Paper details

Paper authors	Bonaventure Gbetoho Sokpoh
In panel on	Humanitarian standards as the leveller in humanitarian politics
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

Local leadership in humanitarian and development action is, fortunately getting a growing attention at different levels. It is part of one of the two enabling priorities of Grand Bargain 2.0 and international actors have committed to it (example of Charter for Change signatories).
However, the power imbalance is still a persisting problem in the humanitarian and development sector with international agencies at the centre of power, while national and local actors that are in the forefront of delivery, find themselves relegated to the margins. The challenges of national organisations securing core funding to enable them to invest in their quality and accountability systems further reinforce the inequalities in the sector. Capacities of national actors often remain unrecognised, and they are continuously suffering from a lack of trust. Is there a role for international standards?
In the few past years, especially during the Covid-19 response, the growing application of standards in locally-led responses is being observed. For example, as one common standard, regardless of size or geography, the application of the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS) demonstrates organisational performance and drives improvements for all organisations, irrespective of size or geographic location.
The discussion will focus on lessons from the application of the CHS by national organisations, the ways this application is building trust, and concrete actions to better recognise and support local leadership.

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