Based on a literature review and examination of different models of localisation, we have derived six key messages:
power shapes the journey towards localisation;
power also shapes the destination (locally led practice);
resource transfers to Global South actors remain extremely low;
agency and ways of being are neglected;
good models for localisation already exist, including those originating from the Global South;
there is a dearth of data and evidence especially in measuring localisation progress.
This analysis led to four key recommendations:
- Recommendation 1: Learn from, and accelerate, localisation models that already exist – especially from the Global South.
- Recommendation 2: Transfer greater resources, including by tackling root causes of risk aversion and redesigning funding flows.
- Recommendation 3: Reduce encroachment of local actors’ agency and respect their ways of being by rethinking organisational roles, stepping back if appropriate, and shifting mindsets.
- Recommendation 4: Let Global South actors lead the campaign to promote localisation and locally led development.
This policy brief is a summary of the report, Are we there yet? Localisation as the journey towards locally led practice.
