“Grand Bargain Signatories engage with local and national responders in a spirit of partnership and aim to reinforce rather than replace local and national capacities”. The intent of the Grand Bargain was transformational, not decentralisation or multi-nationalisation of International Organisations. However, the loophole in the IASC definition of local and national actors is diverting from the true intent of the GB localisation commitments.
This paper of Alliance for Empowering Partnerships (A4EP) analyses the process of developing the definitions of ‘local and national actors, and with what purpose it was altered. Please click here to read the paper in detail.
#GrandBargain #localisation
Development Cooperation Review
HAI CEO S.S. Singh and President Mr NM Prusty participated in the event organised by Research and Information Systems for the Developing Countries (RIS) to launch Development Cooperation Review (DCR). DCR was launched by Hon’ble State Minister for External Affairs MJ Akbar. HAI CEO was part of the panel discussion, right before the launch.
International Humanitarian Aid and the Localization Debate
The Research and Information System for Developing Countries(RIS) has published #HAI CEO Sudhansh S. Singh’s paper, entitled International Humanitarian Aid and the ‘Localization’ Debate:
Why is it important to have “Local Funds” for “Local Organization”? The paper analyses the current global discourse on localisation in the light of #GrandBargain and how it is impacting the aid sector in India.
The paper analyses fundraising practice of western NGOs registered in India, which is further contributing in marginalisation of Indian CSOs. The paper can be accessed here.
A Discussion Night in the Hague
In the month of October 2017, HAI had participated in a panel discussion in The Hague, organised by Oxfam Novib and Dutch Knowledge Platform. The discussion was focused on the localisation process in the light of Grand Bargain and Charter for Change commitments.
A brief report could be read here:
Western NGO affiliates raise millions of dollars in India, sidelining local NGOs
A Nordic journal Development Today, interviewed HAI CEO Sudhanshu S. Singh on fundraising pattern in India. Singh is quite vocal against the fundraising pattern of western NGOs in the growing economies of global South. This practice not only defeats the localisation process, but also further marginalises local and national actors and their response capacity.
The interviewed can be accessed here.
Local aid groups are key to Disaster Relief. So Why are they overlooked?
Local and national actors are often the first responders to disasters. Yet they come to disadvantageous situation when it comes to accessing funds. They are often used as ‘cheap implementer’ by the international actors, who neither given they due overhead cost, nor due visibility in their media publication. The same was experienced during flood response in South Asia in 2017.
One of the eight points of Charter for Change makes it necessary for the signatories to give due visibility to their partners in media publications. However, that was overlooked. HAI took it up with international media, and thankfully it caught attention of NPR, which not only interviewed HAI but other Southern actors too on recommendations of HAI. The full report, containing the interviews, could be read here.