Looking Forward: The Alliance of Ukrainian CSOs

By Nicholas Noe | March 27, 2025

Ukrainian translation forthcoming.

Executive Summary

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian civil society organizations (CSOs) and informal volunteer groups quickly became the backbone of the country’s humanitarian response. In the critical first three months of the war – before international actors could significantly mobilize – local actors efficiently delivered nearly all humanitarian aid, leveraging their deep community ties, agility, and on-the-ground expertise. Established Ukrainian CSOs and more than 1,700 spontaneous volunteer groups organized innovative, grassroots-driven efforts, underscoring the capability and resilience of Ukraine’s civil society. However, despite their early effectiveness, local groups soon faced marginalization as the international humanitarian architecture expanded and began to push them aside.

Responding to this marginalization and building on years of advocacy for greater local leadership in the aid sector, 16 leading Ukrainian CSOs publicly formed the Alliance of Ukrainian CSOs (the Alliance) in September 2023. Driven by frustration over ongoing power imbalances and a desire to strengthen local leadership, the Alliance established itself as a unified voice advocating for genuine, locally led reform. Its foundational Manifesto emphasized the urgent need for structured, sustainable, and inclusive humanitarian responses, equitable partnerships with international stakeholders, and an expanded role for Ukrainian CSOs beyond emergency aid, including recovery, development, and civil defense.

Throughout its first year, the Alliance built significant credibility and momentum, including within the wider CSO community and with the Ukrainian government. It was further bolstered by the support of several donors, the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) for Ukraine, and international advocates. These relationships and its initial “start-up” approach to advocacy (collaborative not confrontational) enabled some early successes, including a partial exemption from military conscription for humanitarian workers, the endorsement of the Alliance’s localization strategy by the UN-led Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), and progressively deeper reforms in favor of local and national CSOs at the largest country-based pooled fund in the world, the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF). At the same time, Alliance members continued to pool their extensive operational expertise – earned through the direct experience of wartime aid delivery – to plan and advocate for a truly inclusive response architecture. Four principles guided their path: (1) maintaining a relatively small but diverse membership; (2) employing flexible, consensus-based governance structures; (3) bridging humanitarian action with early recovery efforts and reconstruction; and (4) engaging international partners on equitable terms.

Entering 2025, the Alliance expanded its staffing and established specialized working groups in areas including research coordination, humanitarian architecture, due diligence, locally led pooled funds, and cash programs. This strengthened internal structure ensures the Alliance is well-equipped to guide the humanitarian response amid sharp anticipated reductions in international aid, supporting greater solidarity, coordination, and resource-sharing among Ukrainian CSOs at a time when local leadership will again be front and center. Humanitarians in general are particularly worried that the aid sector may soon see a chaotic, harmful version of localization through brute force i.e. a sudden cutoff of foreign aid that leads to the ending of work by international organizations and the destruction of many of the partnership networks and coordination structures that have helped incubate a substantial increase in strong, humanitarian-focused Ukrainian CSOs.

In this moment of great uncertainty, effective localization and power-shifting efforts are more critical than ever to optimize the distribution of diminishing humanitarian aid. The Alliance’s experience offers valuable insights for how locally led coalitions can drive such vital reforms. While it is true that Ukraine’s robust civil society, high international visibility and support, and aspiration for European integration have all provided fertile ground for local leadership, Ukraine should not be seen as an outlier. Many contexts and countries possess or can cultivate some of the most important enabling conditions – strong CSO networks, donor receptiveness, and supportive governance structures – that can lay the basis for a locally led response to thrive.This report details key moments and takeaways from the Alliance’s young history, especially as lived by its founding members and supporters. It also provides recommendations that can help guide how other locally led coalitions – and their international supporters – might coalesce to drive vital reforms in aid responses elsewhere that are no less deserving of fundamental change.

Recommendations

To Locally Led Coalitions:

Prioritize Trust in CSO Coalition Building. Founding members should dedicate sufficient time to building trust between members as early as possible since the startup phase of any new coalition is an especially fraught period where disputes and disagreements can take hold, undermining momentum.
Allow Time for Organic Growth But Invest Early In Staffing. Sustainable coalition building takes time, but this is necessary for members to learn to work between organizations, interests, and viewpoints – to truly become an alliance that can more formally organize itself, take on new members, and advocate for even deeper reforms. One aspect that should not be delayed: adequate staffing as early as possible to respond to multiple stakeholders that all want to be treated with priority at the outset.
Ensure Diverse Representation While Incorporating Established CSOs. Well-established CSOs help build initial “trust capital,” but smaller CSOs representing diverse segments of the aid landscape play a vital role in balancing the voices of larger organizations. Measures such as rotational steering committee membership, designated seats for smaller CSOs, and a transparent secretariat structure can all help promote equitable decision-making.
Explore a Collaborative Rather Than Confrontational Approach in the “Startup” Stage, and Build Relations With Government Authorities. In the Ukrainian context, a collaborative approach with INGOs and UN actors, some of which were initially skeptical or even fearful of the Alliance’s push for localization reforms, allowed the Alliance to allay concerns and produce a supportive overall environment for staking out its leadership position. Governments can play powerful roles – negatively or positively – in the CSO sector, so early assessment – and then possibly engagement – can help CSOs shape the outcome, an aspect that becomes even more important when international support wanes.
Advocate Strongly For Representation Across Relevant National and International Forums. Locally led coalitions should actively engage in internationally led forums that shape policies and funding mechanisms affecting their countries. Seats at global platforms and national ones like the Humanitarian Country Team, the Board of the UHF, and donor working groups assert local and national expertise, priorities, and operational realities while opposing top-down approaches that may not align with local needs.
Expand the Scope of Locally- ed Coalitions Beyond the Emergency Response. Locally led coalitions formed around humanitarian aid should consider extending their influence to encompass recovery, development, and civil defense. By actively shaping these sectors, coalitions can better ensure that local priorities drive long-term resilience and reconstruction efforts. Moreover, this strategic expansion enhances coalition durability, allowing it to remain relevant and influential long after immediate crises subside.

