| The Grand Bargain Bimonthly Updates |
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Latest news from the Grand Bargain | April 2024 |
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Dear Grand Bargain Signatories,
Welcome to the April edition of our bi-monthly update. We are pleased to share the latest updates from the Ambassadors, the Facilitation Group, and the Grand Bargain initiatives, with a special focus on localisation, innovative financing, National Reference Groups (NRGs), and the caucus on anticipatory action.
We also take this opportunity to introduce our new Grand Bargain Senior Leader, Ms. Samar Al-Attar. Samar will provide strategic guidance to support the efforts of the Grand Bargain Ambassadors and oversee the Secretariat. Samar brings a wealth of experience to her role, having served in various capacities at the ICRC, the United Nations, and NGOs. As ICRC focal point for the Grand Bargain for the past 4 years, she supported the institution in co-leading the workstream on Enhanced Quality Funding and the risk-sharing initiative. She also represented the Red Cross Red Crescent movement in the Facilitation Group in 2020, and again between 2022 and 2023 during which she participated in the development of the new framework for 2023-2026. We hope you find the updates insightful and informative.
Wishing you a pleasant reading.
The Grand Bargain Secretariat |
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| Latest from the Ambassadors and the Facilitation Group |
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| Ambassadors and the Facilitation Group |
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The Facilitation Group Sherpa (EU/DG ECHO, Germany, OCHA, UNICEF, IFRC, InterAction, and NEAR) and Ambassadors are scheduled to convene virtually on 6 May 2024. The participants will discuss the proposal for the Grand Bargain self-reporting which has been revised based on the comments received by Signatories.
Furthermore, a Facilitation Group Sherpa quarterly meeting with the Ambassadors is planned for 12 June 2024. |
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| If you haven't already read the summary note regarding the Facilitation Group Sherpa meeting with Ambassador Bessler and Ambassador Koehler on 19 March 2024 on the margins of the European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels, which aimed at identifying concrete steps to advance the localisation agenda within the Grand Bargain, click here to read it. |
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| Latest from the Signatories and partners |
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| Latest from the focus areas, caucuses, and other initiatives |
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| Caucus Scaling up on Anticipatory Action |
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| Since its launch in February, the caucus on Scaling up Anticipatory Action has been actively engaged in discussions aimed at defining anticipatory action inclusively and establishing a joint methodology. Consensus has been reached on prioritising tracking methods that emphasise inclusivity, funding clarity, and the utilisation of existing systems. Additionally, the caucus has initiated initial discussions on funding and plans to continue these discussions in the coming weeks. |
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In a commitment to inclusivity, Ambassador Koehler has officially invited members of the external advisory group to join the caucus membership.
We are pleased to share the list of caucus members, which includes: DRC, EU/DG ECHO, FAO, Germany, IFRC, IOM, NEAR, OCHA, Oxfam, Save the Children, Sweden, UK/FCDO, UNFPA, USAID, WFP, World Vision International, ZOA, and Anticipation Hub acting as the expert adviser. The external advisory group will be kept informed and consulted as needed.
Moreover, as part of the Humanitarian Network and Partnership Weeks, there will be a session focused on Anticipatory Action and the Grand Bargain on 7 May 2024, 16:00 17:30 CEST. The session will be held at Salle Nyon, CICG in Geneva, and will also be available online. To register, please click here. |
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| Caucus funding for localisation |
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| On 7 May 2024, 15:00-16:30 CEST, the first virtual learning space event, focusing on funding for localisation, will be co-chaired by Ambassador Bessler and Hibak Kalfan. This event follows a request from Ambassador Bessler, former Grand Bargain EP Jan Egeland, and NEAR Executive Director Hibak Kaflan for updates from the caucus members on the roadmap development toward achieving the 25% localisation target. |
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The event will provide a platform for caucus members to openly share with Signatories their experiences, including successes and challenges encountered in the development of the roadmap toward achieving the 25% funding target for local and national actors. Additionally, a few volunteer Signatories will share their experiences.
The outcome of the event will be a brief summary outlining the identified lessons and next steps. This summary will be shared with Signatories and published on the Grand Bargain website. |
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| Innovative Financing Initiative |
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A Grand Bargain’s strategic dialogue on Innovative Financing led by Ambassador Michael Koehler, and co-organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Economic Forum will take place on 24 June 2024, in the canton of Geneva.
This senior-level dialogue aims to mobilise decision-makers from the humanitarian, development, and financial sectors to scale-up innovative financing. |
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| Participants will have the opportunity to share insights, experiences, and perspectives on the opportunities and challenges inherent to implementing innovative financing mechanisms in fragile contexts and crisis responses. Through open exchanges they will also identify common ambitions and practical strategies for meaningful progress, exploring how to leverage the Grand Bargain platform to achieve these objectives. |
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| National Reference Groups |
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| A workshop event, organised by the National Reference Group (NRG) in Türkiye, is scheduled to be held in Ankara at the end of June, with the presence of Ambassador Bessler. The event will include two main components: one will focus on promoting fair overhead/ICR practices for local and national NGOs, while the other will focus on exchanging with National Reference Groups present and collecting their perspectives to contribute to broader Grand Bargain discussions. Participants will include NRG members, donors, UN agencies, and local NGOs. Organisational support for the event is provided by Development Initiatives, Oxfam, and the NEAR network. |
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| Latest from the Signatories and partners |
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| Latest from the Signatories and partners |
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A4EP briefing paper: Living up to commitments Investing in women-led organisations
The briefing paper by A4EP highlights the ongoing efforts of women-led organisations globally to advocate for peace, women's rights, and justice, emphasising the importance of meaningful engagement of women in decision-making processes. Despite international commitments to support women-led organisations, they remain under-resourced and face backlash for speaking out. The paper calls for actions such as enabling civic space, providing support for women advocates, ensuring transparency in funding, and encouraging solidarity among leaders to address these challenges and advance gender equality.
Click here to read the briefing paper |
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A journey towards effective risk-sharing: Risk-sharing Framework Simulation Outcome Report The Grand Bargain’s Risk-sharing Platform developed the Risk-sharing Framework to address the gap between analysis and delivery, creating a set of foundational principles and guiding questions that organisations may use and adapt to different contexts, working towards risk-sharing outcomes. Grand Bargain 3.0 urged Signatories to use the framework to pursue risk-sharing pilots, noting that this was a cross cutting issue that could help unlock outcomes in the two key focus areas for the Grand Bargain. InterAction, ICRC and the Netherlands MFA, in partnership, sought to develop guidance on how organisations could adopt this approach. Through a tabletop simulation, in which participating organisations could experience what it might look like in a test environment, lessons were identified and proposals for action were developed prior to taking their learning into real-world pilots. Click here to read the report
Click here to read the visual version of the report
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