Pathfinder Language Guidance

An Introduction to Pathfinder International’s Language Guidance

This guidance document shares our language values and preferences for global communications, emphasizing our values—mutuality, inclusivity, and specificity—in the words we choose. However, we recognize the importance of flexibility in meeting the needs of our country and project teams who work in culturally and geographically diverse contexts. Pathfinder’s language standards cannot uniformly apply to every situation and must be adapted to fit the needs of the audience, culture, and context in which we are communicating. 

The English language guidance, updated in 2024, covers the following:

• Gender-inclusive language
• Rights-based language for climate resilience and sexual and reproductive health and rights
• Preferred terminology regarding the following:
  • Regions and countries
  • Technical concepts
  • Power and program dynamics

French and Portuguese versions of the language guidance are forthcoming.