This is the official website of the Grand Bargain, a unique platform bringing together donors and aid organisations who have committed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the humanitarian action, in order to get more means into the hands of people in need.
While the Grand Bargain is a separate and independent process from the IASC, the official website is hosted by the IASC structure, and maintained by the Grand Bargain Secretariat.
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New Year Message from Grand Bargain Ambassadors - 6 January 2025
Facilitation Group Meeting - 5 December 2024
During the meeting, Ambassadors and the Facilitation Group agree on the strategic focus on "accountability".
>> Click here to read the summary note
Monthly Newsletters
Since November 2024, the Grand Bargain Secretariat has discontinued the bi-weekly updates and replaced them with a monthly newsletter.
>> Click here to read all the latest newsletters
Signatories Good Practices and Initiatives
>> Click to read all the good practices and initiatives from Signatories
Grand Bargain Communities of Practice
Discover everything you need to know about the Communities of Practice. >> Click here
National Reference Groups
Discover everything you need to know about the National Reference groups . >> Click here
Updates from the Grand Bargain Caucuses
Caucuses were established to focus on specific strategic issues in an ad hoc manner, with clear objectives and a limited timeframe. >> Click here to read the latest updates from caucuses
Recent news
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LOCAL - Study on the condition of frontline workers -
Guidance note for donors: Promoting inclusive and locally-led action through humanitarian pooled funds (November 2024) -
National Reference Groups -
NRC - Catalogue of quality funding practices to the humanitarian response: 2nd edition -
Cash Coordination Model - Latest update
Upcoming meetings
As part of the preparations for the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in 2016, the High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing sought solutions to close the humanitarian financing gap. Their report made recommendations to shrink the needs, deepen and broaden the resource base for humanitarian action, and to improve delivery. In relation to the latter recommendation, the report suggested “a Grand Bargain between the big donors and humanitarian organisations in humanitarian aid”. The Grand Bargain, launched during the WHS in Istanbul in May 2016, is a unique agreement between some of the largest donors and humanitarian organisations who have committed to get more means into the hands of people in need and to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the humanitarian action. Currently 68 Signatories (25 Member States, 26 NGOs, 12 UN agencies, 2 Red Cross/Red Crescent movements, and 2 inter-governmental organisations) are working across workstreams and caucuses to implement the commitments.
Canada shows it's possible: Systematically providing overhead costs to partners
June 2023
The Grand Bargain emphasises strengthening local and national responders in humanitarian efforts, making actions more local, and supporting overhead costs. Canada demonstrates this by implementing funding guidelines for NGOs, including overhead costs for local partners, and collaborating with donors for an accountable and sustainable response system.
How do humanitarian organisations ensure affected people are part of the decision-making?
February 2023
As part of the Grand Bargain’s commitments, participation is the one, which can shift the power to the communities. In humanitarian operations, the Signatories have been implementing their commitments through different approaches: examples from various actors, such as the UNRWA, International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Food Programme, and the Norwegian Refugee Council have been developing community-driven programmes showing evidence that participation is happening.
The Grand Bargain Secretariat is supported by EU/DG ECHO, Germany/GFFO, Switzerland/SDC and hosted by the Norwegian Refugee Council/NORCAP.
