Consultancy: To document the extent / progress / commitment towards the localisation of the humanitarian response in Zimbabwe from 2019-2020 (Cyclone Idai, 2019/20 Drought Response and the 2020 Covid 19 Response): Trócaire Zimbabwe

Deadline: 22 January 2021

Location: Harare

Background and rationale

National humanitarian actors are instrumental to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and sustainability of humanitarian action and results as they are often in place before, during and after crises and are usually the first to respond when an emergency hits. Recognizing this critical role, international humanitarian actors have committed since the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit Grand Bargain to making principled humanitarian action as local as possible and as international as necessary. The commitment to working in partnership with local organisations is further articulated in the Charter for Change (C4C), an initiative led by both international and national non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to ensure more locally-led humanitarian response.

Localization refers to a stronger role for local responders, increased leadership of local responders (locally-led responses) and increased humanitarian financing as directly as possible to local actors with the purpose to increase the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance.

These global commitments have put localization on the agenda. However, the extent to which these commitments are put into practice varies from country to country and from one humanitarian response to another. Zimbabwe has experienced three serious humanitarian crises over the past 2 years ranging from Cyclone Idai in March 2019, severe drought and resultant food insecurity in 2019/20 and Covid 19 in 2020. All three responses were comprehensively supported with multi-sector funding, coordination and technical support. This research will engage a range of humanitarian stakeholders in Zimbabwe to ascertain the extent to which localisation was put in practice in the course of the 3 humanitarian responses and draw lessons learned and recommendations for future responses.

This research will be led by Trócaire Zimbabwe working closely with CAFOD who are both signatories to the Charter for Change (C4C), Caritas National and Welthungerhilfe (WHH) who are all committed to localisation and to the Grand Bargain. A range of stakeholders will be involved including other INGO actors, Local NGOs, CSOs, Government (National, Provincial, Local), the UN and Donors.