Mapping Local Capacities and Support for More Effective Humanitarian Responses

The capacities of local actors and resources that flow to crisis-affected people are not consistently recognised or monitored. Current means of assessment are too narrow to capture all the existing local capacities that could be harnessed in a crisis. Systems that track financial and other resources are primarily restricted to the contributions of Development Assistance Committee (DAC) donors to the largest international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and UN agencies, and coordination structures still comprise and are governed by international organisations in many responses. These practices mean the value, capacities and key role of local and national actors remain unrecognised by the international humanitarian system. As well as this resulting in a duplication of effort, it perpetuates traditional divisions between ‘international’ and ‘local’ aid givers that,  This  policy brief collates key findings from a two-year research programme on local responses to crises, specifically focusing on alternative sources of financing beyond international assistance (with case studies from Nepal, Iraq and Uganda), and capacity and complementarity (with case studies from the DRC and Bangladesh).