The world has lost trust in “experts.”

This applies whether it’s in Kenya, Nigeria or South Africa; Mexico, Colombia, Brazil or Argentina; India or China. The message from citizens anywhere to their governments, policymakers, and media organizations is the same: we don’t feel we can trust you to genuinely work in our best interests and to work towards positive societal change.

In 2023, I spent a great deal of time thinking about what it means to be “an expert.” As part of my job, I am privileged to engage with experts every day. This year was no different. I listened to, spoke with, and learned from many experts, including those at the 2023 STI & HIV World Congress in Chicago, the 22nd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) in Harare, CQUIN’s 7th annual meeting in Johannesburg, and the Health Justice Initiative’s meeting in Rio de Janeiro with the theme, “Why Health Justice Matters.” Some of the experts come from the very groups that ordinary citizens say they cannot trust to fulfil their mandates.

Of course, our own organization is also made up of experts in various fields—public health, advocacy, research design and implementation, policy development, and more.

So, how do we address this growing skepticism towards expertise?

WE NEED TO RESHAPE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT MAKES “AN EXPERT”

The answer lies in reshaping our understanding of what makes “an expert.” That journey begins by turning to the communities with whom we work. The ordinary people we engage with each day—in community halls, villages, living rooms, and clinics—are not passive recipients. They are deep reservoirs of local knowledge. They know what they need and have ideas on how to achieve it. There have been positive shifts away from the sort of “helicopter research” that sees academics, policymakers, and civil society organizations arrive in a community, extract its knowledge, and leave. However, there is a lingering tendency to treat robust community engagement as little more than a tick-box exercise. Yet, community engagement is not the work: it is a means to the work. Robust engagement cannot begin and end with design and evaluation; we must continue to push to secure the resources needed to translate conversations into sustainable action.

We recognized this in crafting our Strategic Plan 2024 – 2026, whose theme is “Creating lasting solutions through robust community engagement.” It is an acknowledgement of the gold to be found in every community—and a commitment not to view our goal as extraction but as exposure, bringing it to the surface so that all can benefit from its shine.

Let us commit to listening more intently, engaging more deeply, and acting more decisively. Together, we can build a future where trust is restored and communities are at the heart of every solution.

With unwavering determination,

Solange Baptiste
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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