Toolkit on the Conduct of Dialogue on Localization of Humanitarian Actions: The Philippine Experience 2021

This toolkit has been prepared by the Ecosystems Work for Essential Benefits (ECOWEB), Inc. in partnership with Oxfam Pilipinas and Philippine Preparedness Partnership (PhilPREP) thru the Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP).

This toolkit was developed based on the localisation dialogue for humanitarian actions in the Philippines that was undertaken from February to July 2021 through the collaborative efforts of ECOWEB, Alliance for Empowering Partnership (A4EP), Oxfam and UN-OCHA with support from UN RC/HC. This toolkit seeks to share the tools used and processes undertaken in the localisation dialogue in the Philippines with advocates of localisation of humanitarian actions.

USER'S GUIDE

This toolkit for the conduct of country-level dialogue on localization is based on the experience of the dialogue process and tools used in the Philippines. Some learning from the actual experience is also indicated in this toolkit which is designed for the leading organizations and facilitators of the localization dialogue process. This toolkit provides users examples on how to conduct an inclusive localization dialogue process that will not only involve the local and international humanitarian actors but also include the representatives of communities affected of crisis. This toolkit shares the tools and processes of the dialogue from the community to the national level.

The toolkit is composed of three main parts.

Part I provides the contextual background of the country-level dialogue on localization. This part offers a concise discussion of the Humanitarian System, the Grand Bargain Agreement (GBA) and the Localization Agenda under Workstream No. 2 of the GBA. It also aims to provide a broader understanding of the global context and direction of the national localization dialogue.

Part II provides an overview of the framework and design of the Philippines’ country-level dialogue. This part discusses the seven most important elements of such dialogue: 1) background, 2) objectives, 3) process, 4) framework, 5) stakeholders and participants, 6) timeframe and 7) budget.

Part III provides the details of the 15 tools used in the four methods employed at the different stages of the dialogue process.

The four methods employed in the country-level dialogue include the following: a) community focus group discussion (community FGD), b) online survey, c) national online dialogue, and d) multi-stakeholder dialogue.

The toolkit provides details on the description, purpose, procedure and annexes for the tools used. The description and purpose of each tool are briefly described in a concise statement that gives a quick idea about the tool.

In the procedure part, details of the questions and the steps of using the tools are discussed thoroughly. For some of the tools, lessons learned and recommendations arising from the actual use of the tools are provided to serve as a reminder and guide in improving the tool based on the country context of its application.

The annexes include the details of the specific instrument in the form of tables and matrices in Word format that could be used or modified to suit the design and process of a particular country-level dialogue.