A call for critical reflection on the localisation agenda in humanitarian action

Roepstorff, Kristina

doi:10.1080/01436597.2019.1644160

Cited by 120 publications

(108 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Much work on localisation of humanitarian action operates with a binary division between the local and the international that is reductive and gives rise to “analytical blind spots” (Roepstorff, 2019). Reflecting on the work of women’s NGOs in Syria, where many Syrian-led organisations must register in other countries in order to operate and often also work in neighbouring countries, Al-Abdeh and Patel (2019) ask a pertinent question:What do we mean (and what do international humanitarian actors and the rest of the international community mean) when we say an organisation is ‘local’?…”

Section: Cross-cutting Challenges In Localisation Of Conflict Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Localisation Across the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus

Barakat

Milton

2020

Journal of Peacebuilding & Development

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Whilst the relation between local and global levels has been a long-standing concern of humanitarian, development, and peace efforts, in recent years the term “localisation” has become a major issue in the humanitarian sector whilst peacebuilding scholarship has taken a “local turn.” This article analyses the concept of localisation across the three parts of the triple nexus—humanitarian, development, and peace. It traces the long-standing concern with the local in each of these domains, considering similarities and differences in their engagement with the local and counter-veiling trends towards universalisation, before proceeding to frame four challenges common to localisation across all forms of conflict response: defining the local, valuing local capacity, maintaining political will, and multi-scalar conflict response.

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Section: Cross-cutting Challenges In Localisation Of Conflict Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Localisation Across the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus

Barakat

Milton

2020

Journal of Peacebuilding & Development

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Section: Literature and Contributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…'Critical localism' emphasises ways that processes of authority and power unfold within local contexts, as well as are shaped by interactions with international actors and stakeholders (Roepstorff, 2020). It can be used to interrogate the ways that the 'local' can be used as a legitimation strategy by international actors -and by local actors themselves as a resource for accessing funding (Roepstorff, 2020). Challenging the 'rediscovery' of the local in peacebuilding as a solution to what they describe as deliberate ' de-localising' under colonialism and development, MacGinty (2015) argues that the 'local' must be decoupled from its twinning with the 'global' and treated as an independent geographical space, in order to recognise the contested and shifting nature of the 'local' as a space of human agency and activity which changes over time.…”

Section: Literature and Contributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Challenging the 'rediscovery' of the local in peacebuilding as a solution to what they describe as deliberate ' de-localising' under colonialism and development, MacGinty (2015) argues that the 'local' must be decoupled from its twinning with the 'global' and treated as an independent geographical space, in order to recognise the contested and shifting nature of the 'local' as a space of human agency and activity which changes over time. Roepstorff (2020) points out that without challenging these underlying assumptions, a move towards 'localisation' is likely to perpetuate exclusionary practices within the humanitarian sector.…”

Section: Literature and Contributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Rhetoric and Reality of Localisation: Refugee-Led Organisations in Humanitarian Governance

Pincock

Betts

Easton‐Calabria

2020

The Journal of Development Studies

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When refugees flee war and persecution, protection and assistance are usually provided by United Nations organisations and their NGO implementing partners. In parallel is a largely neglected story: refugees themselves frequently mobilise to provide protection and assistance to other refugees. At a global level, there has been a shift in international policy rhetoric towards 'localisation' and inclusion of refugees, which potentially provides an opportunity to engage with refugee-led community organisations (RLOs). However, RLOs rarely receive access to international recognition or funding despite often being regarded by refugees as an important source of assistance. In this paper we draw upon ethnographic research on the interactions between international institutions and RLOs in Kampala, Uganda, to explore how 'localisation' unfolds in practice within humanitarian governance. In the absence of a clear policy framework for localisation at the global level, national level representatives have considerable discretion in whether and how they partner with RLOs, leading largely to their exclusion-and the development of alternative support strategies by RLOs. We suggest that an effective localisation agenda will require much more attention to the role of power and interests at the local level if RLOs are to be engaged as meaningful actors in humanitarian assistance.

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“…This research adds new information and makes several significant contributions to the theories and practice of humanitarian action. It has identified an emerging field of research, known as the nexus, which responds to recent calls to find ways to improve the efficiency of humanitarian action by recognising commonalities between various fields (Roepstorff, 2020). The emerging nexus, articulated in the Grand Bargain, asks researchers to find ways to explore where the connections between development, disaster, and peace studies can be capitalised on as a way of rapidly translating theoretical approaches to practice in the field (ICVA, 2017).…”

Section: Contribution To Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Affected-community perceptions of the effectiveness of participatory development in the delivery of humanitarian aid for education in emergencies

Halman¹

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Humanitarian disasters are growing in frequency and are more unpredictable, partially as a result of climate change, with developing countries experiencing greater impacts from natural and humaninduced disasters mainly due to their pre-existing disadvantages. The limited resources for a growing number of humanitarian responses requires a rethink in how to provide aid in a more effective and sustainable manner. Those most affected by the disasters, the primary stakeholders in humanitarian response, are the communities at the front line whose daily lives are impacted, and this includes subgroups within communities who are traditionally relatively more disadvantaged within the same societies and communities. During humanitarian disasters, children are considered one of the most vulnerable groups, experiencing greater impact on social, mental and physical levels. Among others, the earthquakes in Nepal, in 2015, have had an extraordinary effect on the wellbeing of the children in the affected areas, resulting in their over-representation in metrics of loss of life and injury, and disrupting their daily routines such as education. It is estimated that up to 2,000,000 children had their education interrupted as a result of the disaster, requiring a prioritisation of education during disaster response activities. The purpose of this research is to respond to a gap in the literature and theories that support humanitarian action. There have been recent calls, through the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016, and subsequent forums, to capitalise on the historical connections between development, disaster, and peace studies, or what is referred to as the nexus. By drawing on development theories, particularly participatory planning and development, and investigating Nepal's post-Earthquake recovery responses, the thesis attempted to fill the knowledge gap and contribute to the emerging body of evidence that supports the nexus. It sought to gain an understanding of how aid organisations interact with affected communities to achieve quality humanitarian aid outcomes in disaster response. To meet this aim, it asked four main research questions that centre on the role of communities in the education disaster response, and the participatory nature of the relationship between aid organisations and affected communities. A case study approach was used, to explore how aid organisations conducted their humanitarian activities in a developing country context that was marked by a host of challenges, including an ethnically and linguistically diverse population, traditional community power structures, and geological barriers. By focusing on the Sindhupalchowk district of Nepal, which had experienced the greatest impact of the disaster, eight aid workers and 54 participants across six village areas x

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A call for critical reflection on the localisation agenda in humanitarian action

Cited by 120 publications

References 39 publications

Localisation Across the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus

Localisation Across the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus

The Rhetoric and Reality of Localisation: Refugee-Led Organisations in Humanitarian Governance

Affected-community perceptions of the effectiveness of participatory development in the delivery of humanitarian aid for education in emergencies

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