A critical gap persists in global development’s ongoing discourse on localization — one that poses a potential showstopper for the entire agenda: The absence of genuine local leadership. This threatens the democratic legitimacy of the process, risks tokenistic tick-boxing, and raises questions about who is truly setting the localization agenda.
Invariably, the agenda-setting power rests with international nongovernmental government organizations and donors. Global events, conferences, and initiatives on localization are predominantly framed and hosted by these agencies.
There is also a risk that a few local organizations become the go-to spokespeople for the “local context” and yet there is no democratic process for these ambassadors. There is no mechanism for them to be representatives of the interests and views of a broader constituency of local civil society organizations.
About the authors
Rita Panicker
Rita Panicker is the founder-director of Butterflies, a nongovernmental organization in New Delhi, India, working to protect and empower street-connected children since 1989. She is also chair of the board of Family for Every Child.
Amanda Griffith
Amanda Griffith is the CEO of Family For Every Child. She has over 40 years’ international experience working for both large and small INGOs, as well as international networks. She has been the CEO of three U.K. charities, as well as significant practitioner expertise with vulnerable children and young people.
