Localisation in humanitarian action

Transcription

1 Localisation in humanitarian action

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3 Let s start with what it isn t It isn t a new concept local responders are in every country in many forms many INGOs work in partnership in specific contexts It isn t an either/or discussion it is a necessary debate to make aid more efficient, rapid and effective It doesn t mean that largescale responses are not necessary better, smarter responses are needed #value for money

4 Partnership in humanitarian action Humanitarian partnerships between national and international organisations are a longestablished means of responding to humanitarian need. Humanitarian codes and standards have emphasised the importance of humanitarian actors working together. In 1994, the Code of Conduct for the Red Cross and NGOs in Disaster Relief articulated a determination to work through local non-governmental humanitarian agencies as partners in planning and implementation, In 2007 Principles of Partnership (PoP) endorsed by the Global Humanitarian Platform offered a collective blueprint for humanitarian partnership. In 2012, the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs called out the lack of inclusion of non-traditional actors such as National Disaster Management Authorities and Southern NGOs which undermined the effectiveness of operations. In , the WHS examined how to place people at the heart of humanitarian response, how to achieve greater localization of assistance, how to better link humanitarian work with development,

5 CHANGING HOW AID HAPPENS Less than 2% of all humanitarian funding goes directly to local aid organisations, despite their crucial role in critical response Local first responders; they know the context, speak the language and will be there long after international actors leave. Yet their crucial role is often ignored by the current humanitarian system. Local organisations also face greater risks (IFRC World Disaster Report, 2015), for example 90% of humanitarian workers who died in 2014 were local responders.

6 Localisation what does it actually mean? As local as possible & as international as necessary Local/Localised/Locally led Who is local? With or through? Local actor/local NGO Self-help group/cbo Faith-based actor Local aid actor/charity Relief providers/private company Sister agency/federations Affected communities Programme Participants Community-based actor Local contexts The Humanitarian Eco-system The Humanitarian Architecture Cluster Coordination Remote Management/Remote control Direct implementation v indirect Partnership/Work with/partner with Contract/sub-contract Sustainability Subsidiarity Capacity Building/Accompaniment

7 Lessons learned from major responses Tsunami Response 2004 (Tsunami Evaluation Coalition 2006) Somalia Famine 2011 (Feinstein Centre Tufts University 2014) Philippines response 2013 (IASC Evaluation & Missed Opportunities) Ebola Response (ODI 2015) Syria Response (2016)

8 Tsunami mega-response (Tsunami Evaluation Coalition 2006) Local people provided almost all immediate life-saving action and early emergency support International agencies experienced major problems in scaling up their own response. International action was most effective when enabling, facilitating and supporting local actors. International agencies often brushed local capacities aside The affected population is far more knowledgeable about their context, needs and capacities than external agencies. International agencies should prepare in advance for the problems of scaling up not simply by identifying resources but also by making their systems and practices suitable for maximum participation by local people and national governments. have clear partnership strategies and develop local partnerships from the start in order to achieve a smooth transition from relief to recovery.rethink the end goal of humanitarian assistance and move from a service delivery approach to a capacity empowering framework, shift the emphasis from only delivery to support and facilitation.

9 Somalia Famine 2011 The current system is largely dismissive of different approaches to or traditions in humanitarian aid, and this has led to uncoordinated donorship that may lead to duplications, gaps, and other inefficiencies in humanitarian response Observers of the humanitarian effort in Somalia all voiced in one way or another a belief that the system is rotten, subject to abuse, and over-politicized perhaps to the extent of undermining rather than supporting the efforts of ordinary Somali communities or diaspora groups. Much has been made of the difficulties of being accountable to donors where much of a program is implemented remotely. As a result, significant investment and innovation has gone into developing remote monitoring and evaluation methods, although to what effect can be questioned Accountability to recipients of assistance has been particularly weak in the case of Somalia

10 Philippines Typhoon Haiyan International and national coordination mechanisms diverged along separate paths for quite some time. There was also a strong sense that some international surge staff did not understand national systems or capacity (IASC) Despite the fact that NNGOs were among the earliest responders to the typhoon, they played a relatively minor role in comparison with INGOs, which tended to have greater access to funding and superior logistics capacity, allowing them to work at significant scale. One issue that stands out in the Haiyan response more than others is the challenge of taking partnership to scale, and it is this that sets an important and urgent agenda for the humanitarian community. (Missed Opportunities)

11 Ebola Response Sierra Leone Ebola exposed the dangers of not getting it right when it came to engagement with the local community These problems sound very little like issues of technical competence and poor decisionmaking, and very much like issues of power and culture within the international aid system.(odi) National NGOs were first responders, taking huge risks, dealing with very difficult situations National NGOs had to take on the humanitarian response without the safety nets of insurance, evacuation, specialist skillsets, counselling and aftercare, and adequate staff to cope with additional pressures

12 Syria Lebanon Turkey Context-specific responses Transferring risk to NNGOs Recognise expertise and build to enhance capacity Listen hear & see how the international system should be amended to fit the context Changing role of National NGOs in Turkey & Lebanon Syrian NGOs in Lebanon (status/identity/future) International expertise is eroded when it is perceived as context-blind (in opposition to the rich contextual knowledge of the local organisations), particularly regarding attitudes and capacity to listen to local and national actors. (ALNAP)

13 The Core Humanitarian Standard Transparency 2-way? 360 accountability in practice? Involvement of partners from needs assessment to design and implementation (PCM inclusion) Involving local actors/local communities less complex in natural disaster settings Preparedness Who holds the power?

