Localisation in Humanitarian Aid: What Has Changed Since the World Humanitarian Summit?

Ten years after the landmark 2016 summit, Mildmay UK reflects on progress towards locally led humanitarian work (localisation) and what still needs to change.

At Mildmay UK, we work in partnership with local organisations to deliver sustainable, community-led healthcare.

But how did this approach become a priority for the international development sector? Ten years after a landmark summit attempted to reshape how aid works globally, our International Programme Funding Manager Charlotte Morgan reflects on what's changed, and what hasn't.

The World Humanitarian Summit, held in Istanbul in May 2016, was the first-ever global summit on humanitarian action, convened by the United Nations under Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. It came at a moment when the humanitarian system was widely seen as overstretched and underfunded, with record levels of displacement, increasingly protracted crises, and a widening gap between needs and available resources.

The Summit's ambition was bold: to reform and strengthen the global humanitarian system so it could respond more effectively, efficiently and sustainably to growing crises.

The Grand Bargain: An ambitious promise

The most concrete outcome of the Summit was the Grand Bargain, a set of commitments between major donors and humanitarian organisations aimed at making aid more transparent, less bureaucratic and more locally driven. Central to this was the promise of 'localisation', a shift towards local organisations leading humanitarian work and a commitment that 25% of humanitarian funding would go as directly as possible to local and national responders by 2020, alongside pledges to simplify reporting requirements and make funding more accessible.

Why progress has stalled

Ten years on, however, many of these ambitions remain unrealised. The 25% target was missed, and funding reaching local actors directly has remained far below that benchmark. Reforms like Grand Bargain 2.0 have kept localisation on the agenda. But progress has been incremental, not transformative.

Donor compliance requirements, accountability checks and complex reporting structures have largely persisted, and in some cases become even more demanding. For government donors in particular, accountability to taxpayers and intricate internal systems make streamlining difficult. Without meaningful changes at this structural level, localisation risks remaining rhetorical.

The challenge has been compounded by reductions in global aid budgets, which have intensified competition across the sector. INGOs and local organisations often find themselves competing for shrinking resources rather than collectively reshaping the funding architecture.

At the same time, a narrative has taken hold that meaningful partnership requires INGOs to 'do themselves out of a job.' While well-intentioned, this framing oversimplifies the ecosystem. Local organisations are pivotal to sustainability and community trust, but INGOs often hold established donor relationships, expertise in navigating compliance systems, and access to advocacy spaces in donor countries. These strengths can be complementary rather than contradictory.

A new role for international organisations

Perhaps the future of localisation lies not in the disappearance of INGOs, but in a clearer redefinition of their role. Instead of direct implementers, they can act as facilitators: coordinating proposal processes, translating donor requirements, supporting compliance and monitoring systems, and advocating within complex funding environments, while local partners lead delivery and long-term engagement with communities.

What this means for Mildmay

At Mildmay, this approach is already in practice. We support local partners to access UK funding, amplify their work to UK audiences, and represent them in advocacy with key stakeholders. We bring expertise in navigating donor compliance and translating complex requirements, while our partners bring irreplaceable knowledge of their communities and long-term presence on the ground.

This isn't about INGOs stepping aside. It's about using our different strengths in service of the same goal: sustainable, community-led healthcare that lasts beyond any single funding cycle.

Charlotte Morgan

Programme Funding Manager