Localising Protection? Community-based strategies and leadership in the protection of civilians

Introduction

When violent conflict emerges, it is most often communities themselves who are the first responders to protection needs on the ground. Despite this, protection and humanitarian action are often envisioned as things that are provided externally – and the allocation of resources for these efforts reflects this assumption. In Ukraine, for example, the vast majority of resources dedicated for the humanitarian response are held and implemented by international institutions – despite the vast majority of frontline action for those most in need being carried out by local organisations, volunteers, and communities.

This imbalance has continued despite stated commitments to ‘localisation’ – prioritising recognition, funding, and support of local and national responders. A commitment to 25% of humanitarian funding being directed to local actors by 2020 was included as part of the Grand Bargain, an agreement between some of the largest donors and humanitarian organisations. USAID followed up on this commitment in November 2021, pledging to direct a quarter of its funding directly to local partners by Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, and create space for local actors to exercise leadership over priority setting, activity design, implementation, and defining and measuring results in at least half of USAID programs by 2030. Realising these goals is proving a challenge: in 2020, just 0.5% of tracked humanitarian funding went directly to local and national NGOs. Beyond financial commitments, real changes that shift power over strategy, design, and implementation of aid programming to local communities and civil society have not materialised. Superficial engagement with local actors often leaves power imbalances.