In the run-up to the Annual Meeting of the Grand Bargain (15-17 June 2021) the DRA publishes a new report to showcase its own contributions to the so-called Grand Bargain. These were a series of agreements between the major donors and implementors of humanitarian assistance which were the main outcome of the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul (May 2016). The main goal of these agreements was to put the recipients of humanitarian assistance at the centre by making the humanitarian system more effective and efficient. For the DRA the Grand Bargain has since its beginning been a source of inspiration, and we have taken on board very seriously the commitments that we considered pertinent for our alliance.

In February 2020 we made an overview of the contributions and challenges of the DRA to implement the Grand Bargain commitments, and shared this with the Eminent Person, Minister Sigrid Kaag. The new report has also been shared with minister Kaag. During the upcoming Annual Meeting she will hand over the role of Eminent Person to Jan Egeland, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. This implies that the Grand Bargain will continue, in a somewhat different shape.

As Petra Righetti, DRA’s chair, states in the foreword of the publication: “We align ourselves with the growing call to broaden the reform process to shrink the needs and to deepen and broaden the resource base for humanitarian action. This requires political will and long-term vision by both traditional donor governments and non-traditional ones. A key element of this is investing in local systems for anticipation, preparedness, relief and recovery with a range of local stakeholders. A systematic investment in the resilience of communities is the sustainable way to go. It is in fact the only possible exit-strategy”. As the DRA almost embarks to implement its 2022-2025, we are ready to keep on contributing to further improve our way of working and serve as an inspiring, innovative model for the whole humanitarian community.

Dutch Relief Alliance: Working on the Grand Bargain Commitments, June 2021

Dutch Relief Alliance: Grand Bargain Contributions & Challenges, February 2020