NEAR sets out, in this document, the terminology we use to refer to different Global South actors and international actors.
As localisation advances in policy and practice, there is still significant debate in the aid sector regarding the definition of “local actor”, particularly the definition of local and national civil society organisations. In 2019, NEAR’s Leadership Council published a Definitions Paper, knowing that definitions have a direct impact on how localisation is implemented and measured. While this definitions paper has been updated slightly, NEAR’s definition of “local actor” has not changed. For NEAR, the priority and purpose of defining local actors then and now centres around access to resources and decision-making, two important and inter-connected issues within the aid system.
NEAR continues to ask, “For whom are we shifting power and resources?”
This paper provides definitions of three types of local actors: 1) Local and national organisations/ civil society (non-state actors); 2) Local and national state actors; 3) Southern regional/ cross border non- governmental organisations (NGOs). The paper concludes by describing some of the other actors within the sector.