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Strengthening local accountability
Genuine development comes from within. This is not a romantic notion, but a realisation that has been repeatedly confirmed over decades of humanitarian work. Projects that are managed and implemented from outside, without building up local ownership, may deliver impressive results in the short term – but they rarely leave behind anything that is sustainable. Strengthening local ownership means empowering people to take control of their own situation – with the knowledge, skills and self-confidence required to do so. This is more challenging than simply providing aid. But it is the only form of support that has a truly lasting impact.
Why local accountability is so crucial
In humanitarian work, there is one recurring mistake: external organisations take on tasks that local actors could carry out just as well, or even better – thereby weakening them in the long term, even if the short-term intention was a good one. When international teams make decisions that should actually be made by local communities, when funds are managed directly without involving local structures, or when expertise is imported without transferring knowledge, a dependency arises that runs counter to the actual aim of the aid.
The alternative to this is the consistent strengthening of local ownership. This does not mean cutting off external support from one day to the next. It means working from the outset in such a way that local actors gradually take on more responsibility – supported, but not replaced. This process requires time, patience and a willingness to relinquish control. But it is the only path that leads to genuine, lasting change.
For Christian aid organisations working in communities across the Philippines, this principle is of particular significance. Local church congregations, community leaders and social networks are often the cornerstones of social life. Those who work with them and strengthen their capacity to take responsibility, rather than operating alongside them, achieve a level of impact that could not be attained by external efforts alone.
How local accountability is strengthened in practice
Local accountability does not arise from declarations of intent. It arises from concrete measures that empower people to make decisions, manage resources and take responsibility for outcomes.
Developing skills systematically
The first step towards strengthening local accountability is capacity building. Those who are to take on responsibility need the knowledge and skills to fulfil that responsibility. This includes technical knowledge as well as leadership skills, organisational abilities and an understanding of processes and systems.
Training and professional development are only part of the picture. At least as important is learning by doing – that is, the opportunity to take on responsibility in a safe environment, gain experience and learn from mistakes without these mistakes having serious consequences. Local staff who take on decision-making responsibility in real-life project situations, whilst being supported by experienced colleagues, develop skills that no training programme in the world can provide.
The concept of competence should be interpreted broadly. It is not just about technical knowledge, but also about the self-confidence to speak up, stand by one’s own decisions and engage with external stakeholders as equals. In many contexts, this self-confidence is the very prerequisite for truly being able to take on responsibility.
Clearly delegate decision-making powers
Skills alone are not enough. Anyone expected to take on responsibility must also have the formal authority to do so. Decision-making powers must be clearly defined and unambiguously delegated – not merely vaguely promised, but set out in concrete and binding terms.
In practice, this means: giving local committees genuine decision-making powers, rather than merely an advisory role. Appointing local project managers who are accountable to both the community and the organisation. And gradually delegating budgetary responsibility so that local stakeholders learn to manage resources and set priorities.
The following measures help to ensure that decision-making powers are clearly delegated:
- Written agreements on responsibilities and decision-making powers that are transparent to all parties involved
- Regular joint reviews to assess whether the delegated powers are being utilised and whether there is a need for support
- Clear escalation procedures in the event that decisions exceed the capacity of local stakeholders
- Consistent adherence to the agreements by external parties – even when it might be tempting to intervene
Local responsibility as an investment in the future
Strengthening local accountability is an investment – in people, in structures and in a future that is different from the present. This investment does not pay off immediately. It takes time, and it requires external actors to be prepared to have less control in the short term in order to achieve greater impact in the long term.
Organisations that consistently follow this approach find that, over time, their local partners become stronger, more independent and more innovative. They develop their own solutions to their own problems – solutions that are better suited to the local reality than anything that could have been brought in from outside. And they build structures that will continue to exist even when external support eventually comes to an end.
That is the real aim: not to manage dependency, but to overcome it. Not to be needed indefinitely, but to make oneself redundant – because the local people are able to shape their own future. Anyone who takes this as the yardstick for their work provides aid that really makes a difference.