To INGOs and International Supporters:

Uphold Local Leadership in International Partnerships. International support is important for locally led coalitions, but it must be carefully managed to avoid overshadowing local leadership. INGOs and donors bring resources and influence, yet their voices should amplify – not replace – those of local coalitions. Regular coordination meetings, open dialogue, and intentional restraint help ensure that international actors reinforce, rather than dictate, local priorities.
Promote and Advocate for Localization Across Different Contexts: INGOs engaged in one response (like Ukraine) should take the lessons learned and advocate in the broader humanitarian system for change. This means sharing constructive localization experiences in global forums, essentially saying: it’s working here with these approaches; let’s see how it can work elsewhere.
Maintain an Inclusive NGO Forum Beyond Emergencies. To ensure long-term coordination and local leadership, an inclusive NGO forum (or platform) should be sustained beyond crisis periods as long as there is a possibility of an emergency at scale recurring. The absence of a well-structured NGO forum in Ukraine in 2022 contributed to inefficiencies and marginalization in international aid efforts.
Ensure Sustained Donor Support for Locally Led Coalitions. Donors play a crucial role in the sustainability and autonomy of locally led coalitions. Strategic support from entities like USAID, FCDO, and the Swiss Development Agency enabled the strong formation and relatively fast growth of the Alliance of Ukrainian CSOs. However, funding must go beyond short-term aid and include flexible, multi-year financing that empowers local coalitions to lead responses and build long-term capacity.
Institutionalize Power-Shifting Reforms While Centering Local Leadership. Beyond financial support, donors and international agencies must actively implement power-shifting reforms and institutionalize local leadership in decision-making – both in support of a locally led coalition and to improve the aid response generally. The Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) in Ukraine, Denise Brown, played a pivotal role in advocating for Ukrainian CSOs within the international humanitarian system, notably through reforms in the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF), data sharing, and the central role given to the Alliance in developing a localization strategy. Similar efforts should be replicated globally, ensuring that structural changes happen alongside local CSOs and coalitions gaining formal seats at decision-making tables.

Methodology

This report is based on more than three dozen interviews conducted in late 2024 and early 2025 with Alliance members, key donors, INGOs, and UN officials as well as Ukrainian civil society actors that are not a part of the Alliance and localization advocates outside of the Ukraine context. An extensive desk review of relevant literature – in addition to that which has been largely co-produced by Refugees International and Alliance members – was also undertaken before and during the course of writing the report. Refugees International thanks Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) for its support for this and past reports on the work of the Alliance.

Background on the Creation of the Alliance

Russia’s 2014 aggression against Ukraine began with the illegal annexation of Crimea in March, followed by the eruption of conflict in eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists seized territories in Donetsk and Luhansk. This marked the start of a prolonged war, displacing more than 1.5 million people and triggering a humanitarian crisis. In 2015, some of the main INGOs operating in Ukraine came together to form the country’s first NGO Forum, which included several Ukrainian NGOs. Since it was set up as a mixed forum of international and local organizations, Ukrainian representatives expected to play a strong role in collective decision-making. This was not the case. “The reality is that the original Forum was stood up by INGOs and mechanisms were not put in place for local leadership,” explained one former INGO representative at the Forum. “The few Ukrainian organizations who participated did not feel included,” observed one Ukrainian NGO member. “The steering committee was ruled by INGOs. When we asked for greater representation the feeling was that [our organizations] are just supposed to implement for the INGOs.”

There were other problems undermining the Forum. According to several international and Ukrainian members, the secretariat was increasingly viewed as operating in an untransparent manner. By the fall of 2019, with funding drying up in the response as a whole and DG ECHO announcing it would shortly pull its support for the Forum, none of its rivalrous “international club” members stepped up to save it. “It could have been preserved,” argued a former Forum coordinator. “The U.S. government was willing to continue to fund it. You need an accountable, minimally functioning forum, especially in a context that could see an escalation. The dysfunction should have been worked out.”

