Localization is More Than a Buzzword: It’s a Shift in Power

“Localization” has become a widely used term across the development sector. Yet for many organizations, it still risks remaining a conceptual commitment rather than a structural transformation. At Helvetas, localization is not a slogan; it is a deliberate shift in how we design and implement lasting development interventions.

Partnerships are at the heart of this shift. Our work depends on strong collaboration with local civil society organizations, community-based actors and national networks that understand the context, relationships and long-term pathways to change. As the Partnership and Localization Coordinator at Helvetas Bangladesh, my role exists to ensure that this collaboration is not ad hoc, but systematic, equitable and sustainable.

This role also reflects Helvetas’ belief that development outcomes are strongest when local actors lead. That’s why we prioritize co-creating solutions, strengthening local capacities, joint advocacy, and amplifying the voices of organizations rooted in communities.

Building a structured partnership ecosystem

Historically, partnerships in development programs often emerged organically, based on immediate project needs or existing relationships. While this flexibility has benefits, it can also lead to inconsistencies in partner engagement, limited investment in capacity strengthening, and missed opportunities for shared learning.

Helvetas works with over 1,500 partner organizations in 35 countries. With projects operating in diverse sectors such as water, climate resilience, vocational skills development and good governance, partnerships have evolved differently across teams. To address this variation, we created guidelines to support systematic partnership management.

These guidelines detail how to conduct partner selection, including a capacity assessment and guidance on providing capacity development support where it is needed. Spaces are also created for joint learning and knowledge capitalization, and annual partnership performance reviews are organized. These steps help ensure that partnerships are long-term strategic collaborations rather than transactional relationships.

Finding the right partners

Helvetas introduced a structured partner selection process to make our partnerships more effective and to be transparent about the factors we view as critical drivers of localization. Our aim is not simply to find organizations that can help deliver project activities; we want to work alongside local partners who are already taking the lead in driving sustainable change within their own communities.

To this end, we look for partners whose mission strongly reflects local priorities, who have trusted relationships with marginalized communities, and who demonstrate strong governance and accountability practices. Technical expertise and an openness to innovation are also important. And a commitment to mutual learning and long-term collaboration are essential.

This approach helps us move beyond short-term implementation partnerships and build stronger relationships with local actors who can lead development long after a project ends.

Strengthening local leadership

Localization is not simply about shifting responsibilities — it is also about strengthening local leadership. We work with potential partners to identify their strengths and areas for growth. These assessments are not just compliance exercises; they form the basis for collaborative capacity development plans tailored to each partner’s priorities. This may include reviewing their financial policies and advising necessary improvements, supporting the introduction of gender equality and social justice policies and guidelines, or digitalizing existing monitoring and evaluation systems.

Capacity development is a two-way street. Helvetas’ teams also learn from partners’ contextual expertise, community engagement approaches and locally rooted innovations.

Annual reviews for continuous improvement

To further strengthen collaboration, we introduced an annual partnership performance review process. These reviews are conducted in a spirit of mutual accountability, reinforcing that partnerships are shared journeys rather than hierarchical relationships.

The review is a structured opportunity for each side to reflect on progress toward goals. It also offers a framework to identify any shortcomings and to make a plan to address these challenges constructively. The review goes both ways: Partners are also asked to provide feedback on Helvetas’ role, and to share their perspective on what is going well and name specific areas that have room for improvement.

Amplifying partners’ voices

A key aspect of localization is ensuring that local organizations are thought leaders as well as implementers. Helvetas intentionally creates opportunities for partners to lead knowledge sharing and advocacy. This takes many forms, including supporting them in organizing local and national dialogue events, leading technical workshops, participating in knowledge platforms, sharing program experiences in policy discussions, and co-presenting at conferences.

In Bangladesh, these efforts help elevate local perspectives and ensure that solutions are informed by those closest to the challenges. For example, the findings from a study conducted by Helvetas and our partners were shared at a regional event, with local government and civil society counterparts taking the lead in organizing the event. At a national advocacy event, Helvetas ensured partners had visible roles where they spoke about their grassroot experiences and raised ideas for promoting change.

Partnerships in action: The Bangladesh experience

Bangladesh is home to a dynamic partnership ecosystem, where strong national NGOs and community-based organizations play critical roles in development. Helvetas works with a diverse range of local partner organizations that vary in size, budget capacity and operational reach — from small community-based organizations to regional and national-level NGOs.

Each partner brings specialized expertise in different thematic areas. For example, the Development Organization of the Rural Poor primarily works with marginalized communities in coastal areas, focusing on water, sanitation and community resilience. Uttaran specializes in rural livelihood development and climate change adaptation, mainly in the southwestern region of Bangladesh. The Eco-Social Development Organization works nationwide across multiple sectors, including economic development, climate change, disaster risk reduction and livelihood improvement.

Though they vary greatly in size and mission, all our partners share one important strength: They are deeply connected to the communities they serve, maintaining strong relationships with rural populations and the local government. These close connections and awareness of local realities enable them to lead community engagement and mobilization, while ensuring the interventions they jointly plan with Helvetas reflect community priorities.

Creating spaces for collective learning

At least once a year, events are organized in Bangladesh that bring together different organizations working with Helvetas. These meetings are valuable in shaping the future direction of development and advocacy initiatives; they create space to collectively reflect on challenges, identify practical solutions and respond to changing development contexts. The events also help build a community of practice where partners learn from each other, ultimately strengthening the broader development ecosystem.

For example, during a recent partner meeting a common interest emerged around forming a local partners’ alliance. The goal would be to leverage collective knowledge, visibility and influence for stronger outreach and resource development. This was also seen as a way to reduce unnecessary competition among local organizations when responding to funding opportunities. The formation of thematic working groups was also strongly encouraged to strengthen collective expertise, promote regular knowledge sharing and to establish ready-made consortiums for joint advocacy and resource mobilization.

Future outlook: New mindsets, systems and power dynamics

As the development landscape evolves, partnerships between INGOs like Helvetas and locally based organizations must continue to transform. INGOs should embrace a facilitative role of convening stakeholders, mobilizing resources and supporting knowledge exchange — ensuring the foundation is present to enable local actors to lead development initiatives.

Effective partnerships are not built overnight. They require intentional design, continuous learning and mutual respect. By investing in structured partnership processes, taking on new roles, amplifying local voices and strengthening organizational capacities, Helvetas continues working toward locally led development being a reality and not just an aspiration.

However, more changes are still needed at the global level to make localization truly effective and sustainable. There is significant opportunity to shift power by moving beyond traditional funding relationships toward co-investment models, where local partners are treated as equal contributors rather than simply implementers. This also requires greater flexibility in project design so that local innovation and context-specific solutions can emerge more naturally. Building accountability through trust and mutual respect rather than excessive compliance is equally important. More opportunities should also be created for local partners to lead advocacy efforts and engage in policy discussions, ensuring that their voices shape broader development agendas. And supporting the long-term institutional growth of local organizations is essential so that they can continue creating impact beyond individual project cycles (Helvetas’ long-term partner in Laos makes the same argument in a recent interview).

Localization is ultimately about shifting ownership: from institutions to communities, and from international actors to local leaders. Through partnerships, we are delivering development outcomes today while also strengthening the systems and organizations that will sustain progress tomorrow.

About the Author

Ayatullah Al-Mamun is the Project, Partnership and Localization Coordinator at Helvetas Bangladesh.