The international development sector is increasingly recognising the importance of locally led development. This approach aims to transform and rethink traditional aid models, and is focusing on empo
The Change We Want: A ShiftThePower Manifesto Poem
This is an artistic expression of the #shiftthepower campaign to inspire change and drive transformation on the various levels of the development sector regarding the relationship between the Minorit
Do humanitarians have a moral duty to use AI to reduce human suffering? Four key tensions to untangle
Considering the rise in humanitarian need and the massive deficit in funding, the idea that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could help humanitarian organisations to reach more people with fewer resource
Passing the Buck: The Economics of Localizing International Aid
A study by the Share Trust and the Warande Advisory Center estimates the economic implications of shifting 25% of Official Development Assistance (ODA) - aligned with Grand Bargain and USAID commitme
Peace Starts Here – The Global Movement for Local Peacebuilders
Local peacebuilders are rarely seen, scarcely reported, and almost always under-supported. Yet they’re everywhere. They transcend differences and help build bridges to lasting peace. They’re fighting
A short film: The rise of local philantropy
Shortly after the pandemic, film maker Josie Fomé travelled to Uganda to shoot a documentary on the organisation, No-White-Saviours. While there, a different, more complex story emerged on The Rise o
Tuishi Amani (‘Let us Live in Peace’) Project: A search for long-lasting peace in Ituri and North Kivu
Local peacebuilding organisations are well-placed to design solutions to ongoing challenges in the complex conflict environments of eastern DRC. They are in the position to generate sustained buy-in
Worldmaking in the margins
If aid actors were to take the idea of worldmaking in the margins seriously, this could to lead to an ontological shift: the solution to crises becomes not merely (aid workers’) response, but (people
International aid agencies pay the price for boom and bust
‘If they were strengthening local actors, they would never have grown so much in the first place.’ A global funding squeeze on humanitarian finances has rippled through the system, as multiple donors
Localisation doesn’t shift power. It deepens international dominance.
International aid actors are reinforcing their power through localisation processes. The system still determines whether local actors are worthy humanitarians, if they’re capable of receiving funding