Donors increasingly speak of locally led aid response, but often do not walk the walk. Case in point is the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the humanitarian and developmen
Going Local without Localization: Power and Humanitarian Response in the Syrian War
Highlights: • International humanitarians rely on local actors to deliver aid, but they do not localize by shifting authority over response to local actors. • A power framework proposes that in
Locally-led Development: Beyond Promises to Action
Over the last couple of years, we have seen an unprecedented number of commitments by funders and philanthropists to support locally-led development, increase direct funding to local actors and promo
Dear INGOs, localization needs local leaders, not boxes ticked
A critical gap persists in global development’s ongoing discourse on localization — one that poses a potential showstopper for the entire agenda: The absence of genuine local leadership. This threate
Donor Transformation Challenge: Strengthen your support for grassroots changemakers
The only way positive change happens is when powerful changemakers are recognised, resourced and supported. Citizen action is evolving. We now see less formal civil society organisations (CSOs) and m
Beyond the ‘Egosystem’: A case for locally led Humanitarian Resistance
In this compelling and powerful paper, available to both Myanmar-language speakers and in English, Adelina Kamal urges readers to critically rethink the humanitarian approach to the conflict in Myanm
Unleashing the Power of Philanthropy for Inclusive Development
The time has come for philanthropy to fully leverage its distinct potential and unleash its capacity to cultivate a society that is just, equitable, and sustainable. While philanthropy has always pla
From Global Goal to Local Development Policy: How Partnerships as a Policy Idea Changes -Through Policy Translation
PurposeThis article explores how partnerships as a policy idea, embedded in United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17, changes as it is translated into local development policies. It
Local Leadership in Humanitarian Response Initiative
Many people see “localization” as a key to providing quality humanitarian assistance in the face of decreased funding and increased need. However, most of the global conversations around localization
Is The Humanitarian Sector Practicing What It Preaches?
In this report, we learn how over the past decade, key members of the humanitarian sector in Jordan have been complicit in the creation and sustaining of refugee response framework that is partial, d