Asia-Pacific Local Leaders Summit: A Platform for Ideas and Collaboration to Strengthen the Role of Local Actors

Banda Aceh – Human Initiative, as one of the humanitarian organizations in Indonesia, is grateful to have been part of the Asia-Pacific Local Leaders Summit held in Banda Aceh on August 19-22, 2024. As the designated local host for Indonesia, Human Initiative witnessed how this regional-level meeting opened networks for more than 50 domestic and international organizations to strengthen the role of local community actors in their respective regions.

In 2024, the Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR), a global movement of local and national civil society organizations (CSOs), chose Indonesia to host the Asia-Pacific Local Leaders Summit. Under the theme ‘Strengthening Local Humanitarian Actors and Building Resilience,’ NEAR invited more than 50 organizations from around the world to share their experiences in implementing best practices based on humanitarian principles.

Andjar Radite, Vice President of Communication, Network, and Development (CND) at Human Initiative, expressed his gratitude for NEAR’s trust in Human Initiative to collaborate in organizing this regional-level meeting. As both a participant and local host, he observed how representatives from various organizations actively discussed effective steps to consolidate a more inclusive and equitable humanitarian sector.

“The Asia-Pacific Local Leaders Summit has opened networks for us as a humanitarian organization. Various efforts, through the local wisdom of each country, to bring humanitarian aid closer to communities and ensure effective and efficient responses, serve as best practices for all humanitarian actors,” said Andjar.

The summit produced several recommendations, one of the main ones being the agreement to establish a National Reference Group (NRG) in Indonesia. In NEAR’s official press release, it was stated that the NRG will serve as a platform for various humanitarian actors, including the government, civil society organizations (CSOs), women’s organizations, donors, the UN, international NGOs, local actors, and affected communities, to sit together on equal terms and find joint solutions to the humanitarian challenges they face. The NRG is expected to strengthen Indonesia’s humanitarian ecosystem through better coordination and collaboration among all stakeholders.

As a global humanitarian actor, Andjar, representing Human Initiative, hopes that civil society organizations (CSOs) and humanitarian networks will continue to collaborate to increase the effectiveness of humanitarian efforts. He believes that promoting kindness requires support from many parties, especially local community actors. This ensures that humanitarian crises are reached, responded to, and resolved efficiently while strengthening community resilience against various humanitarian events.

“I hope that all of us, as Humanitarian Actors under humanitarian organizations, can strengthen the role of local community actors. This will make humanitarian responses more effective. Moreover, local community actors can provide sustainable solutions that meet the needs of the communities around them,” Andjar concluded.