About this event
What does it really mean today to work in a locally led way? And what do the many initiatives and experiments that have emerged in recent years teach us about what does work and what remains persistently difficult?
In recent years, localisation has become increasingly visible in both policy and practice. In the Netherlands, as well as internationally, important steps are being taken: local partners are given more space, new forms of collaboration and financing are being experimented with, and inspiring examples of local leadership and community-based approaches are emerging. Many of these examples can be found in the new Vice Versa special on localisation, which explores where real change is taking place.
At the same time, a gap often remains between good intentions and everyday practice. Power relations prove to be persistent, decision-making often remains far removed from local communities, and systems of accountability and financing change more slowly than ambitions suggest. This is precisely where the central question of this World Café lies: what is needed to truly bridge this gap?
On Thursday afternoon, 12 February, Wilde Ganzen and Vice Versa are organising an inspiring World Café for funders, policymakers, civil society organisations and critical thinkers. An afternoon in which we look back together and dare to look ahead, moderated by Kido Koenig.
This World Café takes place at a turning point. The Netherlands stands on the eve of important choices about the future of localisation and locally led development. A new cabinet will have to determine how previous ambitions and international commitments are translated into policy, financing and practice.
Localisation now plays a visible role in Dutch policy: in bilateral programmes, in support for international organisations, and in cooperation with civil society. At the same time, the question remains urgent: what next? Which choices are needed to not only promise power shifts, but to actually realise them?
During this afternoon, we will use the lessons from five years of Giving for Change, a programme in which funders and partners have actively experimented with more equal collaboration and sharing power, as an important starting point for the conversation. The insights from the evaluation provide a basis for thinking further.
In an open and interactive setting, we will engage in a dialogue around questions that matter:
- Where is power shifting actually working well, and where does it still stall?
- Which beliefs, structures and routines continue to sustain inequality?
- What does this concretely require from funders, organisations and government—now and in the years to come?
Programme at a glance
We will start with a sharp opening by Marc Broere (Vice Versa), on power, localisation and responsibility, and on the tension between what we say we want and what we do in practice. This will be followed by the Independent Research Consultant of Giving for Change, Sadaf Shallwani, who will share the key lessons from five years of experimenting with more equal collaboration. This sets the stage for a panel discussion in which perspectives from government, civil society practice and academia come together. Sandra Cats (RVO / Reversing the Flow), Edwin Visser (ZOA), Margit van Wessel (WUR), and Dennis Arends (Porticus) will reflect on the evaluation and draw on their own day-to-day work with localisation. Together, they will explore what works in practice, where friction arises, and where ambitions around power sharing continue to get stuck in existing systems, structures and routines. Subsequently, Rael Lomoti (Desert Roses, Kenya) will bring the conversation back to the everyday reality of local leadership in a region heavily affected by climate change.
After a short break, participants will split into three interactive breakout sessions on power and decision-making, money and trust, and Debunking Notions: how assumptions, images and knowledge determine who gets space and who does not, facilitated by Ugandan filmmaker Cissy Nalumansi. In all sessions, the same question is central: what does this truly require from the Netherlands? The afternoon will conclude with a collective harvest, translating insights into concrete recommendations for the new cabinet.
To already take a look at the full programme, including a description of the sessions, you can consult the following PDF: PROGRAMME
Get your tickets below, and hopefully we will see you there!
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