Our sector cannot meaningfully meet its commitment to refugee leadership and localization unless we unpack and address the power dynamics that permit international actors to dictate the rules of the game. Addressing these power dynamics is a complex endeavour articulated well by those who advocate for shifting power within the humanitarian and development sectors. We are committed to this movement and we seek to support it however we can.
Within this paper, we focus on one aspect of addressing structural racism and bias: equitable partnerships. Through equitable partnerships, we can all, through our individual and collective engagements, begin to shift power to local partners, including RLOs, supporting the refugee leadership and localisation agendas
Focusing on equitable partnerships is a natural first step to creating change within our sector because we can begin this change right away after all many of us are already engaging in partnerships with local organisations, including RLOSs. Some collaborate to implement projects, to deploy "capacity-building" programs, to collect input, to carry out advocacy agendas and more. If we approach such partnership with an equity mindset, we will see immediate benefits for refugee communities, including:
Overall, we believe that equitable partnerships will contribute to the broader movements towards shifting power and resources specifically within the forced displacement sector
Full report here.
Report by Asylum Access