Humanitarian actors at COP29 have called for the effective implementation of the 'Grand Bargain' commitments at the country level.
To ensure effective implementation at the country level, humanitarian actors have stressed the need for a coordinated plan involving UN agencies, INGOs, and local humanitarian actors during a webinar titled “Reflections from the Field: Accelerating Grand Bargain 3.0," on Thursday.
COAST Foundation, BDCSO Process, and Cox’s Bazar CSO-NGO Forum jointly organised the webinar.
The Grand Bargain commitment, adopted at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016, has been signed by around 68 UN agencies and international NGOs (INGOs). The commitments are aligned with 51 indicators focusing on localization, accountability to affected populations, and aid transparency.
The keynote presentation was delivered by Md. Iqbal Uddin of COAST Foundation, with the webinar moderated by Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Executive Director of COAST Foundation.
Among the participants were Matilda Svensson, First Secretary at the Embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh; Elise Baudot, Head of Humanitarian Financing at ICVA in Switzerland; Bjorn Hofmann, Senior Advisor to the Grand Bargain Secretariat in Switzerland; Sajid Raihan, Country Manager of Start Fund Bangladesh; Yumna Hasany from Community World Service Asia; Sudhansu S. Singh from Humanitarian Aid International in India; Josephine Alabi from Keen and Care Initiative in Nigeria; Reefat Bin Sattar from Save the Children in Bangladesh; and Win Tun Kyi, representing the National Reference Group from Myanmar.
In his keynote, Md. Iqbal Uddin emphasized that the Grand Bargain 3.0 implementation will conclude in 2026, requiring donors and aid organizations to allocate 25% of direct funding to local responders with accountability, supporting their leadership and capacity.
Elise Baudot highlighted ICVA’s role in fostering dialogue on quality partnerships and promoting direct funding to empower local actors as key agents of change in humanitarian responses.
Bjoern Hofmann shared that the Grand Bargain Secretariat is collaborating with ambassadors in Geneva to advance National Reference Groups, gathering feedback from local actors.
Matilda Svensson reaffirmed Sweden’s commitment to localization, stressing the importance of quality funding, equitable partnerships, and local leadership.
Sajid Raihan called for co-creation in organizational development and risk-sharing, countering misconceptions about local organizations' governance.
Yumna Hasany questioned the current narrative around capacity building, advocating for mutual respect and a unified definition of localization.
Sudhansu S. Singh pointed out that while 4.5% of funding reaches certain foundations, only 0.6% is directly allocated to local actors, urging greater support for local actors' knowledge and expertise.
Josephine Alabi stressed the importance of swiftly implementing commitments and cautioned against equating the registration of INGOs with that of local NGOs.