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Yesterday, we participated in the USAID Listening Session, convened by the Society for International Development, United States (SID-US), focused on the #SDGs. It became evident that supporting these #SDGs extends beyond policies; it's about education and effective communication. These SDGs should be practical and accessible to everyone, a mission core to our identity as a development communications firm. Empowering local communities and effectively communicating the SDGs should be part of the progress toward achieving them. USAID outlined four fundamental pillars: Effectiveness, Messaging, Localization, and Innovation. These pillars serve as the cornerstones for overcoming SDG challenges. At Credo Advisory, our mission is clear: demystify the SDGs and champion these goals through communication, driving lasting change. #CredoAdvisory #SDGs #SIDUS #USAID #Localization

USAID's localization approach faces common challenges despite varying local contexts. Drawing from firsthand experience, including managing USAID programs across the Middle East, I offer the following insights. - Funding Concentration: Centralizing funding around capital cities limits USAID aid's broader impact on other governorates. - Vetting vs. Local Engagement: Balancing rigorous vetting requirements with engaging local actors who may lack a traditional track record poses significant challenges. This balance is crucial for building local capacities and ensuring effective aid distribution. - Youth Engagement: Viewing youth not just as aid recipients in MENA but as leaders who define local needs can enhance the relevance and impact of localization initiatives. - Local Staff and Partner Engagement: USAID local staff should proactively engage with unconventional partners to understand their needs firsthand. - Cultural Considerations: The Middle East's oral culture and preference for face-to-face communication suggest that USAID could benefit from more town hall meetings and discussions with non-conventional actors. - Media Outreach: Expanding presence in popular local media can help communicate the positive impacts of USAID's work to a broader audience. - Local Leadership: Encouraging local partners to lead with their ideas can be more effective than imposing externally conceived regulations and top down solutions. - Gender Sensitivity: Engaging and empowering female leaders in traditional cultures is critical. Hiring more local USAID female staff who understand and resonate with the community can improve program design and implementation. #USAID #Localization #AidDistribution #YouthLeadership #CulturalAwareness #GenderEquality #Collaboration #CommunityEmpowerment #MiddleEast

USAID's Localization Progress Report is out. It details a new approach for tracking how programs engage local actors and elevate local leadership.  Read 4️⃣ highlights from the report: https://bit.ly/3P8Ora7 Get further insight into how the local capacity strengthening policy guides USAID investments in strengthening capacity of local partners to better achieve inclusive and locally led development: https://bit.ly/3CIB8FG #localization #education USAID/Kenya

🎊 Dive into the recent Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung - HRNS blog on the Power of Localization! In recent years, the development sector has shifted toward vital localization efforts, fostering collaboration with local structures for inclusivity and resource efficiency. Locally led development, with its focus on ownership, meeting specific needs, and trust building, proves impactful. Locally led development is impactful for three main reasons: 1. Ownership: Empowering people to own their development journey. 2. Specific Needs: Identifying and meeting unique developmental needs. 3. Trust Building: Fostering trust between local and international actors. Organizations, like Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung - HRNS under Michael Opitz, are championing participatory approaches for collaborative improvements, involving local populations in solution-building. In this article, Joanne Sonenshine, Founder and CEO of Connective Impact highlights the role of local actors, emphasizing cost-effective and sustainable practices for economic growth. Beyond the field, TeamUp Uganda's Monica Basemera showcases the impact of connecting local youth with government and private partners, fostering the development of leaders within the community. Read the Full Article: https://lnkd.in/ezhaXDpp #Localization #CommunityDevelopment #Sustainability #InclusiveDevelopment

When implementing “mutuality” in international development, we as implementing partners should strive for equity, not equality, with our host-country counterparts. In the third post of LINC’s #localization series, we share our thoughts and experience in implementing USAID’s Local Capacity Strengthening (LSC) policy principle No. 7: “Practice mutuality with local partners”. We want to know what you think! Please comment below and share your experiences with us. 👇

How to move the localization agenda forward? #Localization is the process of shifting power, funding and decision-making to the local actors who are driving change in their own countries and communities. #Localization recognizes the vital role and comparative advantages of local actors, who often have better access, acceptance, cost-efficiency, and linkages with long-term development. #Localization also aims to increase the participation, ownership, and leadership of local actors in setting their own agendas and developing their own solutions. Some recommendations for moving the #LocalizationAgendaForward are: • Increase the share and quality of funding for local actors, and reduce the barriers and transaction costs for accessing and managing funds. • Strengthen the capacity and resilience of local actors, and support their institutional development and organizational learning. • Improve the partnerships and coordination between local and international actors, and foster mutual trust, respect, and accountability. • Enhance the policy, influence, and visibility of local actors, and support their advocacy and representation in humanitarian and development forums. • Promote the participation and empowerment of affected communities, and ensure that their needs, preferences, and feedback are reflected and addressed in humanitarian and development interventions. Sorouh SSDF Oxfam International Save the Children International Welthungerhilfe (WHH)

What changes can be made at the individual level, Mission level, and beyond, to foster locally led development? Are there specific tools or approaches that can be adopted during the different stages of the program cycle that are best suited to help locally led development flourish?   DevTech has been working with USAID's Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) to capture some of its learnings in #LocallyLedDevelopment with the overall objective of disseminating them throughout the Agency to support its #localization efforts.   The DRG Bureau is uniquely placed to be a leader in these efforts, given that the centrality of individuals’ and communities’ needs to the nature of the work it undertakes makes locally led development inextricably linked to much of its programming.   The USAID DRG locally led development learning products are now available on #DRGLinks. These include project-level case studies that highlight exceptional examples of locally led development and the tools that enabled them, as well as learning products that highlight how various DRG subsectors' have shifted their approach to programming over time to better enable locally led development.

Amid talk of localization of aid, the imperative of reaching communities that are hardly reached is more salient than ever, argue Ricardo Morales Chaires and The Reach Alliance’s Shahd Fares, Angela Min Yi Hou & Marisa Sofia Terán, as they outline a road map for localization in last-mile settings. #opinion #localization #lastmile #roadmap

How can donors support local organisations to gain more voice and visibility within the development systems and processes? 1. Increasing the levels of global funding that are allocated directly to the local organisations. 2. Investing in the local partners' capacities by amplifying their ambitions so that they can be more effective in their service to the communities they work with. 3. Fostering quality relationships that have more open and honest dialogues. 4. Amplify the voice of the local organisations and communities in the humanitarian structures and processes for them to own and lead their change. #ShiftThePower #MeaningfulPartnerships #Localisation 

Insightful blog by my colleague Juliana Steele, after recent meetings in #Juba with local leaders managing a grantmaking fund they founded, funded by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and Save the Children. Reflections on the role of INGOs committed to localizing: - INGOs can be connective tissue in fragile environments. - INGOs can maintain the visibility of a crisis.  - INGOs can support localization without setting or controlling the agenda. - INGOs can champion and support “localization within localization.” #localization #locallyled #southsudan #LRPF Read more at: https://lnkd.in/ehH4xn2A