As part of its 2021-2025 organizational strategy, GHV has made commitments to justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and locally led development (sometimes referred to as localization). GHV’s commitment to these principles reflects a broader vision of “a world in which the fundamental rights to a healthy life, healthy community, and healthy planet are equally available to all.”
Locally led development is a practice of changing policies, practices, and funding flows to equitably transfer resources to communities directly so that solutions are created by and in response to their priorities and needs. Transfer of resources to “local” or “Global South” actors to facilitate local leadership, decision-making, and DEI is necessary for shifting power and addressing current power imbalances that persist in our sector. While the wisdom of this approach is now widely accepted and affirmed among the development sector as a matter of impact, justice, efficiency, and economic sustainability, vestiges of colonialism have served as barriers in shifting power and changing the status quo. Despite decades of slow progress, locally led development is gaining momentum driven by the expertise and demands of civil society organizations, community leaders, and national governments.
