Why Trust, Accountability and Localisation matter more than ever?

This is the first entry in this new space — a platform created to share knowledge and build connections among colleagues across the humanitarian and development sectors who are looking for practical and alternative ways to continue contributing, even as funding and operational space become more constrained.

The aim of this platform is to share experience — both my own and that of practitioners around the world who work every day to strengthen resilience, improve living conditions, and foster understanding and peace within their communities. It is intended as a space for thoughtful reflection and practical learning: a place to explore real experiences, review tools and approaches, and highlight voices from the field that are developing culturally grounded, sustainable, and people-centred ways of advancing humanitarian and development work.

I would like to begin with a broader reflection on the challenges currently facing both humanitarian and development organisations.

At this critical moment, humanitarian and development sectors are being asked to move beyond commitments and statements, and to engage more honestly with what change really requires. The localisation agenda, in particular, calls for deeper examination — not only in terms of how programmes are delivered, but also how organisations are structured, how decisions are made, and how power and resources are shared.

Much of the recent discussion has focused on shrinking public funding. While this concern is real and immediate, there has been less collective reflection on why funding reductions are having such a strong operational impact. At its heart, localisation calls for the meaningful transfer of both capacity and resources to local actors. This is not simply about partnership language — it requires sustained investment in local leadership, long-term capacity strengthening, and genuine transfer of knowledge, tools, and technology.

Despite years of commitments, progress has been uneven. In many contexts, we are seeing a growing trust gap, with communities becoming more sceptical of international humanitarian and development actors. This erosion of trust is being accelerated by the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and harmful speech — dynamics that affect perception, acceptance, and cooperation. Sector responses have often been fragmented, and coordinated strategies to rebuild credibility are still emerging.

At the same time, multiple overlapping crises and a continued project-based mindset have made it harder to maintain long-term vision and continuity. Efforts to place communities at the centre of programming — although widely endorsed — have not always been implemented with the depth, consistency, and follow-through required to produce lasting change. Good intentions alone are not enough to build trust.

Rebuilding and sustaining trust must therefore become a central priority. This goes beyond consultation — it means co-creating direction and solutions with communities and local actors. It means treating participation as an ongoing relationship rather than a procedural step. It requires listening carefully, investing responsibly, and adapting approaches based on feedback and evidence. Our relevance and legitimacy depend on our ability to work in genuine partnership with those closest to the realities we seek to address.

The path ahead is not simple, but it is necessary. Remaining effective, relevant and accountable will require organisations to examine and adapt their internal systems, assumptions, and power dynamics — so that localisation becomes not just a policy objective, but an operational reality.

Our responsibility also goes beyond diversifying funding sources. Sustainable impact under a localisation approach depends on strengthening local capacity and ownership, rather than maintaining long-term dependence on international funding flows.

Looking ahead, the coming decade is likely to bring increased polarisation and social fragmentation. Isolationist policies and the marginalisation of vulnerable groups may further constrain humanitarian and development efforts. A consistent commitment to inclusion, accountability, and localisation can help counter these trends and protect the integrity of the humanitarian and development work.

Inside the Feedback Loop is intended as a practical contribution to this effort — a space where podcasts, case studies, tools, reflections, and lessons learned are shared openly, and where practice continues to inform progress.

This space is intended to grow through shared learning and exchange. If these reflections and resources are useful to your work, I invite you to follow the platform, share it with colleagues, and engage with the content. Strengthening accountability and community-centred practice is a collective effort, and your experiences, questions, and insights are an important part of keeping the feedback loop active and meaningful. Together, we can continue turning reflection into better practice.