Decolonisation and locally led

Avert transferred ownership to African-led and African-based organisations. They see their transition and closeout not as a sign of failure, but as a strategic success that has enabled their work and mission to live on in new forms.

The dust has settled on COP29, leaving behind a hard-won climate finance deal which aims to distribute the benefits of climate action more equitably worldwide. This is a crucial step toward climate justice, but is progress really being made?

This collection documents real journeys moving beyond theory into practice, discusses real challenges as well as offers multiple pathways toward a common goal: shifting power to local actors in meaningful and lasting ways. What does it mean for an INGO to become locally led?  

Let’s shift the dynamic from building for communities to building with them to ensure every construction project in the development sector is inclusive, sustainable, and truly meets people’s need.

Training programmes often rely on the knowledge and perspective of external experts, yet overlooking the agency of local actors and, therefore, rendering them disempowered. How can leadership programmes attune to the needs and priorities of local communities?