Managing Uncertainty in Local-International Partnerships

This report examines how risk is perceived and managed in partnerships between international and national NGOs working in humanitarian response.

It follows from the 2016 report NGOs and Risk: How International Humanitarian Actors Manage Uncertainty, which was also produced by Humanitarian Outcomes under the leadership of InterAction. The study was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) and benefited from the direct engagement of 10 international humanitarian NGOs. The research encompassed interviews with 117 humanitarian practitioners, undertaken remotely and in field visits to South Sudan and Nigeria, 446 survey responses from (mostly national) NGO field staff, and a systematic review of relevant policies from the participating organizations. In analyzing this evidence, the report identifies the trends, challenges and promising practices in this area, with the aim of strengthening partnerships for improved humanitarian action.

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