Programme Practice Paper: Christian Aid and Leave No One Behind

The call to ‘Leave No One Behind’ puts equity at the heart of the development and humanitarian agenda for the coming decades. At Christian Aid, we have an ambition to see an end to poverty for all but glaring inequalities mean that we are not starting with the level playing field needed to bring about this change. Some groups and individuals have been marginalised or excluded for centuries and need greater attention than others. Without this focus on equity, we will see a continuation of ‘a rising tide that lifts all boats’ approach that excludes millions of the poorest people and deepens the inequalities that drive conflict, poverty and discrimination.

This document is a summary of how Christian Aid views the implications of the principle Leave No One Behind in its programme practice. It sets out the heritage of work that Christian Aid brings to this commitment, its current approaches, and ways forward as we seek to make the goal of ‘Equality for All’ a reality in and throughout our programmes. Our work is evolving quickly in this area and so we have sought to create a snapshot of where we are now rather than provide extensive details of the work or long guidance documents. Given the entrenched power imbalances that will need to be challenged and changed by action at personal, local, national, regional and global levels, we know this is a long and complex journey but it is one which is at the very heart of our vision.