‘All Eyes Are on Local Actors’: Covid-19 and Local Humanitarian Action

Author(s)
Barbelet, V. ,  Bryant, J.  &   Willitts-King, B.
Publication language
English
Pages
12pp
Date published
01 Jul 2020
Type
Research, reports and studies
Keywords
Capacity development, Local capacity, Partnerships, COVID-19, Epidemics & pandemics, humanitarian action, NGOs
Organisations
ODI

The ongoing global pandemic of Covid-19 has caused a substantial shock across the humanitarian sector. Travel and access restrictions meaning that international staff and initiatives cannot be deployed have led to a renewed focus on the role of local humanitarian actors. Will this attention ultimately lead to a fundamental change in the humanitarian system? Will Covid-19 provide the opportunity to shift towards more local humanitarian action?

This briefing note considers the early implications of Covid-19 for driving systemic change towards more local humanitarian action and leadership, and more complementarity between international and local actors.

Authors: 
Barbelet, V. ,  Bryant, J.  &   Willitts-King, B.