“I know many of you share the same desire to see not just a better humanitarian system, but more importantly better outcomes for people who are caught in some of the worst circumstances, merely because they were born in a different place, under different circumstances – not by any choice of their own.  We are no better than them if not for that. If improving our systems and approaches helps us achieve our goals, then let’s start by investing in building trust, doing and delivering what we say, with humility and perseverance, to the very people who deserve that trust – the local populations.”   

Quote of the week, 24 February 2020, Author: Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, Under-Secretary General for Partnerships, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), in her speech to Fordham University

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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 61 signatories (24 Member States, 21 NGOs, 12 UN agencies, two Red Cross movements, and two inter-governmental organisations) are working across nine workstreams to implement the commitments. 

IFRC improving responses through community feedback data

As part of its Grand Bargain commitment and approach to ensure people and communities affected by crises influence humanitarian responses, IFRC has been championing its real-time community feedback mechanism during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They gathered more than half a million individual insights (ranging from feedback, rumours, concerns and misconceptions) from affected people in less than two years – and acted upon them.

Dutch Relief Alliance boosts support for local and national responders

Striving to implement their Grand Bargain commitment to provide more support and funding tools for local and national responders, the Dutch Relief Alliance members assisted local organisations in directly accessing funding for their programmes, and strengthening capacity in DR Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan.

FAO's implementation at country level

The Grand Bargain is delivering positive change at both headquarters and country/field level, which is ultimately benefiting people affected by humanitarian crises. Examples of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) implementing their Grand Bargain commitments at country level in 2018 include a complementary approach that bridges humanitarian and development objectives, shrinking needs and reducing costs by early actions in agriculture, and providing more support to local partners in Afghanistan.

Hover and click anywhere on the map to find out examples of the Grand Bargain implementation. This is not an exhaustive list of examples - for further information, please see the Grand Bargain Annual Independent Report 2019. 

The Grand Bargain Secretariat is supported by the governments of Sweden and the United States, and hosted by the Norwegian Refugee Council/NORCAP.