On 5th December 2022 Development Initiatives hosted the launch event of the IASC Guidance on the Provision of Overheads to Local and National Partners . The event shared headlines from the newly endorsed IASC guidance informed by research carried out by the IASC Results Group 5. The panel discussions explored how different organisations are starting to implement the guidance, some of the challenges and possible solutions, and reiterated the importance of collective action.

Guidance and Research Report is available to read here: https://interagencystandingcommittee....

We have published a short blog summarising the key issues and context for the Guidance available to read on our website: https://devinit.org/blog/indirect-cos...

Key takeaways:
• There is strong agreement that more equitable overhead sharing is needed, and there is clear willingness to take it forward. UNHCR and CRS gave useful examples of how they have started to implement organisation-wide changes, and what they still need to do to ensure more equitable policies.
• The issue of overheads is fundamentally about enabling organisations to serve people affected by crisis better. We heard in the Lebanon context, how overheads enabled Amel to be the first national organisation to co-lead a sector cluster (health) and contributed to more local actors being able to participate in coordination mechanisms.
• Localisation is more than international organisations providing overheads, but this is the ‘lowest of hanging fruit’. Implementing the principles of partnership and increasing quality funding including multi-year, flexible funding is crucial.
• Practice is more important than policy. There needs to be collective action by donors, UN agencies and INGOs to jointly move forward together on this issue and monitor the implementation of the Guidance.

Next steps:
The IASC Task Force 5 on Localisation will support the operationalisation of the guidance in collaboration with IASC members and supported by Development Initiatives, including aligning with the work of the Grand Bargain Funding for Localisation caucus. Specific next steps include:
• An annual mapping of IASC member policies and practices. This will update the mapping conducted in May 2022 (see the annex of the research report) and will be expanded to include a larger number of organisations. This will allow good practice to be shared and act as a monitoring and accountability tool. Please contact DI to be included in the mapping.
• Dissemination of the Guidance at national level. The research found that most good practice was driven by conversations at country level. Round table discussions (from February 2022) with a wide range of stakeholders at country level will aim to ensure that change is being driven from both headquarters and country level.
• Bilateral engagement with donors. While the guidance is for IASC members, it is recognised that donors have a critical role to play in supporting its implementation. The IASC will support dissemination of the guidance among donors and facilitate discussions around the implementation and how to overcome barriers.

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