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VOICE (Voluntary Organisations in Cooperation in Emergencies) is pleased to present to you its latest newsletter on the role of local actors in humanitarian aid.
VOICE Out Loud no. 18 – Whose emergency is it anyway? The role of local actors
Combining the contextualised knowledge and experience of the local partner with the humanitarian expertise of international agencies can substantially improve the effectiveness of humanitarian aid and contribute to building local skills and capacity. Achieving this however may not be as easy as it sounds.
In this issue, VOICE members reflect on the benefits of working with local partners, and who ‘the local partners’ are for them. Throughout the newsletter, it becomes clear that building a partnership takes time and that relationships change and grow over time. Given that the first response to disasters is carried out by people and organisations already present on the ground, supporting local actors to be prepared for disasters is key, but direct financing to local actors is difficult for many donors.
However, working with local partners is not always straightforward. For example, their capacity to handle large amounts of funding may be limited, and donor requirements can be difficult for partners to adhere to. The need for quick results in humanitarian aid- with the aim of saving lives- may not leave room for the long-term approach solid partnerships require, but rather demands a strong instant capacity to change the mode of working, including by respecting the humanitarian principles.
In the ‘View on the EU section’, we are proud to present an interview with Rosita Šoryte, who is currently chairing the Council Working Party on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid on behalf of the Lithuanian presidency.
The ‘Field Focus’ looks at the forgotten crisis in the Central African Republic, fully backing a recent call to action for CAR by European Commissioner Georgieva.
To consult the online copy of VOICE Out Loud no.18, as well as all the previous thematic issues please click here.
