Introduction

In crisis situations, local governance plays a crucial role in ensuring effective humanitarian response and recovery. Local governments are often the first responders, and their capacity to act can significantly influence the effectiveness of humanitarian interventions. This 5-day course will provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between humanitarian action and local governance, explore challenges and opportunities for collaboration, and offer practical tools for strengthening local governance in emergency and post-crisis settings. Participants will learn how to engage local governments and communities to ensure a more effective, sustainable, and inclusive humanitarian response.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will:

1. Understand the Role of Local Governance: Grasp the central role of local governance structures in humanitarian action and the unique challenges they face during crises.
2. Identify Key Stakeholders: Learn how to identify and engage with local government entities, community leaders, and civil society to create effective partnerships in crisis response.
3. Strengthen Local Capacities: Develop strategies to enhance the capacity of local governments to manage humanitarian crises, including disaster risk reduction, response coordination, and recovery efforts.
4. Foster Collaboration Between Local Actors and Humanitarian Organizations: Gain tools to strengthen cooperation between local authorities and humanitarian agencies.
5. Promote Inclusivity and Accountability: Learn to design inclusive interventions that ensure local governance processes reflect the needs and rights of vulnerable groups.
6. Design Effective Humanitarian Programs in a Local Governance Context: Understand how to tailor humanitarian programs that respect local governance structures and empower local actors.

Who Should Attend?

This course is ideal for:

• Humanitarian professionals working with local governments or community-based organizations in emergency and recovery settings.
• Local government officials and public administrators involved in disaster management, crisis response, or post-crisis recovery.
• NGO and UN staff working on local governance, community resilience, and capacity building initiatives.
• Community leaders and civil society organizations that partner with local governments in crisis settings.
• Donors and policymakers interested in supporting local governance in humanitarian response and recovery efforts.
• Researchers focused on local governance, disaster management, and humanitarian action.

Course Outline

Day 1: Understanding the Relationship Between Humanitarian Action and Local Governance

• Morning Session: Overview of Local Governance and Humanitarian Action
  • The role of local governments in humanitarian response: Key responsibilities and challenges.
  • The impact of local governance systems on humanitarian effectiveness: From emergency preparedness to recovery.
  • Key principles of local governance: decentralization, participation, and accountability.
  • Case study: Local government response to the Haiti earthquake and the role of local leadership in crisis recovery.
• Afternoon Session: The Humanitarian-Development Nexus
  • The interconnection between humanitarian action and development.
  • The role of resilience-building in local governance: Ensuring sustainable development and disaster risk reduction.
  • Integrating humanitarian response into local development plans.
  • Group discussion: How to balance short-term crisis response with long-term development goals in local governance.

Day 2: Engaging Local Governments in Humanitarian Crisis Response

• Morning Session: Engaging Local Governance Structures in Crisis Management
  • Identifying key local governance stakeholders: Municipalities, local leaders, community councils, and civil society.
  • Building the capacity of local authorities: Emergency response planning, coordination, and resource mobilization.
  • The importance of political will and leadership in driving effective crisis response.
  • Case study: The role of local governance in Ebola response in West Africa.
• Afternoon Session: Coordination Between Humanitarian Organizations and Local Governments
  • Mechanisms for coordinating between local authorities and humanitarian agencies.
  • Strategies for effective information sharing, joint assessments, and resource management.
  • Ensuring community participation in decision-making processes.
  • Group activity: Design a coordinated response framework between local government and humanitarian actors.

Day 3: Strengthening Local Capacities for Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness

• Morning Session: Building Local Resilience
  • Strengthening local disaster risk reduction (DRR) capacities: Identifying risks, reducing vulnerabilities, and enhancing preparedness.
  • Local capacity building: Training local governments and communities to manage disasters independently.
  • Understanding community-based DRR and empowering local actors to take ownership of resilience-building efforts.
  • Case study: Community-driven DRR initiatives in the Philippines.
• Afternoon Session: Strengthening Local Emergency Response Mechanisms
  • Designing early warning systems and crisis preparedness plans for local governments.
  • The role of data and information systems in local crisis management.
  • Ensuring local government participation in national disaster risk reduction strategies.
  • Group discussion: Key strategies for enhancing local government capacities in disaster preparedness.

Day 4: Promoting Inclusivity and Accountability in Local Governance

• Morning Session: Ensuring Inclusive Governance in Humanitarian Settings
  • The importance of ensuring that vulnerable groups (e.g., women, children, minorities, disabled populations) are included in decision-making.
  • Mechanisms for fostering inclusive participation and ensuring equal representation in local governance processes.
  • Strategies to ensure equitable distribution of resources and services during a crisis.
  • Case study: Inclusive response to displacement crises in Colombia.
• Afternoon Session: Accountability and Transparency in Local Governance
  • Ensuring accountability to communities: Monitoring, evaluation, and feedback mechanisms.
  • Strengthening transparency in decision-making and resource allocation.
  • Role of civil society organizations and community oversight in promoting local accountability.
  • Group exercise: Develop an accountability framework for a local government-led humanitarian response.

Day 5: Building Effective Partnerships and Sustaining Local Governance in the Aftermath of Crises

• Morning Session: Building Partnerships with Local Actors
  • Strategies for building long-term partnerships between local governments, humanitarian organizations, and community-based actors.
  • Developing local capacities for long-term recovery and sustainable development.
  • The role of public-private partnerships in post-crisis reconstruction and development.
  • Case study: Partnerships in post-tsunami recovery in Sri Lanka.
• Afternoon Session: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Local Governance in Humanitarian Settings
  • Tools for evaluating the performance of local governance structures during humanitarian interventions.
  • Key indicators for assessing local governance capacity and crisis response effectiveness.
  • Designing evaluation frameworks to track the progress and impact of local government-led initiatives.
  • Final group project: Develop an evaluation framework for assessing local governance in the context of post-crisis recovery.