The path to more inclusive economic growth and gender equality through private sector partnership

Specialist staffing company Committed to Good (CTG) joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) network in December 2020 with a commitment to expanding inclusive and sustainable work opportunities to 5,000 nationals from within its 16 operating countries and to have 30 percent of its project-related roles filled by women by 2030. CTG acts as an implementation partner for the humanitarian community through its provision of staffing and project management solutions for post-disaster and conflict-affected countries.  

Within the environments that CTG operates—developing and post-conflict regions—there is a desperate need for both national capacity building and local-level development. CTG acknowledges the private sector’s responsibilities in advancing these efforts, focusing specifically on the notably low proportion of women in workplaces. This is despite the fact that women’s participation across all facets of society, including the workplace, provides a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. 

Through the implementation of local educational programmes, career workshops, and gender-sensitive hiring processes and working environments, as well as by extending outreach to local communities and institutions, CTG is taking a comprehensive approach to sustainable economic growth and the advancement of gender equality.  

CTG’s inclusive business model focuses on improving people’s access to decent work opportunities and harnessing the productive capacity of host country nationals in their countries of operation. By presenting potential female hires to clients and working with them to create an inclusive and safe environment for all, CTG allies with its partners to advance gender equality in the workplace. Due to the diverse nature of development needs, CTG employs individuals across all professional levels, from low- and medium-skilled roles to advanced specialist roles that require specific credentials and extensive experience.   

“We pride ourselves in being a local employer with over 90% of our staff being nationals of our countries of operation,” affirms Mia Zickerman-White, CTG’s Social Impact Project Manager. This high rate of national employment means that approximately 65% of CTG’s total revenue is channeled into these consultants’ salaries. Additionally, close to 2% of CTG’s revenue supports local suppliers in these countries.  

In 2017, CTG took its first step towards implementing sustainable and inclusive practices by launching ‘Female First’—an initiative that entrusts CTG’s recruiters, in-country teams, and clients with the task of laying the foundations of a more equitable and representative workforce by improving women’s access to humanitarian and development-related decent work opportunities in fragile and conflict-affected countries. ‘Female First’ is a comprehensive approach that aims to improve women’s access to decent work in a variety of ways. Not only does it encompass CTG’s Gender Parity Recruitment Strategy, but it also provides women with job-readiness workshops to equip women with the knowledge and skills needed to enter the labour market. The job-readiness curriculum includes training in key skills, such as how to write a CV, how to conduct oneself in an interview, and how to lead and achieve with confidence. CTG has also launched a ‘Women in Aid Internship Programme’ that provides women with tangible work experience opportunities in the humanitarian sector. Since its launch, 12,222 (as of 5 May 2021) women candidates have entered the CTG recruitment process. 

Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, CTG has experienced an upward trajectory over the last year with respect to female representation within the organization, with Mia Zickerman-White stating that “[w]ith respect to ‘Female First’, we have already achieved over 25% female representation in our roles in Somalia and 19% in Libya”. Furthermore, “[t]he number of job applications made by women has also increased by 102% this year compared to last, which is a testament to our increased efforts to reach more female candidates.” 

Now, CTG aspires to reach the next level in their pursuit of gender equality with their BCtA commitment to having women installed in 30 percent of their project-related roles by 2030.

CTG is seeking to further support the Sustainable Development Goals by bringing decent work opportunities to local communities in fragile environments to support economic growth, advance gender equality, and promote peace. As such, CTG has identified gender equality, decent work and economic growth, and peace, justice, and strong institutions as the areas in which their business operations can have the biggest impact.

“For us,” says Mia Zickerman-White, “we believe in making a positive impact; the work that CTG does contributes to the success of humanitarian and development projects, and we are proud of our contribution to progress, no matter what the scale of it. Some of the largest successes have been the stories of individual women we have employed who are now changing the social landscape. In Yemen, for example, we employed the first female lawyer of the entire Hadhramaut region, who has now inspired an entire cohort of young women to pursue law.” 

About CTG:  Founded in 2006, CTG supports clients globally in fragile, conflict-affected countries and disaster environments through specialist staffing and project management solutions. CTG operates in Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Libya, and Yemen, with wider active operations in areas including Gaza, Iraq, Mali, Pakistan, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Djibouti.