The Grand Bargain: Perspectives from the field

The Grand Bargain struck by more than 30 humanitarian donors and aid agencies at the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit set out to reform the aid system so it is better prepared for tackling the emergency needs of people affected by crises worldwide.1 Since then, Ground Truth Solutions and the OECD, with support from the German Federal Foreign Office, have endeavoured to set a baseline for tracking the impact of the Grand Bargain at the country level through the experience of affected people and aid providers. This briefing note summarises the main findings from surveys we conducted in late 2016 and 2017 in Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti, Lebanon, Somalia, and northern Uganda. In each country, three distinct surveys were carried out to gather views of affected people, field staff of aid agencies, and local partners of international organisations. The resulting research complements the Grand Bargain Annual Report and other monitoring initiatives by providing an in-depth analysis of key actors’ views on Grand Bargain commitments towards localisation, cash-based programming, the participation revolution, and the transition to self-reliance.