The global development landscape of today requires a workforce with different and diverse skill sets than it did a decade ago. And, as the sector ramps up its efforts to meet the ambitious targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals, it will continue, over the next 10 years, to demand new skills and expertise.

Gender parity across the workforce is also a priority as women, while making critical contributions to global development, continue to be underrepresented in the sector. In global he

A lack of internal networks remains one of the biggest challenges for young women in the aid sector, and women of color have an even harder time accessing these sort of support systems, explained Angela Bruce-Raeburn, associate director for advocacy at the Global Health Advocacy Incubator.

Despite having several degrees, Bruce-Raeburn doesn’t feel that these were what gave her the trajectory to get to where she is today. She still sees many young women and women of color struggling to break int

Many in the global development and humanitarian aid sectors are calling for increased female leadership to create an environment — humanitarian and development sector — that works for everybody, but “there’s a lot of work to do to ensure leaders of all shapes, colors, and backgrounds are able to thrive,” said Nasra Ismail, deputy director of the Somalia NGO Consortium, a voluntary coordination mechanism of NGOs.

“Particularly in a fragile context, we see a lot of barriers in terms of women’s le

BARCELONA — Women in the global development sector face many of the same challenges those in the private sector do, according to Kimberly King, CEO of HumanTec and the One Island Institute. But upskilling can help ensure that all voices and perspectives are at every table.

That means not only considering the skills of use to the development community but asking what the most important skills being universally appreciated are, King said. She cited “superpowers” such as creativity, emotional inte

The development professionals will need to have broader skill sets, including a combination of technical and soft skills, according to Sylvia Megret, chief operating officer at ACDI/VOCA, an economic development organization that supports communities worldwide.

“There is, and has been for a while, an increasing need for more integrated skills,” said Megret, adding that there has been “a real shift to cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral integrated programming.”

Strong technical, business develop