In the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian civil society organizations and informal volunteer groups became the backbone of the humanitarian response. During the first six weeks, nearly all humanitarian assistance was driven by local actors—including approximately 150 established Ukrainian NGOs and over 1,700 spontaneously formed volunteer groups. Without significant initial international presence, these local actors rapidly organized an organic, bottom-up aid response, pooling personal resources and risking their lives to deliver critical support to affected communities. Many utilized innovative informal networks, drawing funding from outside the traditional humanitarian sector, which proved quicker and more flexible than standard international humanitarian mechanisms.

This swift and highly effective local response stands in stark contrast to the slow scale-up by international actors, who struggled to mobilize due to bureaucratic constraints, security risks, and limited contingency planning. Ukrainian CSOs were thus the indispensable first responders, efficiently addressing urgent needs amid chaos and uncertainty. However, despite their demonstrated effectiveness and deep community ties, these groups soon experienced marginalization as international humanitarian structures expanded. Overly bureaucratic donor requirements and a lack of genuine power-sharing left local groups excluded from major decision-making processes, weakening the response overall. This subsequent marginalization became particularly troubling given the remarkable competence and dedication these Ukrainian organizations demonstrated in the crucial first weeks of the crisis. It also contradicted global commitments, such as the Grand Bargain, which calls for sending as much humanitarian funding as possible directly to local actors and centering them in planning, coordination and decision-making. The burgeoning international aid presence further siphoned human resources from Ukraine’s civil society and government sectors, as local professionals were often recruited by international agencies able to offer far more attractive salaries and benefits.

The lack of an NGO platform meant that Ukrainian responders had no mechanism to enhance their representation in, and contribution to, the massive international aid response as it was being built. “It was a missed opportunity to establish a meaningful partnership with national and local organizations from the onset of the scale-up,” said Martin Chatelet, who led a scoping effort by ICVA in 2022 to facilitate NGO coordination and support the development of an NGO coordination model fit-for-purpose. According to Chatelet, international NGOs initially had limited bandwidth for coordination since they were consumed by their own organizational and operational reconfiguration or buildout. As one INGO country director at the time observed, had the previous NGO Forum worked out its governance problems and made more room for Ukrainian responders, the sprawling international architecture that, “came in would have probably encountered organized pushback from INGOS already operating in the country as well as Ukrainian organizations saying, wait, channel the funding more efficiently, build on existing coordination mechanisms and involve Ukrainians meaningfully in planning and decision-making.”

With volunteer networks increasingly fatigued and local and diaspora donations appearing to taper off, Ukrainian civil society continued to press for an urgent dialogue over coordination, leadership and funding in the response. By August 2022, Ukrainian CSOs, led by future Alliance member the National Network of Local Philanthropy Development, initiated a public appeal to change course. In an open letter titled “If Not Now, When?,” dozens of Ukrainian CSOs and international advocates asserted that, “sincere intentions and current approaches to providing support are not enough.” “It was clear that Ukrainian CSOs were playing the major role in the response after February 2022,” said Oleksandra Buglak, who worked with the Ukrainian NGO Resource Center at the time. “But we were falling between the cracks, especially when it came to funding, leadership, and coordination.” Although there were numerous Ukrainian networks and platforms functioning across civil society, according to Sasha Galkin, the head of R2P, “Ukrainian CSOs had been talking about the need for localization at least since 2018 and the idea of a Ukrainian coalition [focused on the humanitarian sector] seemed like a vital ‘missing piece’.”

In late September 2022, Refugees International convened a virtual panel discussion of its report, “Localizing the International Humanitarian Response in Ukraine,” with the leaders of three of the largest Ukrainian CSOs: Oksana Kuiantseva from East SoS, Galkin from R2P, and Tetiana Stawnychy from Caritas Ukraine. “This felt like the first time we had been together since the full-scale invasion and our panel had only Ukrainians on it,” explained Stawnychy. “We had a moment to reflect and we realized, and spoke afterward, that there really needs to have a space for discussion amongst Ukrainian NGOs. We also felt a real synergy that we can come together and address some of the issues that we were all dealing with.” Ukrainian CSOs had, “a lot of similar problems and challenges as implementing partners for internationals,” agreed Kuiantseva. “We had to talk about our expertise and what we really need and want.”

Two months later, the UK’s Disaster Emergency Committee, in partnership with Christian Aid, released its “Ukraine Appeal Localisation Scoping Report” based on hundreds of interviews across the country with Ukrainian CSOs, volunteers, and international stakeholders. The report highlighted the continued marginalization of Ukrainian NGOs despite their central role in humanitarian response, with less than 1 percent of humanitarian contributions directly transferred to national NGOs. The report concluded with a call for deep structural reforms to shift power to Ukrainian-led humanitarian actors, warning that without these changes, localization would remain an unfulfilled promise and that the provision of aid to people in need would suffer accordingly.

Amid this backdrop of mounting evidence over aid shortcomings, Humanitarian Coordinator Brown, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Kyiv, and the UHF began focusing time and resources on addressing the mounting calls for deep reforms. Brown reached out to both Stawnychy and Illya Kletskovskyy, deputy director at the Ukraine Red Cross, as well as other Ukrainian CSO leaders in order to gauge Ukrainian views. She probed whether CSOs would be willing to form their own NGO Platform and/or take on a leadership role in developing a localization roadmap. At the same time, OCHA convened a series of meetings with Ukrainian responders at the frontlines of the response and the UHF began formulating a $20 million grant announcement that would specifically focus on delivering funds quickly to small Ukrainian CSOs and volunteer networks.

