2023 has been the year of the three Cs — climate, crisis, and community — and a growing realization that we cannot tackle these crises without community leadership. This recognition of the centrality of the community and the local ecosystem was strengthened in 2021 when USAID Administrator Samantha Power committed to providing 25% of USAID funds directly to local organizations and 50% to programs that put communities in the driver’s seat.
Since then we have seen a reinforcement of this intent toward locally led development, or LLD, not just through events and conferences, but through the Donor Statement on Locally Led Development with 20 bilateral government agencies and 15 major foundations as signatories.
Yet, as the U.S. presidential elections loom ahead in 2024, the fate of locally led development seems to hang in balance. If 2023 was the year when the world stated its intent to localize, 2024 will be the year it translates this intent into practice, or not.