14 The Language of Reform World Humanitarian Summit

15 The Localisation Conversation What is localisation and who is local and who is looking for answers? ECHO, WFP, SCHR, START (Shifting the Power), CI, NEAR Network, VOICE, Local2Global, C4C signatories, Joint Learning Initiatives on Faith & Local Communities (JLIFLC), UN agencies (via IASC) UNHCR & WFP the most vocal and pro-active post- Summit How much and how? 88 commitments were made to strengthen or empower local NGOs and frontline responders at WHS. Strong and broad-based support among Member States, UN agencies and international NGOs for increasing the agency of and securing predictable funding for local actors in responding to and recovering from crisis. The Grand Bargain includes a commitment to channel 25% of financing to national and local responders as directly as possible by 2020.

16 The Grand Bargain make aid work better Agreement between more than 30 of the biggest donors and aid providers, to get more means into the hands of people in need. Changes in the working practices of donors and aid organisations that would deliver an extra billion dollars over five years for people in need of humanitarian aid. Cash programming, greater funding for national and local responders and cutting bureaucracy through harmonised reporting requirements. Provide 25 per cent of global humanitarian funding to local and national responders by 2020, along with more un-earmarked money, and increased multi-year funding to ensure greater predictability and continuity in humanitarian response

17 Charter 4 Change : 29 INGO signatories & 150 national/local NGOs endorsers

18 The Charter 4 Change Increase direct funding to southern-based NGOs for humanitarian action Reaffirm the Principles of Partnership Increase transparency around resource transfers to southern-based national and local NGOs Stop undermining local capacity Emphasise the importance of national actors Address subcontracting Robust organisational support and capacity strengthening Communication to the media and the public about partners

19 Developing a Localization Marker.. Harder than Anticipated Localization marker to measure direct and indirect funding to local and national responders. What is a local or national responder to whom does the 25% target within the Grand Bargain commitment on local and national responders apply? ***with global humanitarian funding at $28bn in 2015, there is a LOT at stake **** What does the term as directly as possible mean in practice? Should we only track financial contributions, or also in kind contributions and support for capacity strengthening?

20 Localisation (Trocaire, Groupe URD & Irish Aid) Research Phase 1: Dec-April (DRC, Myanmar) Research Phase 2: ( June Dec 2017 Sierra Leone, Malawi, Lebanon, Lain America TBC) Steering Group: SL, DRC, Myanmar, Ethiopia, SIU, IFU, Hum Unit, Policy, The aim of this research is : Experience of Trócaire and partners in selected countries to provide the organisation with a working definition of 'Localisation'. Evidence of how operating in partnership with national organisations is an important element of effective humanitarian response in three different contexts Recommendations for how localisation can be achieved - for Trócaire; for peers and in the humanitarian policy arena.

21 Issues Opportunities Constraints Principled Humanitarian Action Access to funds Balanced partnerships Shared visibility Results-oriented approach Do no harm Imperative Capacity Building pathway Better understanding of local power relationships Sound analysis of stakeholders Lower costs of NNGOs Growing needs and limited resources More relevant choices Greater ownership Better acceptance of aid Direct funding to NNGO Greater access Accountability Ethics and appropriateness of different types of responses Longer-term impacts & sustainability Risk of politicisation of aid Loss of market shares for INGOs Complexity of donor procedures Risk of loss of independence for INGOs Potential delays in decision-making Space and power Co-option of national actors Loss of visibility for INGOs & loss of identity for national NGOs Loss of market shares for INGOs Lack of experience of NNGOs in HA Risks of double standards Bureaucratisation of NNGOs Endangering local organisations staff Risks of selection of the biggest local NGOs to fulfil donor requirements Tensions between INGOs and NNGOs around qualified human resources New role & expertise for INGOs Longer-term commitments Funds for less visible activities Bridging funding between contracts when staffing levels have been increased for a response period

22 Initial findings from Myanmar research A key country in regard to localisation, an excellent case study. Localisation and associated issues is a concern for local actors in Myanmar and the strong positioning of the LNGOs in Myanmar. Myanmar is a country of multiple crisis which requires flexibility in the different regions and in the engagement with local actors. Donors support localisation in the post WHS era. At multiple occasions it was pointed out that the Government is considered a local actor. Some larger INGOs franchising in- country are also considered local actors There are different approaches and positions towards localisation according to organisations mandates and values, all of which need to be respected.

23 There were concerns raised around ensuring the adherence to humanitarian principles particularly neutrality and impartiality. Tensions were reported between INGOs and NGOs, competition for funding, turf battles, and issues around recognition and acknowledgement. There was general consensus around the fact that Capacity Building of local actors need to be strengthened. This cannot be a quick fix and the Trócaire model of accompaniment has been identified as the best option.

24 Where next with localisation? Key Dates WHS Anniversary (May 24 th -25 th ) ICVA Annual Conference 28 March, Geneva VOICE General Assembly, 16 May, Geneva European Development Days - June ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment Jun 2017 Geneva ECHO Annual Conference November 2017 Next steps on The Grand Bargain? 22 Donors & 28 international organisations signed up/localisation marker Completion of workstreams and commitments in 2017

25 Trócaire is the overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland.