The current international development and humanitarian aid system is ripe for change. In the last few years, movements such as #AidToo and #CharitySoWhite have increased pressure on donors and INGOs to rethink their roles and to shift and share power with organisations and communities in Asia and Africa.
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement further fuelled calls to “decolonise” and “localise” aid, re-energising long-standing critiques of the structural power imbalances within the aid system and re-affirming the essential role of trusted and credible local civil society actors. At the same time, there is a growing consensus that increased equity in aid programmes is not only the right thing to do, but it is also the most effective; when local actors play a central role in shaping and delivering programmes, the outcomes are more durable and effective. Read more