The discussions and activities culminated in a “National Workshop on Localizing Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine” held in Kyiv on February 17, 2023. Representatives from more than 200 local and national civil society actors, volunteer networks, INGOs, UN agencies, donor governments, and Ukrainian authorities participated. The Workshop launched a joint statement that was based on five sub-national workshops convened during the winter 2022-2023 exploring the issues Ukrainian CSOs face in Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Lviv, and Chernihiv oblasts. Shortly after the Workshop concluded, a Communique was also issued focused on empowering local organizations in humanitarian action.

In the ensuing months, the leaders of R2P, Caritas Ukraine, and Red Cross Ukraine discussed joint action. Core questions included: should they form an independent organization; should membership be restricted to six large CSOs; and should they adopt an adversarial or collaborative approach to INGOs and the UN system. “It was clear that we needed a retreat and to take our time to come together,” said Stawnychy. More than a dozen Ukrainian CSO representatives gathered for a two-day strategic planning retreat in July 2023. The CSOs had already decided on an inclusive approach of listening and dialogue. The HC and key officials from OCHA and the UHF participated. Joanna Garbalinska, the director of the budding Humanitarian NGO Platform – which would fully launch in December 2023 – also participated, as did donor representatives and INGO Country Directors.

Crucially, Brown made clear that she fully agreed Ukrainian CSOs should formulate a localization strategy for the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) as the main building block for change. “If we had pursued the Inter-Agency Standing Committee [IASC] way a localization strategy was supposed to be designed – with the HC driving the process – it would have been a mistake.” It would probably take longer, Brown realized, but “Ukrainian CSOs explained why the process was important and needed to take longer, in part because of the complexities between different, very engaged Ukrainian actors.” According to Brown, she suggested “sitting in the backseat” during the process, but Ukrainian interlocutors rejected this. “This process requires everyone to engage. You need to sit next to us,” urged Stawnychy.

“This was a critical moment during the summer of 2023,” observed Lizz Harrison, a co-author of the 2022 DEC Scoping Survey. “Localization and the urgent need for a locally led response was front and center. There was also global pressure since everyone agreed that if you couldn’t find a way to move on localization and live up to the Grand Bargain commitments in Ukraine – with all of the support and [relative] flexibility – then how could we imagine shifting power elsewhere?” Moreover, by this point, key donors who had committed or spent billions of dollars in humanitarian aid increasingly wanted to know how cost-effective the international intermediary approach was compared to a more locally led response. “It was impossible to avoid the need for localization,” said Kuiantseva. “And donors especially understood this. But Ukrainian civil society organizations had also really grown up quite quickly. We were ready to show how and where improvements needed to be made.”

Key Takeaways

Local Leadership is Essential in Crisis Response: Ukrainian CSOs demonstrated a high level of effectiveness in the immediate aftermath of the February 2022 invasion. Their early success highlights the value and capability of local actors, challenging the traditional reliance on international humanitarian structures.
International Localization Commitments Must Translate into Action. Despite global commitments (e.g., the Grand Bargain) advocating direct funding and power-sharing with local actors – and their evident effectiveness in the field – Ukrainian CSOs faced bureaucratic barriers and limited participation. International organizations must actively implement these commitments, ensuring local actors genuinely lead planning, coordination, and funding processes.
The Absence of Inclusive Coordination Structures Hampers Responses: The initial NGO Forum failed, in part, because it was overly dominated by INGOs, excluding meaningful Ukrainian representation. The lack of an inclusive, functioning NGO Forum significantly limited the ability of Ukrainian CSOs to influence decision-making as international humanitarian efforts expanded.
Dedicated Spaces for Local CSO Dialogue are Crucial: Dedicated spaces exclusively for local civil society leaders allow them to take some moments away from the often grueling work of aid provision and identify common challenges, build synergy, and articulate collective priorities more clearly. Such spaces foster unity, amplify local expertise, and strengthen advocacy toward international actors.
Leadership Support from International Coordinators Is Vital for Effective Localization: HC Brown’s proactive advocacy and genuine engagement with Ukrainian CSOs demonstrated that international leadership can significantly bolster localization efforts. By prioritizing Ukrainian voices, encouraging CSOs to take ownership of the localization strategy, and actively facilitating direct funding to local responders, Brown showed how international coordinators can reinforce – rather than dominate – local leadership.

