Workshop A: Working with local partners

1. Workshop A:Working with local partners Annual Conference of Humanitarian Aid Partners Brussels, 10-11 December 2009

2. Questions • How to better link up with experience and expertise of local partners? How to avoid a top down approach? • What specific problems for DG ECHO partners and their local partners in the separate phases of humanitarian action (proposal, implementation, closing). • How to come to a clear agreement / MoU between DG ECHO partners and their local partners in spirit of partnership? • Which problems in capacity of DG ECHOpartners and their local partners?

3. How could DG ECHO partners and local partners improve their cooperation in the field? • Funding longer term engagements especially in protracted emergencies/crisis • Longer term approach to train people/resource persons • Deliberately build local agency/community capacity. • Strengthen complementarity of roles- DG ECHO-partner-local partner, especially in hard to reach areas. • Not look at Partnership as subcontracting, should be based on a genuine commitment and a believe in value added. • Understand and deal with different expectations, (e.g. camp in Sri Lanka)

4. How could DG ECHO partners and local partners improve their cooperation in the field? • Alternative Monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the humanitarian work of local partners in hard to reach areas must be sought (e.g. Oxfam’s experiences in Somalia). • Flexibility…to match different country contexts-engage donors more at country level on ways of working around partnerships • Look at capacity beyond Local NGOs to include CBOs, other community structures. • Support field based coordination – promote peer reviews, dialogue for cross agency learning on partnerships. • Deal with challenges of retaining qualified local agencystaff – Salary questions.

5. How could DG ECHO facilitate work with local partners within the applicable and financial framework? Engage in continuous dialogue and learning forums on challenges of working with local partners- generate ideas together on alternative modes of operation. Pay attention for operational challenges faced by partners (local and International) at country level - specific proposal to have an advisor on operational issues in difficult to reach countries. Explore/consider ways to support/fund local agency humanitarian response capacity development. Support alternative ways of field based coordination especially where formal IASC/cluster coordination mechanisms have collapsed/or weakened due to withdrawals of International agencies.

6. How could DG ECHO facilitate work with local partners within the applicable and financial framework? • Continue to support actions that entrench agency impartiality, neutrality and independence of humanitarian action both in practice and in perception- centered on humanitarian needs. • Take challenges presented by difficult contexts such as Afghanistan as opportunities to think more creatively about how aid is delivered. • Financing decisions for protracted crisis like the case in Somalia should take note of humanitarian funding in the context of countries where basis social infrastructure is absent. • Time it takes to consult, approve and communicate eligibility dates still longer than necessary in some cases- perhaps capacity of field officers needs to be boosted to match demands.