KEY FINDINGS

© Toby Madden/DEC

Applicability of recommendations

While the primary purpose of this scoping exercise was to provide recommendations to DEC Secretariat and members, as outlined above, a number of findings point to clear recommendations for other stakeholders. Rather than preparing two separate reports – one internal, one public – the full findings and recommendations are available to all in this report.

Recommendations in the report: • For DEC members: also relevant for other INGOs and UN agencies. • DEC ‘localisation collective initiative’ group*: a also relevant for other stakeholders to consider when allocating funds to support locally-led humanitarian action. • For DEC Secretariat: also relevant for donors and funders of humanitarian action, and particularly for the other 8 members of the Emergency Appeals Alliance (EAA)9 . • For other stakeholders: included for reference. Could inform DEC member advocacy. See: Annex 2 for a matrix of recommendations.

*DEC funds available for a ‘localisation collective initiative’ are almost certainly lower than all of the options below would require. Therefore, the ‘localisation collective initiative’ group of DEC members will need to agree which to prioritise.

Priority humanitarian needs in Ukraine (current and projected)

It was not an aim of the scoping exercise to identify the specifics of current or projected humanitarian needs in Ukraine. However, inevitably these were raised in consultations. Those that have particular relevance for supporting local humanitarian action are outlined below.

Preparing for winter (‘winterisation’): there was a noted difference in focus between L/NAs and international actors. Many international actors reported providing blankets, warm clothing, and materials for temporary repairs to homes. L/NAs noted this approach as unsuitable for the severe winter temperatures in Ukraine, and particularly in the recent wake of Russian airstrikes targeting energy infrastructure. Many L/NAs reported prioritising permanent home repairs, and ensuring electricity and heating supplies. City councils are working to repair public heating systems, equip underground shelters with facilities, and establish emergency heating centres.

Further widescale displacement: many participants were predicting further large-scale displacement as temperatures drop. Particularly if airstrikes continue and/or result in more widespread power outagesxx . Some predicted dispersal from cities to rural areas; making humanitarian response from city-hubs extremely challenging. In this case, nimble, responsive L/NAs with networks of volunteers have a clear advantage over international actors.

Psycho-social support (PSS): humanitarian actors – of all sizes and scope – highlighted the need for PSS for their (national) staff and volunteers, as well as populations in need. For L/NAs, the last 8+ months have seen people working long hours with limited time off, often at great personal risk, in addition to being personally affected by the war. Partnerships and funding should go beyond financing and include PSSxxi . One DEC member mentioned the Community Resilience model as a useful tool; a low-cost, non-technical approach.

Survey respondents were asked to select the top four areas of support which they believed were most important to strengthen local humanitarian action, from a list of 12 options. See Figure 1 below for the disaggregated ranking. This ranking in the survey closely triangulated with the discussions in consultations so are used as the layout for the report. Interestingly, the top four areas selected also completely align with the priority areas common across the National Localisation Frameworks developed in Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria and South Sudan as part of the DEC-member consortium project Accelerating Localisation through Partnerships: Financial Resources, Capacity, Partnerships, and Coordinationxxii .