Snapshots from Bangladesh, Mali and Iraq
"Local partners speak the language, know local customs and are close to the people affected by crisis."
Karamoko Sidibe, Welthungerhilfe Co-Chair, Food Security Cluster Mali
The global Food Security Cluster and its partner Welthungerhilfe have started a joint video project in 2016 with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office. The video will show the importance of partnering in humanitarian crises, how local partners can get involved in Food Security Clusters in countries and how they collaborate in different humanitarian crises and responses. The countries chosen are Bangladesh as an example for a country in South Asia that is prone to natural disasters, Mali as an example for a complex crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Iraq as an example for a complex humanitarian crisis in the Middle East Region. These countries showcase three diverse cultural and humanitarian contexts and present various coordination solutions in both sudden-onset disasters and protracted crises. The focus of the video is put on the added value and advantage of coordinating and partnering with local actors.
The protagonists in the video are local actors in the South, who share their perspectives and opinions on:
- Why is coordination important?
- How can local partners support to strengthen coordination and response?
- What advantage do local actors have in comparison to international actors?
This video project tells the story about the important role local actors play in humanitarian response. They are first responders to disasters and outbreak of violence as they provide humanitarian assistance that is not only timely, but also highly relevant to the priorities and needs of the affected women, girls, men and boys. After the crisis, when international organisations have already moved to the next crisis, local partner organisations remain in the country. Preparedness and resilience-building play an important role in partnership and coordination and local NGOs are one of the main elements to it. Capacitating local structures and civil societies to become competent first responders is therefore crucial. But a lot of work still remains to be done to get the maximum benefit out of the collaboration with local actors in the country clusters. Learning from each other and sharing knowledge through collaboration and coordination can help to reach this objective.
The gFSC/Welthungerhilfe videos will be available in June 2017. They will be used as a tool to raise awareness, create dialogue and strengthen participation of local actors in country clusters. For more inofrmation, see also key messages from Bangladesh and Mali
gFS is partnering with
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