In this Humanitarian Governance webinar, Juel Helge Rye (Assistant Professor at University of South-Eastern Norway), will discuss the relations between international and local leadership in Humanitarian Organizations.
Juel Helge Rye will present his research into the Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) ‘Field Recentralisation’ initiative, which aims to decentralize decision making from headquarters in Europe to field offices in Southern African countries. This localization initiative is intended to make MSF’s work more adaptable, flexible and innovative, as well as moving decision making closer to affected people.
In his longitudinal qualitative case study research, Rye interviewed various humanitarian practitioners at the field, regional and HQ levels. His preliminary findings suggest that the Field Recentralisation initiative has, in some cases, demonstrated great success in increasing autonomy of the field projects, improving operational flexibility and strengthening collaboration with local health partners. In other instances, challenges have emerged from issues with organizational alignment, preparedness and involvement in the implementation.
Rye’s presentation will be followed by a ‘reflection’ from Delu Lusambya MwenebyakeOpens external (HSC-ISS) on the challenges of localizing international aid, drawing on insights from his PhD reserarch into humanitarian accountability. This will be followed by a Q&A.
