A vision for people to be meaningfully involved in decisions about their own lives in an emergency feels like a minimum ask. The rousing language of the community participation revolution envisaged by the Grand Bargain offered hope — but the humanitarian sector is a long way from this, and progress on the transfer of power and resources locally has been called “disgraceful.”
Progress toward a participation revolution has so far been at the fringes of the humanitarian sector, rather than disrupting the system, which is a requirement of any revolution.
We need to ask and answer questions about who designs interventions and who is excluded from the process, because this is where critical decisions about how funds are spent are made. It should be the norm for local staff, organizations, and networks to be involved at this stage — but in my experience this remains a blue moon phenomena.
About the author
Meena Bhandari
Meena Bhandari is an independent consultant specializing in community engagement and accountability, and communications. She has worked across Asia and Africa for the United Nations and international NGOs for 20 years.
