Researching local humanitarian action through partnerships with local actors

The Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) 2017–2019 Integrated Programme seeks to understand the complexities and dynamics of humanitarian action ‘from the ground up’, an initiative tied to a pivot in the humanitarian community towards ‘localisation’ in humanitarian action and intervention. There have been calls in recent years to re-evaluate the links between international, national and local humanitarian assistance, and the role of affected communities in designing and leading aid efforts. HPG’s research agenda has endeavoured to investigate approaches to, and the challenges of, such efforts.

This briefing note is part of a process of reflection on HPG’s partnerships with local actors. It assesses how possible it is to co-create research projects with them in a process involving not only researchers on the ground but also local policy and think tank organisations and existing community support initiatives. It is the second paper in a series that synthesises findings from HPG’s localised humanitarianism research and carries on where the first briefing note left off in discussing how relationships with local actors can develop, and how the parties involved have navigated the partnerships. Built on the observations of HPG researchers and the local partners they work with, the paper concludes with a series of reflections on partnering with local institutions.