Addressing barriers to local actors in NGO security coordination

The humanitarian sector is entering a period of profound transition. As the Humanitarian Reset unfolds, long-standing questions take on renewed urgency: will this moment advance the ambitions of the Grand Bargain and the Charter for Change, and can the system move toward greater equity without deepening risks for aid workers, particularly those from crisis-affected countries?

This online session is designed as a discussion rather than a series of presentations, bringing together diverse perspectives on power, voice, and participation in humanitarian coordination. It aims to create a thoughtful and candid exchange on how coordination spaces function in practice, whose expertise is recognised, and how these mechanisms can become more inclusive and equitable in times of shrinking budgets and institutional restructuring.

The conversation will draw on findings from a recent multi-country research initiative examining persistent disparities between international and local/national NGOs (L/NNGOs) in humanitarian security coordination, particularly in conflict-affected contexts. The research highlights how limited access to key decision-making spaces can constrain L/NNGOs’ ability to shape humanitarian access strategies and safeguard their staff and volunteers, and it offers practical recommendations for transforming coordination structures into more inclusive and effective systems. Developed through a mixed-methods and collaborative design with L/NNGOs, INGOs, and academics, the study centres the experience and expertise of local actors.

Building on these findings and the lived experience of panelists, the session will explore pathways toward systemic change, moving beyond tokenistic participation to operationalise the equal role of local humanitarian responders in shaping access, security, and protection outcomes.

The session has previously been hosted at the Humanitarian Network and Partnerships Week.

To be announced

Please register via kuno@kuno-platform.nl

The session is organised in collaboration with INSO.

 – Picture INSO –