Author(s)
Cécile Le Grix
Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic: another step towards localisation?
Are we there yet? Localisation as the journey towards locally led practice: Models, approaches and challenges, A. Baguios, M. King, A. Martins, R. Pinnington, ODI, 2021.
Localisation has long been discussed, but has still not been delivered. Systemic barriers have posed challenges, and the term itself is contested. Now, the last tumultuous 18 months could provide a critical juncture to finally move forward with this crucial agenda. This paper reviews the barriers and challenges to localisation and locally led practice, with a view to informing a campaign for systemic change.
https://cdn.odi.org/media/documents/ODI-SH-Localisation-Report-Oct21-Proof06.pdf
Local humanitarian action during Covid-19: findings from a diary study, V. Barbelet, J. Bryant, A. Spencer, HPG working paper, HPG, ODI, 2021.
This study aimed to identify what changes towards a more local aid model were happening in the context of Covid-19 and, where change was not happening, why this was the case. It found that change is happening, but slowly, since fundamental blockages in the system have not been addressed. As a result, there are limited efforts to trial new approaches at scale, take calculated risks and to set in motion new funding approaches.
https://cdn.odi.org/media/documents/C19__localisation_diary_methods_WEB.pdf
Principles for locally-led adaptation: A call to action, Marek Soanes & al., IIED, 2021.
Recovery from COVID-19 provides a historic opportunity for giving greater voice to local people and putting agency over their own adaptation into their hands. To support this shift, this study presents eight principles for locally led adaptation and invites adaptation stakeholders on a complementary ten-year learning journey.
https://pubs.iied.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/2021-01/10211IIED.pdf
Humanitarian learning under the COVID-19 pandemic; a pathway to localization?, Pawel Mania, LSE, HLA, 2021.
In this report the Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA), working with the Department of International Development at the London School of Economics (LSE), analyse data from their online learning platform https://kayaconnect.org/ and one of their flagship programmes to try to better understand the localisation agenda and provide insight into what the future of digital humanitarian learning may look like, as well as current and forthcoming needs.
A Window of Opportunity: Learning from COVID-19 to Progress Locally-led Response and Development, Think Piece, Australian Red Cross, Humanitarian Advisory Group and The Institute for Human Security and Social Change, La Trobe University, 2020.
As COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and international travel restrictions, border closures and lockdowns ensued, large numbers of expatriate aid workers returned to their home countries. This significant change in the demography of the aid industry in many countries has led to a shift in roles for international, and national and local actors in humanitarian and development work. This think piece documents the research conducted over the past six months. It is intended to provide emerging evidence, and pose critical questions for international humanitarian and development actors to consider in their work across the region.
Local response in a global pandemic: a case study of the Red Cross response to Tropical Cyclone Harold during COVID-19 in Vanuatu and Fiji, Red Cross, 2020.
This case study explores the double impact of Tropical Cyclone Harold and the COVID-19 pandemic in Vanuatu and Fiji, and lessons it provides on the localisation of humanitarian response. It examines the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement’s experience in supporting local response leadership and seeks to contribute to wider learning and debate about localisation and the complementary roles of national and international humanitarian actors.
The Perspectives of Local Actors
Undervalued and Underutilised: Non-humanitarian actors and humanitarian reform in Indonesia, Jesse McCommon, Kate Sutton, Puji Pujiono, Humanitarian Advisory Group, Pujiono Centre, 2021.
This report is the final output of the Building a Blueprint for Change research project. This project was designed to apply a new approach to reform efforts, one which is built entirely around the local priorities and contextual factors of one country rather than an attempt to adapt international agendas. The study focused on Indonesia because it was identified as the country with the most momentum for change in the Asia Pacific region. Indonesia has been recognised for its leadership in nationalising and localising humanitarian response.
Anchored in Local Reality : Case Studies on Local Humanitarian Action from Haiti, Colombia, and Iraq, Sabina Robillard & al., Oxfam, The Feinstein International Center, Tufts University, 2020.
This paper offers insight into fundamental questions of the localization discussion in three different contexts: a region of Haiti recovering from a hurricane, displacement and political crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the overlapping pressures of migration, conflict, and climate change in Colombia.
https://fic.tufts.edu/wp-content/uploads/Tufts-Oxfam-LHL-research-Anchored-in-Local-Reality.pdf
Survivor – and community-led crisis response: Practical experience and learning, J. Corbett, N. Carstensen, S. Di Vicenz, Network Paper 84, HPN, ODI, 2021.
This Network Paper introduces and explains existing knowledge and experience with an emerging way of working in humanitarian programming. The paper defines what is meant by survivor and community-led responses and places it in the growing vocabulary around ʻlocalisationʼ.
https://odihpn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/HPN_SCLR-Network-Paper_WEB.pdf
Analysis of the issues raised by localisation
Interrogating the evidence base on humanitarian localisation: a literature study, V. Barbelet, G. Davies, J. Flint and E. Davey, HPG, Humanitarian Advisory Group, ODI, 2021.