Key Dates 2024

December 2023-February 2024 – Strategic sessions around the development of a localization strategy in Ukraine.
March 13 – Presentation and discussion of the localization strategy draft with the INGO community.
March 14 – Presentation and discussion of the localization strategy draft with local and national CSOs (non-Alliance members).
March 15 – The 2nd Annual Ukrainian Aid Leadership Conference.
April 16 – Fourth Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) on Ukraine. The Alliance presented the localization strategy draft and identified important challenges for Ukraine.
May 23 – Ukraine HCT meeting where the Alliance presents its proposed strategy.
June 5 – The Ministry of Reintegration signs a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Alliance. The cooperation is part of the implementation of the localization strategy
August 15 – HCT approves the localization strategy.
October 15-16 – The Alliance participates in NEAR and Grand Bargain Annual meetings and launches its first Open Letter.
October 21-23 – The Alliance hosts an “Operational Planning” meeting to support the localization strategy in Ukraine.
November 7 – Ukraine HCT meeting on Alliance’s operational plan for 2025 to support the localization strategy in Ukraine (2024-2029).

Launch & Organizational Development

Manifesto

The Manifesto that 16 Ukrainian CSOs issued on September 30, 2023, publicly launching the Alliance declared that Ukrainian civil society had to strengthen its role in the humanitarian response and that “the response [itself] must evolve into a more structured and enduring effort.” It emphasized that local organizations understood the needs of their communities but were often left out of coordination mechanisms. By consolidating their efforts, the Alliance aimed to create a strong, unified voice capable of influencing policy in favor of Ukrainian CSOs and securing the necessary resources for long-term sustainability.

The Manifesto further called for partnerships with the government, donors, and international organizations not as passive recipients but as equal players in shaping Ukraine’s recovery i.e. beyond the humanitarian response. It highlighted the urgent need to reduce bureaucratic barriers, secure stable funding, and advocate for legal recognition of humanitarian workers. Through this collective effort, Ukrainian CSOs positioned themselves as leaders in their country’s future, demanding recognition, resources, and a meaningful seat at decision-making tables.

Alliance Manifesto Goals

Strengthen Local Leadership in Humanitarian Response – Ensure Ukrainian CSOs lead humanitarian efforts, rather than being sidelined by international actors, to create a more sustainable and structured response system.

Unify and Amplify the Voice of Ukrainian Civil Society – Consolidate efforts to advocate for policies that support CSOs, influence government decisions, and secure resources for long-term sustainability.

Establish Partnerships and Reduce Bureaucratic Barriers – Work closely with the Ukrainian government, donors, and international organizations to improve access to funding, simplify regulations, and integrate local organizations into global humanitarian frameworks.

Enhance Capacity Building and Sustainable Development – Strengthen Ukrainian CSOs by investing in training, verification systems, and infrastructure to ensure long-term operational effectiveness.

Advance Legal Protections and Recognition for Humanitarian Workers – Advocate for legal status, state insurance, and mental health support for local humanitarian personnel to ensure their well-being and professionalization.

“A locally led approach is a beacon to not only change our partners but also ourselves,” said Mila Leonova, who would take up the role of Alliance director at the end of 2023. “The international architecture showed us new aspects of humanitarian work. Now the Alliance is a way to change our lifestyle and ways of working by building bridges between stakeholders and an ecosystem for a locally led response that goes beyond wartime.” For Yuliia Sporysh, the director of NGO Girls, the Manifesto and the Alliance’s creation grew from a frank recognition that, “our contributions [as CSOs] to humanitarian response and recovery efforts are…often overshadowed by UN agencies, international organizations, as well as the [Ukrainian] government.” Being part of the Alliance, she said, “provides us with the opportunity to advocate not only on our own behalf but also on behalf of other Ukrainian organizations.”

Not all CSOs were fully convinced of the need for the Alliance. “At first, we didn’t understand why we needed to do this,” explained Vladyslava Zomarieva, deputy director of Proliska, one of the largest Ukrainian humanitarian organizations. “But then we thought that we need to spread more of our knowledge and we didn’t know how to do this. We quickly realized that this was a different format of cooperation: We can also gain knowledge from others. We can improve our advocacy, fill in our own gaps, gain knowledge where we don’t have it. In this way we can also strengthen our own structures.”

For Artem Kostiuchenko, director of national partnerships at the Ukrainian Education Platform, the Alliance was able to coalesce because of 10-plus years of civil society development. “Ukrainian CSOs were competing with one another for far too long, especially over resources,” he explained, “and this was harmful sometimes. Now many CSOs have reached a strong level of self-confidence where cooperation is actually much more feasible for more of us. It is not only the Alliance that is trying to bring organizations together – some others are also trying.” Anna Nishnianidze, a co-founder of the due diligence platform Philanthropy in Ukraine, agreed that other networks, alliances and platforms have been created in Ukraine – and will likely develop in the future. “But this is something new. You have very different organizations [among the 16 founding members] coming together, with a main focus on the humanitarian sector. There are also some of the most capable organizations in Ukraine saying, we know it’s easier to be alone and decide alone but when we are together we are going to be stronger, we will be better change makers and we will all be able to adapt much better.”

The Manifesto made it clear that at least four main principles would guide the Alliance’s initial work. First, the Alliance would operate as a relatively small but still diverse (and manageable) set of 16 Ukrainian CSOs. Second, the organizational structure would be informal and flexible, with decision-making based on consensus. Third, in contrast to the Humanitarian NGO Platform which was just then being stood up, the Alliance’s vision would go beyond humanitarian work to encompass early recovery, development, reconstruction and eventually civil defense – all of which meant it was crucial to simultaneously develop relationships with local and national governments. Fourth, shifting power from international to local actors would be undertaken in a collaborative rather than a confrontational manner with all stakeholders.

