the white / western savior industrial complex. And for me, it's unacceptable that we work for institutions like these ones that fight for rights, but then not know what rights it is that these organizations are fighting for, and then kind of pick and choose which ones we agree on, in the way that we then lead our lives. Presenter: Jo Fidgen. Priscillia Kounkou-Hoveyda has worked for the UN for the past 10 years negotiating with warlords for the release of child soldiers from terrorist groups across Africa. Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda Human Rights lawyer, Storyteller, Founder Collective for Black Iranians United States. They do absolutely fascinating work. Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Jo Impey Picture: Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda at work Credit: Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda He is a graduate of York University with a major in sociology. And when it comes to working with children and child protection issues, there's a real sense of urgency in terms of protection and trying to protect children from harm, trying to take them out of dangerous situations. The way in UN agencies that we approach hierarchy, needs to stop. There's been progress, but clearly, we're not yet there. Could you tell us a bit about that role specifically and maybe some of the experiences you've had or observations you had with the politics of funding and grants and the challenges that exist in terms of relationships with donors or fundraising processes? I was very quickly, you know, facing my own decisions of the work that I had decided to do and why I was doing it. Priscillia: The experience of being declared persona non grata, or as they had described it in one of the many articles written in the national newspaper in Nigeria, being declared enemy of the state by the chief of the army, to be more precise, was extremely isolating. He is now married to a human rights lawyer, Priscillia Kounkou, and is expecting their first child. Now, of course, some people may say, but how can we collaborate or work in conjunction and in partnership with countries that have such strong stances that are against international laws or minimum standards and so forth? So the relevance of HQ is there, there is a relevance for HQ for any organization, but the way we work, especially in emergencies, and how much we're actually allocating for people who may go to the field once in a while... (questioning) the relevance of such a big presence that costs so much money, you know, has been pertinent for the longest time. I have definitely witnessed this, more than I wanted to - I never wanted to witness it, I've definitely seen it at play. We would find ways to support the women, the girls and also sometimes the boys who were going through these processes and we would work with a team of lawyers to support the legal advice being given, making sure that if they couldn't access legal advice, we were there to support them through our implementing partners so that they have access to the best legal advice that can enable them not to be sentenced. Priscillia is a human rights lawyer who has a decade of experience working with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), other UN agencies and non-governmental organizations in the U.S, France, DR Congo, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Central African Republic, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and many others. Until then, take care. In addition to her work helping children, Priscillia is a storyteller. Thank you so much for your courage and your generosity, sharing everything you shared with us today. 11. And I think that as we are evolving as a society, as we are modernizing as a society, hopefully, or at least we should be wanting to go towards these steps of better understanding each other, we also must, as organizations, be better at self criticism in a way that's constructive. We are in a culture in the development world where it's not well perceived, it's not well received to be critical. Priscillia: Yes, the IRC, the International Rescue Committee was doing this huge program in the easter part of the DR Congo. Same with nongovernmental organizations, same with UN agencies, same with all the different organizations that I worked with, who were not national, who were not from the countries that I was working in. Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda (phoveyda@unicef.org) Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda is currently the Project Manager of Digital Citizenship and Safety, Youth Section in partnership with Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. These organizations are mainly ran, mainly dominated by white western men. Jason Spears-Smith with his partner, Priscillia Kounkou-Hoveyda (LL.M. The 2010 issue of the New York University School of Law's annual magazine. And in your experience, what have been your observations with that reality in terms of organizations you've been with, or your colleagues or just generally the way that white savior complexes play out in the type of work that's done in the sector? So the challenge is not just as an individual coming as staff, consultants or whatnot to come and build trust, but it's also whatever has the organization been able or not so much been able to create with the different stakeholders. Priscillia Kounkou-Hoveyda She has been deployed to Nigeria, Congo, Central African Republic and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania at the height of their ravaging conflicts. Priscillia is a human rights lawyer who has a decade of experience working with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), other UN agencies and non-governmental organizations in the U.S, France, DR Congo, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Central African Republic, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and many others. Picture: Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda at work. Safa: In one of your earlier work experiences, you were working with the International Center for Transitional Justice as a Legal Researcher, and you conducted research on the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. I also want to thank our listeners, thank you for tuning in. He’s the creator, host and producer of The Gifted Gab, a talk show series that focuses on current events, observational commentary and satire. ’08). This is the system of an unequal society. And you know, even in our language, not just the abuse or the fact that there are cases of abuse, whether it's sexual abuse, sexual harassment, or abuse of authority - I have witnessed and been on the other end of abuse of authority several times in my career, and I'm not the only one. So I definitely never thought that activism was a nine to five kind of job. Obviously, oftentimes, based on the different political shifts that the country where the offices are has undergone, and the different types of leadership that the counties also have known, that relationship of trust and confidence would be there to some extent or not. Where is the transparency and the competitive processes that we are supposed to follow in this? And I think it is perfectly fine to be honest about it, because I think it shows that there is area for improvement, for things to be dealt with in better ways, in ways that potentially are smoother for all parties involved, hopefully. She is also a writer and one of the co-founders of the Collective for Black Iranians. And I think what's really important is to invite people who have this kind of questions and concerns to ask themselves but what would happen if we don't have a dialogue?