Crisis at a time for new dreams

A call to action by Start Network Hubs for a localised COVID-19 response

by the leadership teams of Start Network Hubs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, India, Pakistan and Pacific region

THIS WE BELIEVE

Covid-19 is impacting a world already reeling under the exponential strain of floods, cyclones, fires, drought and conflict. How we respond will impact not just the lives of millions in the coming weeks, but will set the future course of how solidarity and help are experienced for decades to come.

A crisis is a process of transformation where the old system can no longer be maintained — a major tipping point for change. So it becomes imperative to face into crisis with a compelling vision of what change looks like. The stakes have never been greater — will we retreat into centralised power structures and isolationism, or embrace an opportunity to speed up efforts to localise and democratise how help is delivered around the world.

We are humanitarians. We have come together from all corners of the world. Between us, we have the privilege to work for many of the smallest and largest humanitarian organisations on earth. Together, we have embarked on a journey to re-design and re-make how the world responds to crisis. We believe we can transform humanitarian response — to be quicker, more efficient, more local, more lasting and higher impact.

We’re building lean, networked Hubs of diverse actors across four continents. We’d like to invite you into our lived experience, our struggles, our ambition and our calls to action as the world grapples with the biggest crisis of our generation.

SOME THINGS ARE CLEAR

In this period of radical uncertainty, some things have come into focus.

1. Localisation is inevitable now. Limited mobility is giving new urgency and prominence to the capacity for local actors to respond. There are however real questions of motivation. Is this about tactical and operational expediency and the convenient transfer of risk? Or is this a step-change moment for pursuing the spirit of partnership, subsidiarity and complementarity enshrined in recent global accords.
2. Covid-19 shows no regard for immigration controls or the normal boundary conditions of most disasters. There is a truth in the oft-repeated sentiments that we are all in this together, yet it is also true that front-line workers, the majority of whom are women and lower socioeconomic groups, are amongst those of highest risk due to their often repeated exposure to the virus. Refugees, migrants and IDPs, so often living outside of formal employment and social protection systems, are amongst those also experiencing disproportionate levels of hardship.
3. We are witnessing a massive socio-economic shock. The impact on livelihoods, food security, social cohesion, conflict, gender-based violence is at least as significant as the direct consequences of the virus. And as efforts are made to restart the engines of our economic and political systems in these months to come, there exists a rare opportunity to recalibrate the engine and deliberately reposition our direction of travel.
4. There is a calling in this for everyone. One problem we know all too well, and long before Covid-19, is that recurring humanitarian and development needs massively outstrips the capacity of professionals to respond on their own. So as millions of non-traditional actors come forward, desperate to help, and from all walks of life, now is our moment. The realisation that the care we offer each other now and forever involves everyone.

LEADERSHIP IN A CHANGED WORLD

The magnitude of the unfolding Covid-19 crisis is like nothing we have faced before. We believe there are qualities of leadership that should define our collective response. For one thing is abundantly clear — the care we offer each other, the leadership we take, the new skills, structures and behaviours we adopt in these weeks to follow, will fundamentally shape our future for decades to come.

We have been observing with deep admiration a number of step-change leadership qualities that offer real promise in our response to Covid-19 and model new behaviours that could fundamentally re-shape humanitarian action of the future.

1. Navigating the delicate tension between crisis and renewal. The ability to respond to the immediacy of hardship and face into the grief and trauma of abrupt endings; while simultaneously framing the space and opportunity for new beginnings, and for thinking afresh about the type of world we wish to re-shape.
2. Improvisation and tenacity in the face of disorientating unpredictability. The ability to counter widespread feelings of anxiety and the loss of control, with bounded confidence that is able to acknowledge uncertainty yet galvanise the civic agency and emergent action of many people.
3. A curiosity for discovery and lived experience that precedes swift action. The care and attention for sense-making, for soliciting diverse voices and for sharing insight before galvanising collective action.
4. Harnessing latent capacities and resources. The aptitude to see, celebrate and mobilise the resources immediately available, without waiting for external help.
5. Building new forms of togetherness. The propensity to bring people together with a common purpose. Out of the intensity and focus of crisis response, comes opportunities to deepen a collective appreciation and alignment around the things we hold dear. And in turn, to harness this shared intent as the fuel for more decisive action.
6. Crafting new stories to re-shape the future. The storytelling capacities for making visible the seeds of emerging realities — shining a light on often small, largely invisible actors and their bold actions, that works to amplify and accelerate systems change.
7. Cultivating new skills, tools and sensibilities. The capacity to model and evolve collaborative behaviours that are both suited to the immediacy of the crisis, while also acting as prototypes for hoped for and more mainstream future realities.
8. Bridging, convening and translating. The art and dexterity of ‘hub makers’ are being brought into focus. The ability to galvanise networks of care, to invite unlikely actors around the table, to bridge diverse worldviews, to find a shared language, and crucially, to take collective action — doing more together than we can alone.

