Working with local actors: MSF's approach

Author(s)
Healy, S., Aneja, U., DuBois, M., Harvey, P. and Poole, L.
Pages
1 pp
Date published
28 Nov 2019
Type
Blogs
Keywords
Local capacity, Partnerships, National & regional actors
Organisations
Humanitarian Practice Network (HPN)
Link
https://odihpn.org/blog/working-with-local-actors-msf/

To look in more detail at MSF’s approach to local collaboration, OCA reviewed five cases:

  1. Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, where MSF worked with local authorities and local non-government actors to respond to the mass influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
  2. Sulaymaniyah in Iraq, where MSF worked with the Sulaymaniyah Emergency Hospital to reduce mortality in the emergency room and intensive care unit in an area affected by conflict and displacement.
  3. Niger and Zamfara states in Nigeria, where MSF worked with national and local government authorities and communities, technical experts and INGOs and their partners to treat victims of lead poisoning from mining.
  4. Deraa in Syria, where MSF remotely supported four hospitals in opposition-controlled areas to provide trauma surgery and other medical services.
  5. Sanliurfa in Turkey, where MSF worked with four local and national NGOs to provide healthcare to Syrian refugees.

In each case, MSF’s attitude towards local actors varied, but was mostly pragmatic and focused on short-term effectiveness, rather than being based on values or longer-term strategic goals.