HPG working paper Covid-19: implications for localisation A case study of Afghanistan and Pakistan Zaki Ullah, Saeed Ullah Khan and Eranda Wijewickrama June 2021 Readers are encouraged to reproduce material for their own publications, as long as they are not being sold commercially. ODI requests due acknowledgement and a copy of the publication. For online use, we ask readers to link to the original resource on the ODI website. The views presented in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of ODI or our partners. This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. How to cite: Ullah, Z., Ullah Khan, S. and Wijewickrama, E. (2021) Covid-19: implications for localisation. A case study of Afghanistan and Pakistan. HPG working paper. London: ODI (https://odi.org/en/publications/covid-19-implications-for-localisation-a-case-study-of-afghanistan- and-pakistan). This PDF has been prepared in accordance with good practice on accessibility. Cover photo: Covid-19 disinfection in Garhi Yaseen Market in District Shikarpur, Sindh, Pakistan. Credit: Syed Aatif Shah/ACTED Acknowledgements The research team would like to thank the many people who contributed to this paper, including national and international actors in Afghanistan and Pakistan who participated in the research, the peer reviewers who shared their insights, and the members of the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) who supported the development of the report. Thanks to Laura Mertsching (HPG) for project management; Eleanor Davey (Humanitarian Advisory Group (HAG)) for editing this paper; and Hannah Bass (HPG) for design and production. Research team: Eranda Wijewickrama and Nathaniel Rose from HAG; Zaki Ullah, Saeed Ullah Khan and Muhammad Haroon from GLOW Consultants (Pvt) Limited. Peer reviewers: Dr Muhammad Kashif Saeed, Coordinator, Development Action Cell, University of Peshawar; Nicholas Ross, Project Manager, Samuel Hall Afghanistan; Saida Azimi, National Researcher, Samuel Hall Afghanistan; and Veronique Barbelet, Senior Research Fellow, HPG. About this paper As part of ongoing research on how Covid-19 has influenced the localisation of humanitarian aid, HPG partnered with HAG and GLOW Consultants, Pakistan to carry out this study across Afghanistan and Pakistan. The purpose of this study was to review the impact of Covid-19 on shifts towards more locally led humanitarian action in these countries and the potential broader implications for the sector as a whole. About the authors Zaki Ullah is a Team Leader at GLOW Consultants (Pvt) Ltd. Saeed Ullah Khan is the Principal Consultant at GLOW Consultants (Pvt) Ltd. Eranda Wijewickrama is a Leader at Humanitarian Advisory Group (HAG). About GLOW Consultants (Private) Limited and Humanitarian Advisory Group GLOW Consultants, based in Pakistan, is a leading national entity providing practice solutions and field implementation support to donors, their implementing partners and research institutions. GLOW has successfully completed more than 100 third-party monitoring and evaluation (M&E) assignments. Humanitarian Advisory Group (HAG) was founded in 2012 to elevate the profile of humanitarian action in Asia and the Pacific. Set up as a social enterprise, HAG provides a unique space for thinking, research, technical advice and training that contributes to excellence in humanitarian practice. Contents Acknowledgements / 3 List of boxes, tables and figures / 5 Acronyms / 6 Executive summary / 7 Key findings / 7 Recommendations / 9 1 Introduction / 11 1.1 Background / 11 1.2 Purpose of the study and key questions / 11 1.3 Study methodology / 12 1.4 The humanitarian and Covid-19 context in Afghanistan and Pakistan / 15 2 Impact of Covid-19 on the humanitarian sectors in Afghanistan and Pakistan / 19 2.1 Increase in needs and funding / 19 3 Impact of Covid-19 on localisation in Afghanistan and Pakistan / 24 3.1 Coordination / 24 3.2 Leadership / 28 3.3 Partnerships / 29 3.4 Funding / 32 3.5 Capacity / 38 4 Conclusion / 42 4.1 What does this mean for localisation in Afghanistan and Pakistan? / 42 4.2 Recommendations / 44 References / 46 Appendix 1 Qualitative data analysis approach / 50 List of boxes, tables and figures Boxes Box 1 Defining localisation / 12 Box 2 Measuring Localisation Framework / 13 Box 3 The changing humanitarian operational context in Afghanistan / 16 Box 4 The changing humanitarian operational context in Pakistan / 18 Box 5 Cultural challenges in responding to Covid-19 / 22 Box 6 Insights: utilising radio as a tool to support hard-to-reach communities in Afghanistan / 23 Box 7 Coordination forums in Afghanistan and Pakistan / 25 Box 8 Attendance versus participation in digital coordination forums / 27 Box 9 New partnerships – corporate sector / 30 Box 10 Determining equitable use