| The Grand Bargain 2.0 Bimonthly Updates
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Latest news from the Grand Bargain 2.0 | March 2022
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Dear Grand Bargain Signatories,
We are pleased to share with you the spring updates from the Grand Bargain 2.0. Moving on from technical and incremental changes achieved between 2016 and 2021, the Grand Bargain 2.0 is focusing on elevated political engagement to unlock stalled challenges. Caucuses have already proven to bring the transformative change needed to make humanitarian aid more efficient and effective. After years of challenges with the humanitarian cash coordination, in January 2022 the Principals of some of the biggest aid agencies, donors, and local actors - all participants to the caucus championed by the EP - unanimously endorsed a new model for cash coordination, setting out the structure, function, leadership and resourcing of cash coordination, including strong elements of local actors’ involvement and representations. You can read more about the model and the lessons learnt from the caucus here. The model was unanimously endorsed at the IASC - please read more below.
Progress has been advancing on quality funding as well. Championed by the International Rescue Committee, a caucus on quality funding was launched in March 2022, aiming at increasing multi-year flexible funding agreements, and measuring the benefits of those agreements in terms of aid effectiveness and aid efficiency. You can find all updates in relation to the caucuses on the website here.
With the view of bringing the Grand Bargain from Geneva to Goma, the guidance on National Reference Groups was translated into Arabic, French, Indonesian, and Spanish with the support of EU/DG ECHO and NGO NEAR Network.
Finally, we are pleased to see that the workstreams that decided to continue, continously contribute to the implementation of the Grand Bargain commitments. As you will see in the updates below, both workstream 2 and 6 have been proactive in advancing the progress in their respective areas.
We wish you pleasant reading,
The Grand Bargain Secretariat |
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| Update from the Facilitation Group
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Recap:
EP Jan Egeland and Facilitation Group Principals met for an informal dinner on the margins of the European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels, followed by a formal virtual meeting a few days later, to agree how to accelerate progress on key political blockages in the short and medium term, in line with the objectives of GB 2.0 Framework by 2023. More specifically, they discussed possible concrete actions and next steps to unblock issues around quality funding and localisation. As a result, the EP office started consultations to launch an initiative to advance localisation (in parallel with the caucus on the role of intermediaries, which is continuing discussions independently within the safe space of the caucus).
The Facilitation Group and EP office also provided support to the International Rescue Committee, who stepped forward to champion the first subset of the caucus on multi-year funding. The subset, launched in mid-March 2022, will focus on multi-year flexible funding, and ways to demonstrate the added value of multi-year flexible funding to affected populations, both in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.
Upcoming:
Germany will take over from OCHA as Facilitation Group Chair for April and May. In May it will be joined by a Co-Chair, NEAR Network, who will then continue chairing in June.
The Facilitation Group will focus the next few weeks on strategic planning, ahead of the Annual Meeting in June 2022. We aim to confirm and communicate the date for the Annual Meeting shortly. Furthermore, the Facilitation Group continues to oversee the process on self-reporting, with the first draft of the Grand Bargain Annual Independent Report likely to be shared with the Signatories in May 2022.
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| Latest from the caucuses, workstreams, and other initiatives
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A model on cash coordination endorsed
After the Principals of the organisations involved in the cash coordination caucus endorsed the coordination model proposed by the group in early February, the EP shared the final outcome to the ERC, for the IASC to discuss and endorse. Last week, the model was unanimously endorsed at the IASC, with a timeline to develop a comprehensive transition plan extended until September 2022. >> Click here to read the caucus outcome document
Successes and lessons learnt of the Grand Bargain caucus on cash coordination
We are pleased to share with you a short infographic, outlining the process and some of the lessons learnt from the caucus on cash coordination. As caucuses are a new tool for the Grand Bargain 2.0, we seek to learn from the successes and replicate them. We believe the caucus on cash coordination sets a good example on how to establish a caucus, ensure the right stakeholders participate, while at the same time providing transparency and sufficient regular information for those not directly involved. >> Click here to see the infographic
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Launch of the Grand Bargain Caucus on Quality Funding
On Friday 11 March 2022, David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) co-launched the quality funding caucus together with European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič. >> Click here for more information and the concept note
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Guidance Note on National Reference Groups [ARA, EN, ES, FR, Indonesian]
The guidance on National Reference Groups was translated into Arabic, French, Indonesian, and Spanish with the support of EU/DG ECHO and NGO NEAR Network. We would be grateful if you could share it with your local and national actor contacts. >> Click here for the translations
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Workstream 2 (More support and funding tools for local and national responders)
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New Co-convenor, bringing the Grand Bargain from Geneva to Goma - March 2022 Update
Denmark has formally accepted the invitation to be the new Co-convener of the Localisation Workstream (WS2) following the decision of Switzerland to step down from this role. Furthermore, under the slogan of ‘bringing the Grand Bargain from Geneva to Goma’, a workshop to discuss the successes and challenges of the international community’s support to local actors in humanitarian action was held in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 23-24 March 2022. The discussion noted progress in some commitments as well as significant gaps in the areas of funding, capacity strengthening, and qualities of partnerships. Particular challenges were noted for women’s rights organizations and from government crisis managers. >> Click here to read more
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Workstream 6 (Participation revolution)
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Update from workstream 6 - March 2022
Workstream 6 members met on 10 March 2022 with the main agenda item a presentation on National Reference Groups (NRG). The workstream GB 2.0 evolution strategy identified NRGs as potential key partners in our work going forward. The meeting agenda also included an opportunity for workstream members to brief the group on recent development, and an update on other GB 2.0 activities, including the recently launched caucuses. >> Click here to read more
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| Latest from the Signatories
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UNHCR engagement in the Grand Bargain - Progress made over the past 5 years
UNCHR produced a report to outline its engagement and progress made in the Grand Bargain since 2016. In the five years since the Grand Bargain was launched to improve aid effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian response, UNHCR has increased funding and support for national and local responders, simplified reporting requirements, and successfully partnered with development actors, including International Financial Institutions. >> Click here to read the full report
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Meeting of members of the Localization and Optimization of Response Mechanisms in Yemen
At the invitation and self-support of Tamdeen Youth Foundation, a meeting of members of Civil Society Organizations' Initiative to Localize and Optimize Humanitarian Response Mechanisms in Yemen was held today at Tamdeen Youth Foundation to discuss the latest achievements in the preparatory phase plan, and to study the baseline. Members were briefed on the steps taken in 2021 to the end of February 2022, and the next steps, difficulties and solutions. >> Click here to read more
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A4EP video on localisation and proposition paper to intermediary caucus
The Alliance for Empowering Partnership (A4EP) developed a proposition paper to contribute to the caucus on intermediaries. A4EP also created an animation video with information on practice from local perspectives. >> Click here to read more
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MEAL Framework for Localisation of Humanitarian Action in Jordan
ARDD/JONAF (A4EP member), collaborating with others, produced a MEAL Framework on localisation from Jordan. The purpose of the MEAL Framework is reflected in its two-part vision statement: ‘Humanitarian actors in Jordan – local, national and international – are collectively contributing to the principled, progressive realisation of the localisation agenda. This collective effort facilitates local and national actors’ increasing role in the leadership, coordination and delivery of effective humanitarian action in Jordan. >> Click here to read more
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Updates from IRC - studies on humanitarian financing and forced displacement
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) recently produced four reports on major trends in countries in crisis, forced displacement and humanitarian financing. >> Click here to read the reports
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