Beyond the Buzzword - What It Really Takes to Deliver Locally Led Action?

Locally Led Action (LLA) has become a central commitment across the humanitarian and development system. From Grand Bargain pledges to organisational strategies, there is broad consensus that shifting power, resources, and decision-making closer to affected communities is both necessary and overdue.

A key aspect of Locally Led Action is the establishment of equitable partnerships. Local actors, intermediaries and donors increasingly agree on concepts such as trust, shared ownership, power sharing and long-term engagement (according to OECD Practical Guidelines for Supporting Locally Led Development). However, despite this broad consensus, the practical implementation remains challenging.

Funding structures, compliance requirements, organisational incentives and entrenched power asymmetries continue to shape how partnerships operate in practice. Local actors are often expected to assume increasing responsibilities without equivalent authority, influence or access to resources. Intermediaries face competing accountabilities towards donors and local partners, while donors are required to balance flexibility and trust with accountability towards taxpayers and politicians.

This session therefore moves beyond familiar localisation debates and focuses on a more practical question:

If we know what equitable partnerships should look like, what keeps us from putting these principles into practice?

Drawing on experiences from local actors, intermediaries and funding organisations, the discussion will explore where assumptions, incentives and partnership arrangements have not worked as intended, what lessons emerged, and what concrete shifts are required to strengthen equitable partnerships in practice.

Rather than revisiting familiar debates on localization and partnerships, this session will explore the difficult trade-offs around trust, funding, accountability, risk-sharing and power that continue to hinder equitable partnerships in practice.