CALLS TO ACTION

We are a group of Hub makers. We are building a new enabling culture and infrastructure to help make humanitarian response more local, more responsive, more effective. We are powered by the Start Network, and this is our 90-day call to action to our colleagues at the Start Network, their donors and the wider humanitarian sector. We believe these calls to action will help both: a) respond to immediate needs, and b) accelerate a lasting step-change in humanitarian response.

1. Becoming Radically Open — responding to the complexity and scale of Covid-19 requires the involvement of a very wide variety of traditional and non-traditional actors. From faith groups to corporations, from neighbourhood associations to social enterprises — we need to urgently nurture and support place-based movements of unlikely actors. Immediate call to action: to provide the fastest possible mechanisms for conducting an appropriate level of due diligence on new actors as they join the effort, including sharing the due diligence already undertaken by others.
2. Hyper-Local Fund — we believe the highest impact leverage is achieved through subsidiarity. The act of making decisions as close to the ground as possible. We wish to see neighbourhood level actors being able to access micro-scale funds. Immediate call to action: to dramatically reduce the minimum scale for grants to $100 dollars made available through Hubs and their members to a network of trusted neighbourhood scale actors. And for these grants to have the lightest possible reporting requirements such as a twitter tweet to record impact.
3. Crisis, Resilience and Renewal — we need to recognise how response adapts post the immediate crisis. We see three, in part overlapping, phases to Covid-19: a) the immediate period of crisis, b) a period of resilience and coping and c) a period of renewal and new dreams. We need to be mindful of the current limitations of the humanitarian and development sector that often struggles to transition well between the changing phases post an immediate rapid onset event. Immediate call to action: to resource dedicated design teams on a local level to be building a collective strategy and operating plan for both the current and future phases of the Covid-19 response. And crucially, for this to involve designing the interfaces required to facilitate effective transitions between phases of response — as these typically involve different actors and approaches.
4. Holding Power to Account — how ‘localisation’ commitments are lived and experienced in the coming months will fundamentally shape the future of humanitarian response for decades to come. We need appropriate mechanisms to hold power to account as new behaviours and protocols privileging local action are implemented at speed. Immediate call to action: to resource a two-fold effort: a) a global and transparent index charting the step-change progress of major donors and agencies to chart and celebrate progress towards ‘localisation’, and b) providing access to a supportive strategy unit — providing real-time advice to large actors on efforts to localise their response strategy.
5. Rapid Innovation Fund — non-traditional actors are making significant strides, at speed, to meet gaps in the Covid-19 response. For example, there is a growing movement involving the localised production of protective equipment and clothing. There is however a significant challenge for new innovations such as the local manufacturing efforts to scale up PPE production and achieve certification from regulatory authorities. Immediate call to action: to launch a rapid innovation fund and multi-sited global incubator for supporting Covid-19 innovators to access the knowledge, experience, markets, investment and compliance support they deserve.
6. A Learning Framework — the complexity and uncertainty involved in the Covid-19 crisis calls on our capacity for rapid cycles of insight, learning and new practice development like never before. Immediate call to action: to resource and host reflective practice, such that opportunities for both peer-to-peer and academic-hosted spaces for learning can be embedded as a vital part of maximising the effectiveness of our Covid-19 response. And furthermore, that insights and new behaviours can be codified during this process and shared with global decision-makers to both challenge and support the sector’s vital step-change efforts.
7. Sharing Models that Work — there is an unprecedented level of innovation and new models being developed in response to Covid-19. However, there are currently very few mechanisms for these models to either be verified in their effectiveness and or open-sourced for adoption around the world. Immediate call to action: to resource a global search for effective models in response to Covid-19 and a platform for open-sourcing these operating models and available insight on their effectiveness.

A DEFINING MOMENT

Covid-19 is maybe the biggest rupture and tragedy of our generation.

There is a stark choice in how the world responds. To look inwards, to default to ingrained habits and behaviours, to retreat into fear and isolation and risk reinforcing established prejudice. Or will this be a defining moment, Covid-19 as a portal to new futures? An opportunity to think afresh. To prototype new collaborative behaviours. To welcome new actors. To honour and strengthen local capacities. And above all, to demonstrate deeper forms of empathy and inclusion.

If it’s possible to take away so much social connection and security in the space of a few weeks. This is our promise to do whatever it takes to build it back, deeper, better.

Out of such immense hardship and tragedy, comes an opportunity for renewal, at this, a time for new dreams.

This is the Hubs’ 90-day call to action for the humanitarian sector. What do you commit to?

Share your commitments with us @StartNetwork #ReshapeAid

During the coming weeks, the Start Network Hubs will host webinars to discuss these ideas and the actions needed to realise their ambitions.

Read more about the Hubs.

Read the blog by Hugo Icu Peren, a member of the Guatemala Hub leadership team.

Read the blog by Start Network CEO Christina Bennett.