of pooled fund resources / 36 Tables Table 1 Details of interviews conducted / 14 Table 2 Details of survey respondents / 14 Table 3 Humanitarian funding needs and contributions in Afghanistan and Pakistan / 33 Table 4 Total Country-Based Pooled Fund direct funding allocation to local and national organisations / 35 Figures Figure 1 Trends in humanitarian needs in Afghanistan and Pakistan / 20 Figure 2 To what extent are international organisations respecting and working with local/national organisations? (Survey responses according to type of organisation represented) / 32 Figure 3 Humanitarian funding distribution in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2020 (by funding recipient organisation type) / 34 Figure 4 What has been Covid-19’s impact on the funding available to organisations? (Survey responses according to type of organisation represented) / 35 Figure 5 Has Covid-19 resulted in increased flexibility in the available funding? (Survey responses according to type of organisation represented) / 36 Figure 6 How has Covid-19 impacted your organisation’s work with respect to staff/human resource capacity? / 38 Figure 7 How much are international organisations helping to strengthen the capacity of local/ national organisations? (Survey responses according to type of organisation represented) / 39 Figure 8 Will Covid-19 impacts on localisation result in long-term change in humanitarian sector operations? (Survey responses according to type of organisation represented) / 43 Figure A1 Coding hierarchical structure / 50 Figure A2 Utilisation of the codes for analysis / 51 Acronyms ACBAR Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development CBPF Country-Based Pooled Fund COAR Citizens Organisations for Advocacy and Resilience CSO civil society organisation HAG Humanitarian Advisory Group HCT Humanitarian Country Team IASC Inter-Agency Standing Committee IDP internally displaced person IOM International Organisation for Migration INGO international non-governmental organisation KII key informant interview LNO local and/or national organisation NALPER Nigeria Afghanistan Localised Preparedness Emergency Response NDMA National Disaster Management Authority NGO non-governmental organisation NHN National Humanitarian Network NIH National Institute of Health, Pakistan NNGO national non-governmental organisation NOC No Objection Certificate PHF Pakistan Humanitarian Forum PIANGO Pacific Island Association of NGOs PKR Pakistani Rupee PPE personal protective equipment SOP standard operating procedures UN United Nations UNOCHA United Nations Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNICEF United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund WASH water, sanitation and hygiene WHO World Health Organization 7 HPG working paper Executive summary Since the beginning of 2020, across the world, Covid-19 restrictions and risks have forced international actors to place greater focus on localisation, more from necessity than choice. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Covid-19 pandemic has the potential to deliver a timely boost for the localisation process, but to date the shift has been partial, rarely upending established power inequalities. During the pandemic, the ability to reach local communities in hard-to-access areas became a core asset – local and national organisations (LNOs) with the capacity to reach vulnerable communities achieved greater recognition and received more support. However, this came without structural change to reflect the centrality of LNOs in the response. Covid-19 has forced the adoption of new working practices, highlighted the positive role of LNOs in handling the humanitarian response in Pakistan and Afghanistan and strengthening the locally led response. Crucially, increased funding was channelled to LNOs during the pandemic, but not at a scale that recognised their true contribution. Small local organisations rarely accessed increased funding; instead, international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) preferred partnerships with established or larger national organisations. While remote working created opportunities for increased participation, these gains were still affected by digital inequalities. As the humanitarian sector works to respond to growing need and changing operational requirements, the pandemic presents a critical opportunity to transition to a more locally led response model in these countries. While significant challenges remain in both contexts, localisation has emerged as an important principle in the way forward, building on global momentum in this area. However, it remains to be seen if there is a willingness to make fundamental, system-wide changes that will lead to a context-relevant, locally led response model in the