An Agenda for a Dignified and Sustainable Rohingya Refugee Response in Bangladesh 5.1 Introduction Localisation can be broadly understood as a process ensuring that humanitarian preparedness and response capacity sits with those nearest to the crisis affected-populations as they are best placed to respond quickly and appropriately – and stay longest. 237 However, the concept of ‘local’ is not homogenous and remains a contested idea. While localisation debates were ongoing for many years, it garnered international attention at the World Humanitarian Summit (2016). It has since triggered a series of initiatives aimed at localisation such as the Grand Bargain238 (localisation workstream seeking to engage and enhance partnerships with local and national partners) and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) 239which emphasised the role of ‘multi-stakeholder and partnership approach’ and mentions ‘local actors. Seven dimensions of localisation have been identified- funding, partnerships, capacity, participation, coordination, visibility and policy.240 Bangladesh has proven expertise of many years in disaster preparedness and response. In recent years, localisation projects such as Shifting the Power241 and Start Fund242 supported by donors such as DFID and ECHO supported local and national actors to improve disaster preparedness and response in Bangladesh.243 A UN study of localisation in Bangladesh’s flood response (2019)244 generated strong evidence of national leadership but limited evidence of adequate funding and technical capacity of national and local civil society partners as well as equitable partnerships between international, national and local actors. Challenges were also noted with regard to local communities influencing policies as well as community participation and decision-making. 237 K. Van Brabant & S. Patel, Seven Dimensions of Localisation-Emerging Indicators and Practical Recommendations, Global Mentoring Initiative (GMI), p.3, available at https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Localisation-In-PracticeFull-Report-v4.pdf 238 IASC, More support and funding tools for local and national responders, available at https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/more-support-and-funding-tools-for-local-and-national-responders 239 UNHCR, The Global Compact on Refugees, available at https://www.unhcr.org/the-global-compact-on-refugees.html 240 Van Brabant and Patel, supra n. 238. 241 The Shifting the Power project aimed to strengthen the capacity of local and national organisations so they can play a leading role in decision making during humanitarian crises. The project supported around 50 local and national NGO partners across five countries including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya and Pakistan. The project was implemented between 2014-17 with 11 Bangladeshi NGOs as members and was led by Christian Aid. In addition to building capacity of partner agency staff, community members and youth volunteers, the project also led to the creation of in terms of a National Alliance of Humanitarian Actors, Bangladesh (NAHAB). 242 Start Fund Bangladesh (SFB) is a £10m rapid emergency response fund that was created in 2017 collectively managed by NGOs. It is accessible to local, national, and international member non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Bangladesh to respond to humanitarian emergencies. As of December 2020, there are 20 international NGOs and 27 Bangladeshi (national and local) NGOs who are part of the network. 243 LTWG, Background of Localisation in Humanitarian Response, available at https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/documents/files/background_of_loc alisation.pdf 244 United Nations Bangladesh, Nirapad, HAG, Elevating Evidence: Localisation in the 2019 Bangladesh Flood Response, Baseline Report, April 2020, available at https://humanitarianadvisorygroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ElevatingEvidence_Localisation-in-the-2019-Bangladesh-flood-response_Final_electronic.pdf 54 Act for Peace / May 2021