Local and National Actors Speak Out on the Future of the Humanitarian System

In March 2025, at the request of Tom Fletcher, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, the Humanitarian Reset process was set up with various workstreams, including one tasked to propose transformational recommendations to simplify and streamline the clusters. The cluster simplification workstream sought the opinions of local and national actors and they; responded clearly and boldly. A total of 1,046 local humanitarian actor representatives, including 22 government representatives from 18 countries, invested more than 1,000 hours.

Local and national actors need to be heard, and their perspectives should be used to inform the decision-making across the reform process so that local voices inform the changes to the humanitarian system for truly more people-centred and locally-led humanitarian action. Localisation does not and should not happen in the absence of local voices. Read this report to hear the transformational ideas local and national actors have proposed for the Humanitarian Reset. As one survey respondent put it, “Inclusion by design, not as an afterthought”.