Localization in Humanitarian Settings – An Integrated Approach between Government, Business, and Community

Throughout the world, UNICEF engages closely with government and local authorities for emergency preparedness, disaster risk reduction, and emergency response to ensure a more sustainable model of long-term support. In South Asia, the traditional partner is through Disaster Management Authorities, both at the national and provincial level. UNICEF strives to provide assistance to these authorities in an emergency response through technical support and accompaniment. However, with the increasing frequency and severity of emergencies in the region, further work is required to ensure local resiliency and increased disaster risk reduction efforts to mitigate future impacts.

Motivated by these commitments, this Capstone team has collaborated with the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) to explore opportunities for advancing localization through a three-pillar approach: strengthening inter-governmental networks and local authorities, engaging the private sector as a partner, and enhancing community structures for child-centered and minority-inclusive emergency preparedness and response. Based on field research and stakeholder interviews conducted in the Assam region of India, the report identified best practices for localization and highlights current gaps and limitations in current localization efforts and offers targeted recommendations for addressing these gaps.