far too many thought leaders on the issue have concentrated on only one piece of the localization jigsaw — how to empower local humanitarian organizations. They have paid too little attention to the overall puzzle of how entire local systems cope and recover from crises.

Look at the food security crises causing such stress across Africa. In many countries, the responses have genuinely moved on from surging-in international aid, and become more localized: Focusing on social safety nets and supply chains, involving the government, the private sector and yes, local nongovernmental organizations.

In Zimbabwe, for example, the World Food Programme has already switched from humanitarian programs to strengthening systems and institutions. This is systemic localization in practice.

This is the sort of localization that we need to be talking about: A holistic, systemic localization that considers the whole capacity of a country to cope, as independently as possible. This type of localization begins by understanding the systems and culture of service delivery precrisis. Its application focuses on restoring, adapting, or building that capacity.

Read the source article on localization by Alexander Matheou at Devex International Development