localization labs
Palestine Localisation Lab
Overview
The Palestine Localisation Lab, facilitated by the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), represents a foundational initiative to strengthen local civil society and advance the principles of localisation. As a nascent movement, the Lab’s primary focus is on establishing the essential pillars of a cohesive and effective network. This involves a deep commitment to enhancing internal organisational systems, which includes the clear delineation of roles, fostering effective team interactions, and ensuring efficient day-to-day operations for all members.
The Lab’s strategy is designed with inherent flexibility to adapt to the complex and evolving circumstances on the ground. The ability of local NGOs to convene, reach consensus, and coordinate is critical to progress. Therefore, the Lab’s work in movement-building, bridge-building, solution development, and learning is intrinsically linked to the pursuit of stability and the creation of safe spaces for engagement. Despite significant challenges posed by the regional context, the commitment to localisation goals remains unwavering. The Lab endeavours to develop necessary skills within the movement, secure essential resources, and bolster stakeholder engagement through a robust communication strategy. These aims are in strict alignment with NEAR’s overarching objectives, promoting self-reliance, strategic partnerships, and sustainable development led by local actors.
Amjad Shawa
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Movement Building
Movement Building
The core of the Lab’s mission is to transition from informal networks to a more structured and formalised movement with robust governance. This pillar focuses on creating a unified, cohesive, and empowered civil society sector. Activities are designed to refine the movement’s objectives and enhance coordination among actors.
Strategic Development: The Lab facilitates strategy development workshops to foster a unified direction. A foundational strategy draft, developed after extensive consultation with NGO representatives, has been shared with NEAR and serves as a roadmap for collective action. This strategy is being communicated to all stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation.
Defining Roles and Governance: A critical task is to clearly define the roles, responsibilities, and processes for all members and stakeholders. This includes revising the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Lab, clarifying the roles of the Lab’s advisory group and the eleven core NGO localisation groups, and establishing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for PNGO member sectors.
Strengthening Communication: A comprehensive communication strategy has been prepared to improve information dissemination, create effective platforms for dialogue, and refine decision-making and consensus-building processes.
Mobilisation and Capacity Building: The Lab actively mobilises support for localisation principles, particularly targeting the NGO community in the West Bank to broaden the movement’s reach. This includes conducting awareness sessions for a wide range of local NGOs and providing in-depth training for a core group of organisations to create localisation champions and focal points. Content for these sessions is developed in partnership with NEAR and other key actors like OCHA.
These efforts are undertaken amidst significant operational challenges, including forcible displacement and military presence, which affect large areas of the Gaza Strip. The Lab adapts its approach by focusing mobilisation efforts where feasible, such as in the West Bank, to maintain momentum toward its strategic goals.
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Building Bridges
Bridges
This pillar is dedicated to strengthening the connections between local actors and the wider ecosystem of international partners, donors, and coordination bodies. The goal is to ensure the perspectives and leadership of Palestinian NGOs are integral to all humanitarian and development efforts.
Stakeholder Mapping: The Lab has developed a comprehensive “Rewire” map of stakeholders engaged in the crisis, taking into account the complex dynamics on the ground. This serves as a strategic tool for targeted engagement and advocacy.
Enhanced Coordination: A primary focus is on strengthening the contributions and roles of Palestinian NGOs in collaboration with key international bodies, including the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations system, and donor groups. PNGO actively contributes to UN reports on reconstruction and maintains a presence in all major coordination arenas, such as the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG).
Advocacy and Voice: The Lab initiates media statements and advocacy campaigns to highlight the indispensable role of local leaders in emergencies. A key objective is to ensure the voices of local NGOs are systematically included in the humanitarian coordination mechanism.
Strategic Influencing: While advocacy is often linked to specific projects, the Lab recognises the need for a cohesive, overarching advocacy strategy. It seeks support from NEAR’s influencing expertise to develop this framework, which will guide tailored communication plans for different stakeholders and amplify the collective voice of the local sector.
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Solutions
Solutions
The Solutions pillar focuses on practical, locally-led innovations and mechanisms that advance self-reliance and ensure aid effectiveness. A central tenet of this work is to fundamentally reshape how aid is designed and delivered, placing local actors at the heart of the process.
Influencing Aid Architecture: The Lab actively works to ensure that any aid mechanism, whether for emergency relief or long-term reconstruction, is designed and implemented with the active voice and involvement of local actors. This includes engaging with processes such as the UN’s recovery plans, where the Lab provides critical input to ensure local perspectives are integrated.
Promoting Equitable Partnerships: By advocating for direct involvement in aid allocation and disbursement, the Lab promotes a shift towards more strategic and equitable partnerships between international donors and local organisations. This is a key solution to overcoming traditional power imbalances in the aid sector.
Disseminating Innovative Ideas: The Lab serves as a hub for discussing and disseminating innovative solutions relevant to the Palestinian context. This includes sharing best practices and promoting dialogue around new approaches to humanitarian action and development through platforms like the NEAR Solutions Link.
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Learning
Learning
The Learning pillar is dedicated to systematically generating, documenting, and disseminating knowledge to improve practice and inform future localisation efforts globally. The Lab is committed to being a centre of learning on operating in complex and conflict-affected settings.
Knowledge Capture and Systematisation: The Lab’s learning strategy includes developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for key activities, establishing formal feedback channels through a Complaint and Response Mechanism (CRM), and holding regular stakeholder forums to capture insights.
Contribution to Global Knowledge: A key output will be a think piece on governance in conflict settings, contributing to a repository of knowledge on establishing secure environments for civil society, bridging divides between local actors and donors, and implementing effective solutions that accelerate localisation.
Donor Engagement and Feedback: To foster mutual learning, the Lab will ask donor representatives to participate in a brief online survey following Lab-donor dialogues. The survey aims to capture the perceived usefulness of these engagements and to help clarify donor beliefs and priorities around localisation.