26 - The ethics of localisation: Part 1

Since the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, localisation, in the form of engaging or empowering local responders to deliver humanitarian assistance, has been firmly on the agenda. To gain a better understanding of the challenges and ethics of localisation, this discussion explores the dynamics that unfold between local and international actors of humanitarian response. Can humanitarian action remain impartial and neutral when it is localised? Is localisation primarily a moral issue or a political or economic one? How ethically do international donor governments and international humanitarian organisations behave in their relationships with local partner organisations and communities? Held in September 2023, this is the first in a two-part series on this topic. The speakers involved in the discussion are Kristina Roepstorff (Peace Research Institute Oslo, PRIO), John Ede (Ohaha Family Foundation), Sulagna Maitra (University College Dublin) and Ed Schenkenberg (HERE-Geneva). The roundtable was organised by Kristoffer Lidén (PRIO) and Dennis Dijkzeul (Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict, IFHV). This discussion is part of a series on the ethics of humanitarian action initiated by PRIO and the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies in collaboration with IFHV and the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict. It relates to the project Red Lines and Grey Zones: Exploring the Ethics of Humanitarian Negotiations, led by Kristoffer Lidén at PRIO.