LOCAL joins the Grand Bargain as a Signatory

Official Statement by LOCAL

Why LOCAL decided to join the Grand Bargain and our plans
The Local Organisations Coalition for Advancing Localisation (LOCAL) is a participatory caucus of humanitarian organisations in India established by Humanitarian Aid International (HAI). Comprised of grassroots level and frontline LNGOs, LOCAL works towards leveraging Indigenous knowledge of humanitarian action locally by institutionalising equitable resource sharing, localised capacity strengthening and addressing aid colonisation and coloniality. LOCAL, through its founding organisation HAI, has been a part and advocate of the Grand Bargain commitments since its inception in 2016 and continues to vocalise the global responsibilities of equitable aid delivery focused on equitable partnership and the dignity of the affected population and the frontline workers around the globe. Our engagement started by being part of the Localisation Marker Working Group (LMWG) which came up with the IASC Definitions Paper and continued by being part of different workstreams. We also tried influencing the GB 2.0 and 3.0 processes through our advocacy papers, reflecting the aspirations of LNGOs.

Based on our engagement with the process, we understand the urgency among existing signatories, particularly among donors to fast-track delivery of the commitments. As a group of LNGOs, we are committed to extending necessary support to address barriers for donors and intermediaries. We are also committed to demonstrating a country-level example of localisation and locally-led development, which can influence processes in other countries of the Global South. An open letter was sent to the signatories a few months back in this regard. We firmly believe that national-level data reporting is essential for better tracking of localisation progress at the country level. Given that, we have launched a national-level dashboard, ‘Dashboard for Aid Transparency and Accountability (DATA) to complement the global data published at IATI and FTS. While the localisation process aims at strengthening local response mechanisms, we are also looking at their institutional sustainability by addressing their limitations to attract and retain competent human resources and ensure their well-being through better compensation and social security. A Global Study on the Status of Humanitarian Frontline Workers has been commissioned by us to collect evidence and build advocacy messages accordingly.

LOCAL will bring local voices to the important platform of the Grand Bargain, and showcase the nexus approach for localisation and locally-led development.