Key Takeaways

Leveraging a Mature Civil Society. A decade of civil society growth enabled Ukrainian CSOs to move beyond internal competition, establishing stronger cooperation essential for effective localization.
Unified Advocacy Strengthens Local Influence. Consolidating Ukrainian CSOs into the Alliance created a more powerful, collective voice to influence policy and secure resources for sustainable local responses. Skepticism among some CSOs transformed into recognition of the Alliance’s value in providing a collaborative platform for mutual learning, advocacy improvement, and organizational strengthening.

Initial Challenges and Strengths

Building a new CSO coalition is difficult in any context. The task is even harder, of course, in wartime. Further, none of the organizations and representatives in Ukraine had ever worked together in a sustained fashion before. “Maybe they knew about each other, but this was only from general conversations,” said Leonova. “On top of this, it’s wartime. You have your activities for your organization and your [beneficiares]. Now you have to volunteer time to work around developing common ideas.” An added challenge was that the concept of localization and a locally-led response was not widely understood by Ukrainian CSOs. And when it was, it was often viewed as a “beautiful dream.”

Leonova and other Alliance members found themselves attempting to do two things at once: build a new, more formal, organization while simultaneously advocating for Ukrainian CSOs in an environment flush with funding but also constantly changing. And, from the end of 2023 until the fall of 2024, Leonova was managing this alone, as the Alliance’s only staffer. Although the Alliance received funding, primarily from UK AID in early 2024, recruitment in a very competitive environment proved difficult and time-consuming. Leonova was also invited to attend multiple fora, including outside of Ukraine, while building relations among 16 different organizations. As Garbalinska remarked in reference to the NGO Platform, which coordinated closely with the Alliance from the start: “You get so busy, you delay the recruitment piece and you don’t do the things that will actually ease your work.”

Additional pressure came from donors, the UN and some wary INGOs that wanted to know quickly what exactly the Alliance wanted and how they proposed to move forward. “We, as donors, love to be told exactly what to do,” remarked one leading state donor representative. “We often have a somewhat limited capacity to take an unfinished product and then work it through ourselves. There was just tremendous pressure on the Alliance to organize itself and then produce a clear, actionable set of recommendations.”

Alongside these challenges, the Alliance had a number of factors working in its favor, some of which may be lacking in other humanitarian responses. It received strong financial support from donors at the outset, including UK AID, British Red Cross and Danish Red Cross. “We are very fortunate compared to other countries in terms of resources, real engagement and a genuine interest in dialogue and Ukrainian leadership,” observed Leonova. “We didn’t have to scream to be heard.” Catherine Green, a former country director of an INGO in Ukraine and a consultant brought on by CAFOD in the fall of 2024 to support Alliance operational planning, noted that Ukraine is also, “planning to join the E.U. which makes support and trust much easier. There has been an obvious professionalization of the humanitarian sector and a lot of investment as well to improve CSOs.” In many other contexts, donors or international actors will “claim there is a lack of good governance, corruption or capacity. Whether that is true or not around the world, the Alliance and Ukrainian CSOs in general have in their favor that they are widely seen as being effective and leading on system-wide change.”

Further contributing to the Alliance’s “trust capital” was its decision to anchor itself at the Ukrainian Red Cross. This meant office space was readily available and that funding could more easily and quickly flow in from donors. Additionally, several founding Alliance members– R2P, Caritas Ukraine, East SoS and Proliska–received direct state donor funding for aid operations. Several members were also on the steering committee/board of the UHF – notably working with the HC and UHF staff to drive an ambitious range of reforms – as well as the Humanitarian NGO Platform and the HCT itself.

Finally, HC Brown used her direct influence over the UHF in 2023 and 2024 to advance localization reforms that, among other improvements, supplied substantially more funds to Ukrainian responders (a key demand of two Alliance members which were then serving on the UHF board). “We were able to leverage the Fund because of all the conversations and momentum,” she explained. “In the process, we were able to further demonstrate that donors can trust Ukrainian organizations.” For Brown, however, one of the most important aspects of her working relationship with the Alliance was the mutual, personal trust that developed with Alliance leaders. “We aligned our messages. I trusted them and I think vice versa. That took us a long way.”

