Protracted refugee humanitarian response as a context in the discourse on Localization: The case study of refugee protection in Uganda

Sammanfattning: Around 2015, the humanitarian aid sector set out the localization agenda in motion. Embedded within The Grand Bargain, the localization agenda elevated the propensity for systems change within the humanitarian sector and calls for a greater inclusion of local actors have featured for some time in debates on how to make humanitarian action more efficient and address unequal power relations within the humanitarian system.  Though the localization agenda is at the core of current reform efforts in the humanitarian sector, there is paucity of scholarship on the discourse of localization in a protracted refugee humanitarian context. A qualitative case study design Was undertaken, and data was collected by conducting interviews on zoom and employing semi-structured interview guide. Six respondents (2 from local NGOs, 2 from international NGOs, 1 from UN agency and 1 from Ugandan government) were interviewed. The data collected were transcribed with the aid of “otranscribe” and analyzed through thematic analysis. The paper observes that the current discourse of localization in the protracted refugee humanitarian response in Uganda is characterized by two divergent and opposing conceptualization of localization; one based on decentralization approach, and another based on transformative approach and as such the paper argues the need for patience and acceptance of these various conceptualization to allow time for epistemological maturity of the concept.  Furthermore, five practices related to localization (funding, partnership, Capacity strengthening, Coordination and Visibility) were explored and while there was reported improvement, the study observes that, in practice, the engagement level of the local actors is still relatively low and contends that effective localization is only possible if trust among actors in the aid chain is built over time. Moreover, the study also identified factors such as Uganda’s progressive refugee policy, the availability of well-educated and experienced pool of local human resource and Uganda’s geographical positioning in a region ragged with conflict as major opportunities that could be harnessed to foster localization. In contrast however, the study identified that lack of trust of local actors, stringent and restrictive donor funding conditions, lack of collective risk sharing, lack of clarity on what constitute localization, and weak capacity strengthening modalities as being some of the key challenges hindering localization in the Ugandan refugee operation. To this end, the paper observes that in a protracted refugee situation especially that liken to the Ugandan situation, localization would have a high chance of succeeding especially given the stable context of the operation. The paper argues that the practice of localization could be enhanced if local and national actors put pressure on international actors and demand leadership, that financial and programmatic risk and accountability are shared responsibility and when long term engagement is made with local and national actors thus allowing for meaningful capacity strengthening thereby leading to building of trust between the local and international actors.