Since the global effects of COVID-19 became apparent, the question at the forefront of my mind has been will this crisis finally convince the aid sector that locally led development is vital? And will those of us working in this sector support the shift to greater local ownership in an equitable way? And what would that look like?
Equity in this context refers to a rebalancing of the power dynamic between the global South and North through reformed policies, a fairer distribution of global resources, and the creation of more equitable partnerships. This includes shifting power to the local level, recognising the power and agency of people in their own contexts.
Voice and Funding: How COVID-19 is exacerbating inequities
There are many examples of inequity in the international development system. While COVID-19 has amplified many of these inequities, to my mind there are two dimensions that have the potential to most affect the aid sector’s response to COVID-19:
1) Whose voices are listened to and valued? and 2) who is funded (before and since COVID-19)?
On voice, Southern actors have long called for their knowledge and experiences to be valued equally to those of Northern individuals and organisations operating in the global South. We have not seen great change in voice even amidst the global pandemic, with Southern organisations raising concerns that they do not have a seat at the table when it comes to discussing COVID-19 risk mitigation.
On funding, we know that despite the Grand Bargain’s 2020 target of providing 25% of humanitarian funding “as directly as possible” to local and national actors, the figure only sits at 3.1%. COVID-19 has raised the volume on Southern organizations calling for direct funding to the local level, especially as international actors have pulled out of many countries due to the pandemic.
This blog is part of CDA’s From Where I Stand series, designed to listen to people most affected by aid as they explore and amplify their leadership experiences, stories, and lessons for the aid sector.
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