Understanding the impact of ‘localisation’ on strengthening effective and efficient responses to humanitarian crises continues to be a key policy and practice concern for donors and the broader sector. Criticisms of a ‘broken’ humanitarian system dominated by international actors has led to commitments, such as those in the Grand Bargain, intended to bring transformational change. These include promises to address inequalities in the system, such as the inequitable recognition given to local actors despite their frontline role in humanitarian responses. This report presents the findings of a review of the localisation literature.
https://cdn.odi.org/media/documents/Localisation_lit_review_WEB.pdf
“Localisation and local humanitarian action”, Humanitarian Exchange Magazine, N° 79, HPN, ODI, May 2021.
Five years after the commitments of the Grand Bargain, this edition of Humanitarian Exchange looks at the progress that has been made on localisation and local humanitarian aid. The different articles, often based on case studies, describe the changes that are taking place, from an operational point of view and in terms of funding.
https://odihpn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/HE-79_Localisation_WEB-1.pdf
Improving the visibility of local and national actors in humanitarian aid data, Mark Brough, David Megginson, Development Initiatives, 2021.
The limited visibility of local and national organisations in humanitarian open aid data adds to the challenges of meeting and tracking the Grand Bargain commitment to provide more direct support to local and national actors. Development Initiatives (DI) explored the technical options for increasing the visibility of local and national actors in International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) data. In this pilot project, DI looked specifically at Somalia, examining how the activities of local Somali organisations could gain visibility and better integration in the IATI data ecosystem – without placing any additional reporting or technical burdens on those organisations. This was achieved by investigating additional data sources at the local and national levels and exploring the potential for data interoperability to enable a clearer picture of on-the-ground activities.
https://devinit.org/resources/improving-visibility-local-national-actors-humanitarian-aid-data/
From the ground up: it’s about time for local humanitarian action, Larissa Fast, Christina Bennett, HPG Report, HPG, ODI, May 2020.
Between 2017 and 2019, HPG researched local humanitarian action from a ground-level perspective across four key themes: capacity and complementarity, financing, dignity and protection. This report synthesises the results. It shows that the barrier to greater local action is not a dearth of capacity, but instead the reluctance of international actors – donors, United Nations agencies and international non-governmental organisations – to cede power. The necessary shifts in the system will require effort and will take a generation to embed, but they are long overdue.
Partnerships
Bridging the intention to action gap: The future role of intermediaries in supporting locally-led humanitarian action, Humanitarian Advisory Group, GLOW Consultants, CoLAB, inSights, 2021.
This study explores the future role of organisations when acting as intermediaries in supporting locally-led response. It identifies interventions for change in three essential areas: motivation, opportunity and capabilities to support change to an ideal future role for intermediaries. The proposed future role is that intermediaries empower local and national organisations to drive, define and deliver principled humanitarian responses to needs in their communities.
https://gblocalisation.ifrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/BTITAG_FINAL.pdf
Accelerating Localisation through Partnerships: Recommendations for operational practices that strengthen the leadership of national and local actors in partnership-based humanitarian action globally, Christian Aid, CARE, Tearfund, ActionAid, CAFOD, Oxfam, 2019.
This research was commissioned by the Accelerating Localisation through Partnerships programme to establish what operational elements of partnerships between local, national and international NGOs are most likely to foster localisation of humanitarian action. In-depth consultations were conducted in three locations in four countries: Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria and South Sudan.
http://a4ep.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Accelerating-localisation-research-summary-global-1.pdf
Funding
Country-level Financing Solutions for Local Actors, IFRC, 2019.
This research relates mainly to the Grand Bargain financing commitment. It identifies good practices and opportunities on country level financing within the framework of the Grand Bargain localisation commitment to provide funding more directly to local and national responders. And it provides guidance on how to strengthen national and local actors’ access to greater humanitarian financing.
Localisation and women’s rights
Les femmes prennent les commandes au niveau local : le leadership des femmes dans l’action humanitaire au Bangladesh et au Sud-Soudan, N. Jayasinghe, M. Khatun, M. Okwii, Oxfam, 2020.
Women Leading Locally: Exploring women’s leadership in humanitarian action in Bangladesh and South Sudan, Oxfam Research Report, N. Jayasinghe, M. Khatun, M. Okwii, Oxfam, 2020.
This report examines women’s leadership in locally-led humanitarian action with case studies from Bangladesh and South Sudan. Co-authored with two women’s organizations, Ashroy Foundation of Bangladesh and Rural Women for Development in South Sudan, it seeks to understand whether and how local humanitarian leadership (LHL) can promote or constrain women’s leadership. The report finds that women’s leadership in LHL is limited in both countries, with women’s leadership facing many of the same challenges as LHL itself. However, by encouraging collaboration between women leaders, women’s organizations, and LHL actors, progress toward a more gender-transformative humanitarian system can be achieved.
Localisation and cash and voucher assistance
Strengthening locally-led humanitarian action through cash preparedness, Julia Lewis, Cash Hub, CashCap, IFRC, 2021.
This study examines the links between cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and localisation, to understand how CVA can help to further localisation and strengthen locally-led humanitarian action. The findings were based on experiences from 10 National Societies across Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Tool
Localisation performance measurement framework, NEAR, 2021.
The purpose of this Localization Performance Measurement System (LPMF) is to evidence progress towards achieving localisation commitments. While its focus is on local and national actors, it is anticipated that it will also be relevant to international NGOs, UN agencies and donors as well as research and academic institutions that are evaluating localisation.
https://www.alnap.org/help-library/localisation-performance-measurement-framework
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Pages
p. 44-51