Changing the outlook: for a local approach to data

As a follow-up to the study published by CartONG in 2020, “Program data: the silver bullet of the humanitarian and development sectors”, this report explores the role of local organisations in the management of Humanitarian Aid and International Development industry data. Based on a review of secondary literature, a survey and a number of interviews, it provides a preliminary exploration of a relatively new topic.

The report aims to continue the reflection on a specific sub-topic, that of localisation. The purpose is also to try to fill a blind spot in the 2020 study, namely the consideration of local actors, which the methodology at the time did not allow to satisfactorily include - the lack of maturity of international CSOs on the issue of data requiring a preliminary general exploration.
The situation has evolved since 2020, with both a (regular) revival of the debate on localisation and its sluggishness leading to the exploration of new angles thereof (decolonisation, sovereignty, etc.), the start of a transformative process of international CSOs’ practices and their partnership relations, and the rise of local actors (along with their international allies) creating practical illustrations of what would be desirable. We have therefore sought to complement our 2020 study with a focus on this localisation perspective in program data management.

This study was produced as part of the project “Strengthening Information Management within francophone CSOs” led by CartONG and co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) over the period 2019-2022.