Humanitarian actors demand localisation of aid in BD

Humanitarian actors at an international seminar on Tuesday urged effective implementation of the Grand Bargain commitments in Bangladesh, emphasising localisation of aid, quality funding to local and national actors, and accountability to affected populations.

The Grand Bargain, adopted at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016 and signed by around 70 parties including donor countries, UN agencies and INGOs, seeks to advance humanitarian action globally.

The international seminar titled "Accelerating Grand Bargain 3.0 for Advancing Humanitarian Action in Bangladesh" was held at a city hotel in Gulshan on Tuesday questioned the practice of some INGO branches registering locally and presenting themselves as local NGOs, saying it undermines the spirit of the localization agenda.

The event was jointly organized by COAST Foundation, BDCSO Process and Cox's Bazar CSO-NGO Forum, and was moderated by Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Executive Director of COAST Foundation. The keynote presentation was delivered by Md. Iqbal Uddin of COAST Foundation, according to a press release.

Distinguished speakers included Matilda Svensson, First Secretary at the Embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh; Shaheen Anam from MJF; Bjorn Hofmann, Senior Advisor of the Grand Bargain Secretariat in Switzerland; Gawhar Nayeem Wahra from Disaster Forum; Sudhanshu S. Singh from Humanitarian Aid International, India; Abdul Awal from NRDS; Sharif Jamil from Waterkeepers; Nuzhat Jabin from Christian Aid; Jasim Uddin from ADAB; Nasir Uddin from IRB; Mehedi Hasan Shishir from IFRC; and Dulon Joseph Gomes from World Vision.