Transforming INGO Practice and Responsibility

International NGOs remain influential actors in the humanitarian sector, shaping how resources are allocated and how crises are managed. Yet their roles and behaviours have not kept pace with the realities of today’s world, where local and national organisations lead most of the response. NEAR works with reform-minded INGOs to rethink their practices and responsibilities – shifting away from models built on control, and towards approaches rooted in partnership, accountability, and community leadership.

Through platforms such as Pledge for Change and through direct engagement with INGO networks, we help strengthen transparency, financial responsibility, and the redistribution of power within the sector. Our work invites INGOs to examine the systemic incentives that keep them at the centre of delivery, and to explore alternatives that support – rather than overshadow – local leadership.

This is not about critique for its own sake. It is about enabling INGOs to evolve in ways that reflect their stated commitments and the needs of the communities they serve. By grounding reform in evidence, lived experience, and practical pathways, NEAR helps INGOs play a constructive role in a system that is becoming more multipolar, more locally led, and more accountable to crisis-affected people.

Linked Objectives