Street Child becomes 36th INGO signatory of the Charter for Change — Street Child

Street Child is delighted to announce that we have recently become the newest signatory of the Charter for Change (C4C) which is an initiative, led by both National and International NGOs, to practically implement changes to the way the humanitarian system operates to enable more locally-led response. Street Child joins 36 other signatories (INGOs) including Oxfam, ActionAid and Tearfund to commit to these changes. The initiative has also received 395 formal endorsements from Local and National Non-Government Organisations (L/NNGOs). 

As a signatory, Street Child has agreed to implement the eight commitments set out by the C4C, to address the imbalances and inequality in the global humanitarian system. Progress against these commitments is reviewed annually. These commitments, which Street Child are already meeting but are delighted to reaffirm, are as follows: 

• Direct Funding – Commit to passing a minimum of 25% of humanitarian funding to L/NNGOs

• Partnerships – Reaffirm principles of partnership, making them more equal

• Transparency – Publish the amount or percentage of funding that is passed to L/NNGOs

• Recruitment – Address and prevent the negative impact of recruiting L/NNGO staff during emergencies

• Advocacy – Emphasise the importance of national actors to humanitarian donors

• Equality – Address subcontracting and ensure equality in decision-making

• Support – Provide robust organisational support and capacity building

• Promotion – Promote the role of local actors to media and public

Historically the humanitarian system is dominated by international actors which is problematic on multiple levels. Efforts to reverse this trend by promoting the inclusion of national representatives in the response are crucial for the longer-term viability of any response and because ultimately; it is local actors who stay and work with communities far beyond international actors, who usually leave once the funding opportunities dry up. Additionally, local and national NGOs have better links with the communities that they serve and have been shown to create strong value for money, by being able to funnel more support to the people in need. 

The C4C, building on the 2016 Grand Bargain, looks to proactively address some of the barriers and power dynamics that prevent local and national organisations from taking a role in leading the crisis response in their own country. Street Child is excited to become part of this network and looks to be actively engaged with the conversations to move this and other initiatives further forward.  

Street Child has always championed locally-led response but becoming a signatory further formalises our commitment and allows us to participate in this sector-wide initiative to influence the discussion. This type of commitment is key to transforming the face of the aid sector, but like the C4C it must be a joint effort involving local actors and always prioritise their needs first and foremost. 

Watch this space for more news and updates on our work with promoting local actors and other innovations to support the shift to a more locally-led aid sector.