Fabrice Houdart

Fabrice Houdart
Born
Paris XVIe, France
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Human rights advocate
  • academic
Known for
  • UN Global LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business
  • Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors
Children2
Websitefabricehoudart.com

Fabrice Houdart is a French human rights advocate, academic, and whistleblower.[1][2][3] He worked at the World Bank from 2002 to 2016, where he led the institution's LGBTQ employee group and was demoted after identifying a payment to a senior executive.[1][4] He later co-authored the United Nations Global LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business.[5]

Education

Houdart holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics and management from Dauphine University and a Master of Business Administration from American University.[6]

Career

World Bank (2002–2016)

Houdart worked at the World Bank from 2002 to 2016 as a senior country officer for the Middle East and North Africa.[1] From 2010 to 2014, he was president of GLOBE, the Bank's LGBTQ employee resource group, where he pushed leadership to consider the impact of its lending on LGBTQ populations.[1][7]

In October 2014, during layoffs tied to a $400 million budget cut, Houdart identified a $94,000 (equivalent to $125,000 in 2024) payment to chief financial officer Bertrand Badré, which Badré described as a board-approved "scarce skills premium."[1][8][9] The disclosure fueled employee protests, and President Jim Yong Kim held a town hall at which Badré returned the payment.[1]

In early 2015, the Bank investigated Houdart for allegedly leaking a draft safeguards policy.[1] The investigation cleared him of that allegation but found he had shared a separate internal document with the Bank Information Center, a watchdog organization involved in the safeguards process.[4] The Bank demoted him and reduced his salary; a spokesman denied retaliation and said two other employees had been similarly disciplined for unauthorized disclosures.[4][10] Houdart's attorneys at the Government Accountability Project maintained the inquiry was retaliatory.[1] He resigned in 2016 to join the United Nations.[11]

United Nations (2016–2020)

From 2016 to 2020, Houdart worked at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, where he contributed to the Free & Equal campaign and co-authored the United Nations Global LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business.[12][13][14]

Corporate governance and advocacy

In June 2022, Houdart founded the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors.[15][16] In 2024, he co-founded Koppa, an LGBTQ economic research initiative, with Lee Badgett and others.[17]

Houdart serves on the boards of OutRight Action International,[18] Housing Works,[19] and the Institute of Current World Affairs, where he founded the David Mixner LGBTQ Fellowship.[20][21] He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors Center for Inclusive Governance Advisory Council and serves on the L'Oréal Global Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board.[22] He is the acting secretary of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia committee and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.[23] He also serves on the advisory council of Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE).[24]

Teaching and commentary

Houdart is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and Columbia University, where he teaches courses on sexual orientation, gender identity, and development.[25][26] He has commented on LGBTQ issues in outlets including Bloomberg News[27] and Nasdaq.[28] He has also spoken at the University of Minnesota Law School.[29]

Personal life

Houdart and his then-partner Roy Daiany had twins in 2013 through surrogacy in the United States, a process that cost over $100,000 and required consulting lawyers on three continents.[30] France prohibits surrogacy and, at the time, did not grant citizenship to children of French citizens born through the practice abroad.[30] His use of surrogacy drew criticism from conservative French media.[31]

Houdart is a descendant of jeweler and politician Louis Aucoc (1850–1932), who briefly owned the Hope Diamond,[32][33] and of Académie Goncourt member René Benjamin (1885–1948).[34]

Recognition

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Feder, J. Lester (9 April 2015). "LGBT Employee Leader Under Investigation At World Bank". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Banque mondiale: un lanceur d'alerte gay dans la tourmente". KOMITID (in French). 22 April 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  3. ^ Moloney, Kim; Bowman, James S.; West, Jonathan P. (2018). "Challenges Confronting Whistleblowing and the International Civil Servant". Public Personnel Management. 39 (4): 611–634. doi:10.1177/0734371X18767247. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Feder, J. Lester (12 June 2015). "World Bank Demotes LGBT Employee Leader Following Investigation". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  5. ^ "U.S. to partners of U.N. LGBTQ staff: Get married, or get out". NBC News. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Fabrice Houdart". Columbia SIPA. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  7. ^ "How Much Money Is the World Bank Spending to Intimidate Staff?". HuffPost. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  8. ^ Edwards, Sophie (4 February 2019). "As Jim Kim steps down, a tumultuous World Bank presidency comes to an end". Devex. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  9. ^ Rice, Andrew (27 April 2016). "Is Jim Kim Destroying the World Bank — or Saving it From Itself?". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  10. ^ Chavkin, Sasha; Hudson, Michael (29 June 2015). "Leaked document: World Bank rife with "fear and retaliation"". International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  11. ^ Moloney, Kim; Bowman, James S.; West, Jonathan P. (2018). "Challenges Confronting Whistleblowing and the International Civil Servant". Public Personnel Management. 39 (4): 611–634. doi:10.1177/0734371X18767247. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  12. ^ "U.S. to partners of U.N. LGBTQ staff: Get married, or get out". NBC News. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  13. ^ Feitelberg, Rosemary (4 December 2019). "U.N. Human Rights Officer Emphasizes Power of Private Sector". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Why LGBT rights are under threat—and what to do about it". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  15. ^ Rosenstein, Peter (15 July 2022). "Comings & Goings". Washington Blade. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Harnessing the power of the private sector is crucial to maintaining the LGBT+ Equality momentum we have known for the past 50 years". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Koppa the LGBTI+ economic power lab". 14 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Our Team". Outright International. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  19. ^ "About Us". Housing Works. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  20. ^ "About ICWA". Institute of Current World Affairs. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  21. ^ "David Mixner LGBTQ+ Fellowship". Institute of Current World Affairs. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Corporate boards still see LGBTQ+ equality within their own ranks as 'frivolous,' according to a corporate advocate". Fortune. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  23. ^ "RSA Fellows making an impact in the LGBTQ+ community - RSA blog". The RSA. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  24. ^ "Our Team and Trustees". Open for Business. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Georgetown University Faculty Directory". gufaculty360.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 30 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ Haar, Dan (21 January 2021). "Haar: A CT newcomer up-close at the inauguration". Connecticut Post. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  27. ^ "World Bank's Decision to Pause Uganda's Funding Spurs Questions on Decision Process". Bloomberg. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  28. ^ "Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors Rings the Nasdaq Stock Market Closing Bell". Nasdaq. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  29. ^ "Human Rights in Practice: Fabrice Houdart, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York". University of Minnesota Law School. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  30. ^ a b Feder, J. Lester (22 March 2013). "What Would You Do to Become a Father?". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  31. ^ "LGBT : l'envoyé peu recommandable de l'ONU". Valeurs actuelles (in French). 17 October 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  32. ^ Richard, Jean-Jacques (18 April 2019). "La Dynastie Aucoc". Bijoux et Pierres précieuses (in French). Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  33. ^ "Hope Diamond in Paris". The New York Times. 27 March 1910. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  34. ^ "Philippe Soupault". Les Hommes sans épaules (in French). Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  35. ^ "Empowered Bridges and Latinos in the House. GGBA Power Lunch V". LinkedIn. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  36. ^ "2019 IGLTA Honors". IGLTA. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  37. ^ "AT Awards 2023". Culture & Business Pride (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  38. ^ "Stonewall Rebels". Pride Live. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
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