‘De-Internationalising' Humanitarian Action: Rethinking the 'Global-Local' Relationship

The topic of enhancing the role of national and local actors in humanitarian response is
increasingly in vogue. Supporting local capacities for disaster risk reduction and
humanitarian response is a key focal issue in the discussions and preparation for both the
Hyogo Framework for Action and the UN World Humanitarian Summit. INGOs have also
increasingly highlighted this issue, on the basis that “Partnerships between international
humanitarian actors (whether donors, UN or aid agencies) and the government and local
and national organisations of affected countries are emerging as a key way to work with
local capacity as part of a coordinated response.”