You can download the Conference Background Note here.

UPDATE: Conference Background Document in Bahasa.

Conference Background Document in Arabic.

Localisation of aid can be understood as strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the humanitarian ecosystem by increasing international investments in, and respect for, the role of national and local actors (both governmental and non-governmental). Localisation has gained currency and urgency in recent years, especially since the May 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, which saw the launch of the Grand Bargain.

Major donor and international agencies have signed on to this agreement that has called for a series of changes in the working practices of donors and aid organisations, including non-earmarking of grants, multi-year funding, harmonisation of reporting requirements, and improvements in transparency, management costs, and joint needs assessments.

In the past three years, significant efforts have been undertaken at international, regional and local levels by the Grand Bargain signatories to achieve the goal of the Workstream 2: More support and funding tools for local and national responders to realise these commitments. Particular attention has been paid to the themes of capacity strengthening, financing, partnership, and coordination, as well as gender issues. It is important to bring these efforts together to effect even more significant changes at system, strategic and operational levels.

Towards this goal, the Localisation Workstream has initiated a series of regional conferences on the localisation of aid, which will be conducted in Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific regions. They will bring together local and national humanitarian actors, donors and international aid agencies in the region in a dialogue on the opportunities and challenges of localisation, as well as developments in global processes and progress, including the joint initiatives of the Grand Bargain Localisation Workstream.

The conferences aim to contribute to on-going initiatives and plans for individual and collective actions on localisation in the region. This helps to ensure that perspectives from the region help guide planned global guidance products.

We have invited a mix of participants that will include the following group of stakeholders based and or operating in each region:

• Representatives of National and Local Governments, such as National Disaster Management Agencies (NDMAs)
• National and Local NGOs, National Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies, and private sector
• Regional representatives of INGOs, UN agencies, donor agencies

The conferences are being organised by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Government of Switzerland as the co-conveners of the Grand Bargain Localisation Workstream.

Final Programme for the Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Jakarta (Version 26 August 2019)

Final Programme for the Middle East Regional Conference in Amman (Version 24 July 2019)

Final Programme for the Africa Regional Conference in Addis Ababa (Version July 2019).

The Regional Conferences have the following programme structure:

Global Overview Presentations

• Recent developments and discussions at a global level
• Lessons learned from inter-agency country missions
• Research findings on capacity strengthening, financing, partnerships, and coordination

Regional and Country Presentations

• Country localisation case studies
• Regional initiatives

Priorities 2019 – 2020

• Review of guidance notes on capacity strengthening, financing, partnerships, and coordination
• Examining priority issues, opportunities, and challenges
• Developing key objectives and priority initiatives for 2019 – 2020

To ensure a more inclusive process and capitalise on the opportunity provided by the regional conferences, we invite participants to undertake a light pre-conference preparation.

We would like to encourage conference participants to initiate informal pre-conference discussions with other conference participants as well as those who are not attending the conference but have relevant experiences. These discussions will help us get a better sense of issues, debates, and possibilities to inform the Regional Conferences.

For your discussions, please use this discussion guide.

Update: Arabic Version.

Asia Pacific Regional Conference – Jakarta: Download here the Logistics Note for Participants.

Middle East Regional Conference – Amman: Download here the Logistics Note for Participants. Arabic Version.

Africa Regional Conference – Addis Ababa: Download here the Logistics Note for Participants.