide our priorities till 2030, the actions set out under each pillar are to be completed over the next two to three years, as a foundation for our work to continue to build on in the longer term. As these actions have been embedded into different directorates’ business plans, success indicators for each action will be shared with stakeholders through a mid-year progress report, which will be published annually as this plan is being implemented and updated.

The IDEA plan is also designed to support the delivery of the Lived Culture aims in the Amnesty International UK Strategy 2022-2030. In particular, this plan supports the delivery of the element within the Lived Culture enabler that relates to being an organisation that is rights-respecting, inclusive and anti-racist, which is set out below:

WE ARE RIGHTS RESPECTING, INCLUSIVE AND ANTI-RACIST: We reflect the diverse, inclusive, and anti-racist world we are fighting for. We are rights-respecting in how we behave, communicate, and conduct our work. We are mindful of the role our power and privilege play and commit to use these to platform other voices to be recognised and heard. The experience of people who engage with us is ethical, enabling, empowering, respectful, inclusive, and anti-racist. Our work is informed by rights holders, our audiences, and other stakeholders.
 

While the IDEA plan will make significant strides to further us along our journey to becoming a truly equitable and inclusive movement, we recognise our aspirations to becoming ‘anti-racist’ will be defined by what we do. Anti-racism is a continuous practice and not a set position, and while we can agree measures of success to evidence our progress in diversity, inclusion and equitable ways of working, our progress in anti-racism will always be evidenced by the ways in which we act for, engage with and respond to the world around us.

It is also important to acknowledge that Amnesty International founds its practice in international human rights law. We recognise, however, that the international legal system of human rights is a product of a world order still radically shaped by the legacies of colonialism, imperialism and racism. We will need to become increasingly attuned to these nuances as our anti-racist practice as an organisation develops.
 

To better understand the language of this plan, we are using the following definitions:

Inclusion is about culture – actively removing barriers so that everyone feels a sense of belonging. Inclusion is our end goal. We do this by ensuring we are equitable in our approaches to recruiting, supporting and developing people.

Diversity is about people; a way of describing difference of identity, lived experiences, expertise and opinions.
It is not an active function.

Equity is about recognising people have different access needs, privileges and power in different spaces and making adjustments in how we work to ensure everyone has a level playing field.

Anti-racism is the process of actively challenging and dismantling racist behaviours, practices and structures. Anti-racism is a verb – it is defined through action and not declaration.

Rightsholder: all people (individuals and groups) whose human rights have been or are at risk of being violated, upon whom a decision or process may impact.
 

IDEA Plan Overview and Enabling Pillars

You can download the full action plan here or using the link at the bottom of this page.

Principles for Inclusive, Equitable and Anti-racist Communications

Our principles for inclusive, equitable and anti-racist communications recognise there are various and often intersecting factors at play, often entrenched in policy, culture and behaviours, that result in human rights abuses. 

These principles reflect the nuances in human rights and seeks to challenge and dismantle inequality wherever it manifests - and are applied on a daily basis throughout all of our communications.

You can download the principles here or using the link at the bottom of this page.