Supporting Reform

We support efforts to make humanitarian aid more effective, accountable and locally-led. To best accompany reform processes and foster change, we unpack the underlying questions of how aid is planned, coordinated and implemented, and identify actors’ roles and interests. Discover some of our key observations from past work:

Donors seek to hold humanitarian agencies accountable through more and more assessments. This comes at a cost: High demands for documentation and limiting risk taking on the side of agencies.

Independent Review of Individual Donor Assessments in Humanitarian Operations

A dedicated secretariat is a key component that makes an international partnership thrive — and it does not have to be big.

2023 Stocktake for the Risk-Informed Early Action Partnership

Cut the coordination clutter: Duplicative and complex structures reduce the set-up’s overall effectiveness.

Evaluation: The International Response to the Humanitarian Crisis in Somalia

Harmonized humanitarian reporting is not just about easing administrative burdens for the sake of it. It is a prerequisite for a greater localization.

Harmonizing Reporting Pilot: Final Review

The main driver behind the Grand Bargain’s progress is its unique design which has brought donors and aid organizations together.

Independent Grand Bargain Report

A significant increase in direct funding to local and national responders will likely remain a distant goal.

Independent Grand Bargain Report

Those with the greatest power over reforms are often not those with the strongest interest in their success.

Drivers and Inhibitors of Change in the Humanitarian System