Key Takeaways

Coordinating in Wartime Intensifies Complexity: Forming a coalition during active conflict demands significant additional effort, as members must balance urgent organizational duties with volunteer time to build consensus and strategy.
Limited Staffing Slowed Early Momentum: For nearly a year, the Alliance operated with only one full-time staffer, making it difficult to handle recruitment, member relations and external outreach simultaneously.
Pressure for Immediate Clarity and Output: Donors and international actors expected quick results and clearly defined plans, which strained the Alliance’s capacity to develop considered strategies while managing day-to-day demands.
Strong Donor and Stakeholder Engagement: Unlike in many humanitarian contexts, the Alliance benefited from robust initial funding (UK Aid, British Red Cross, Danish Red Cross), a supportive donor environment, and genuine openness to Ukrainian leadership.
Reputation and Trust as Key Assets: Anchoring at the Ukrainian Red Cross, along with leadership roles held by founding members in various humanitarian bodies, built significant “trust capital.” This credibility reassured donors and other international stakeholders who felt more comfortable to engage.
Crucial Role of Personal Relationships: Direct engagement with key international figures like Denise Brown and leaders at the nascent Humanitarian NGO Forum fostered mutual trust, enabling further support and validation for the Alliance’s locally driven approach.

Draft Localization Strategy

In the winter of 2023-2024, as Russia intensified its attacks on critical energy infrastructure across Ukraine, the Alliance embraced what it saw as a mandate from the HC to develop a localization strategy that reflected the perspectives of Ukrainian civil society organizations (CSOs). Initially envisioned as a strategy focused solely on the humanitarian sector, it soon became clear—aligned with the Alliance’s Manifesto—that the focus should extend beyond immediate aid efforts to consider long-term reconstruction, as well as partnerships with the government and private sector.

The development process involved months of off-the-record dialogue sessions with diverse stakeholders. These created a safe space where participants could openly share their views, helped the Alliance determine the most effective path forward, and fostered solidarity and trust among Alliance members. “We chose negotiations and democratic tools,” explained Leonova. “The process was lengthy, but it united our organizations.” At the same time, the discussions built stronger relationships with international organizations and donors, reinforcing the Alliance’s advocacy efforts. As Leonova put it, “We agreed on the need for localization—but asked how we could achieve it through cooperation rather than conflict.”

Following a series of meetings, including two days of workshops with international NGOs (INGOs) and non-member Ukrainian CSOs in mid-March 2024, the Alliance officially presented its Draft Locally Led Response Strategy (2024–2029) at The Second Annual Ukrainian Aid Leadership Conference on March 15 in Kyiv (See Annex I). The conference was co-organized by the Alliance, Refugees International, CAFOD, the Humanitarian NGO Platform, OCHA, Nonviolent Peaceforce, and People in Need Ukraine. CDP provided primary financial support, with additional funding from UK Aid.

Key Takeaways

Dialogue and Democratic Tools Can Cement Internal Unity. Months of off-the-record discussions and consensus-building approaches created a safe environment for open sharing, uniting Alliance members around a shared vision and strengthening internal trust.
Broad, Inclusive Engagement Can Foster A More Powerful Strategy. By convening diverse stakeholders – from local CSOs to INGOs and donors – the Alliance ensured its localization strategy was shaped by varied perspectives, promoting greater legitimacy and buy-in.
Collaboration Over Conflict Can Accelerate Localization Momentum. The decision to pursue cooperative rather than adversarial tactics with donors, UN agencies, and INGOs enabled the Alliance to reinforce advocacy efforts and secure broader support for localization reforms.
Extending Beyond Immediate Aid Needs Builds Sustainability. Recognizing that long-term reconstruction and governmental partnerships were crucial led the Alliance to craft a strategy looking beyond humanitarian response, thereby reinforcing the foundation for sustainable, locally led solutions and prolonging its own raison d’etre.
High-Profile Public Rollouts Elevate Credibility. Presenting the Draft Locally Led Response Strategy at the Second Annual Ukrainian Aid Leadership Conference validated the Alliance’s leadership role and attracted further political and financial backing.

Draft Localization Strategy

Key Takeaways

Dialogue and Democratic Tools Can Cement Internal Unity. Months of off-the-record discussions and consensus-building approaches created a safe environment for open sharing, uniting Alliance members around a shared vision and strengthening internal trust.
Broad, Inclusive Engagement Can Foster A More Powerful Strategy. By convening diverse stakeholders – from local CSOs to INGOs and donors – the Alliance ensured its localization strategy was shaped by varied perspectives, promoting greater legitimacy and buy-in.
Collaboration Over Conflict Can Accelerate Localization Momentum. The decision to pursue cooperative rather than adversarial tactics with donors, UN agencies, and INGOs enabled the Alliance to reinforce advocacy efforts and secure broader support for localization reforms.
Extending Beyond Immediate Aid Needs Builds Sustainability. Recognizing that long-term reconstruction and governmental partnerships were crucial led the Alliance to craft a strategy looking beyond humanitarian response, thereby reinforcing the foundation for sustainable, locally led solutions and prolonging its own raison d’etre.
High-Profile Public Rollouts Elevate Credibility. Presenting the Draft Locally Led Response Strategy at the Second Annual Ukrainian Aid Leadership Conference validated the Alliance’s leadership role and attracted further political and financial backing.

