Key insights from a global consultation convened by Peace Direct, CDA Collaborative Learning Projects and Search for Common Ground

Suggested Citation: Leach, Steven. “Aid Exists and locally-led Development.” Peace Direct, CDA Collaborative Learning Projects and Search for Common Ground. 2018.

About the Consultation Report

This consultation presents key insights from a global consultation on Aid Exits and Locally-led Development. The ways in which development programmes end, whether through a complete phase-out or a gradual hand-over to a local entity, has a significant impact on the success of a project. Working effectively with a variety of local actors is not only a vital part of ensuring the longevity of development projects but also in ensuring that local capacity and local contexts are not further distorted by continued aid interventions.

In order to better understand the multiple dynamics between international and local actors during aid exits and transitions, we held an online consultation that brought together 95 participants from over 40 countries to critically engage with discussions on: Power Dynamics in the Aid Sector, The Role of Local Actors and Capacity Building and Sustainability.

This consultation is part of a USAID-funded collaborative learning project, ‘Stopping As Success’,which is being carried out by CDA Collaborative Learning Projects, Peace Direct and Search for Common Ground. The project will be looking at twenty case studies of INGO exit and transitions in a range of locations in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The purpose of this online consultation is to understand the broader realities within which aid exits and transitions take place.