Relations With The Humanitarian NGO Platform

The relationship between the Alliance and the Humanitarian NGO Platform has been defined by strong collaboration and mutual support since the Alliance’s inception. The partnership is rooted in complementary mandates, where each entity focuses on distinct but interconnected areas of Ukraine’s crisis response and recovery landscape. The Platform primarily addresses humanitarian response and operational NGO coordination, playing a vital role in immediate crisis relief. In contrast, the Alliance extends its efforts beyond emergency response, focusing on nexus issues, long-term recovery, development, and reconstruction. Coordination has been particularly strong in regards to efforts to reduce due diligence, improve partnerships, and address the ethical recruitment/poaching problem widely cited by L/NNGOs. Both the Platform and the Alliance also coordinate their roles across the various international forums on the Ukraine response to which both are now customarily invited. “Coordinated advocacy between the Alliance and the Humanitarian NGO Platform has been critical in amplifying aligned messages and engaging diverse targets,” explained Camilla Corradin, who became Platform Director in January 2025. “There are major opportunities to further strengthen this collaboration ahead of us, particularly on locally led responses and partnerships.”

For Sporysh, of NGO Girls, who also sits on the steering committee of the Platform, the cooperation between the two has been “highly effective,” with both entities actively supporting each other’s initiatives and championing the interests of local NGOs. Looking ahead, the relationship is indeed expected to evolve. “The Platform will eventually phase out as its humanitarian mandate winds down,” said Sporysh, “leaving the Alliance to continue leading coordination efforts with the Ukrainian government, donors, and UN bodies.”

Key Takeaway

Complementary Roles Maximize Impact. By focusing on distinct but interconnected mandates – immediate humanitarian response for the Platform and longer-term recovery for the Alliance – both entities can operate more effectively without duplicating efforts.

Engaging Government Authorities

In early 2024, as the Alliance developed its draft localization strategy, it also prioritized strengthening relationships with Ukrainian authorities, particularly at the national level. This dual focus quickly yielded results. In June 2024, the Alliance signed its first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine. Grounded in the Alliance’s strategy, the MoU outlined concrete steps to empower Ukrainian civil society organizations (CSOs) and enhance their role in the humanitarian response.

This formal partnership, combined with broader engagement efforts, led to a significant achievement: the Alliance successfully secured a partial exemption from military conscription for aid workers at Ukrainian CSOs during the summer of 2024. According to Kletskovskyy from the Red Cross Ukraine, “We hadn’t seen effective prioritization and scale for effective advocacy from international organizations or the UN on this critical issue, but the Alliance was quite strong in lobbying for its members and Ukrainian CSOs in general… Being an alliance opened the door for this exemption and fostered stronger government relations. Many CSOs didn’t have access to high-level government discussions or realize how valuable that cooperation could be.”

Despite this progress, many Alliance members acknowledge that significant challenges remain in strengthening relationships with various government bodies. Olga Nikolska from the Ednannia Foundation observed, “The government still underestimates the massive investment civil society has made in Ukraine. While we’ve seen some progress among top leaders—moving away from mistrust or disinterest—we must continue to emphasize the importance of our role. Ten years ago, officials might have dismissed us outright, but now there is genuine interest on both sides in building a better relationship.”

One area where Alliance-government collaboration could prove especially vital is in the delivery of social services, particularly as foreign aid decreases. A representative from a major state donor noted, “The government has indicated plans to contract NGOs for some social services. Yes, working with the Ukrainian government raises concerns,” such as the absence of program support costs/overhead, bureaucratic delays, and corruption risks. “But this partnership must be considered as international funding declines. The Alliance is well-positioned to lead this effort and advocate for stronger cooperation in the near future.”

Key Takeaways:

Active Engagement with Government Can Yield Tangible Results. By signing an MoU with the Ministry of Reintegration and advocating for specific needs like conscription exemptions, the Alliance demonstrated that proactive dialogue with national authorities can swiftly address key challenges for Ukrainian CSOs.
Formal Partnerships Strengthen Credibility. The MoU and subsequent advocacy successes enhanced the Alliance’s standing with both the government and international stakeholders, showcasing local civil society as a legitimate, capable partner.
Gaps in Government-CSO Understanding. In Ukraine, despite improved relations, officials often undervalue civil society’s contributions, underscoring the need for continued education, trust-building, and open communication channels.
Opportunities in Social Service Delivery. As donor funding recedes, the Ukrainian government may seek deeper partnerships with NGOs, an emerging space where the Alliance as a locally led coalition of CSOs can leverage its influence to secure sustainable partnerships and shape inclusive policies.

Research and Operational Planning

Throughout 2024, the Alliance strengthened its advocacy efforts by leveraging research and reports produced by its members and international partners, often through coordinated efforts or co-authorship. The most influential tool was the “Humanitarian Localization Baseline for Ukraine,” developed by the Alliance member NGO Resource Center (NGORC). This annual assessment gathers responses from hundreds of aid actors to track progress on key localization metrics year over year. By 2024, the NGORC had published two Baselines, covering 2023 and 2024, highlighting both persistent challenges and areas of modest progress in advancing a locally led humanitarian response in Ukraine. Both reports are regularly used by donors as well as other international stakeholders for consistently organizing and assessing key aspects of localization reforms.

Additional reports supplemented the Baseline and provided essential data for stakeholders and policymakers, further propelling localization momentum. “Passing the Buck: The Economics of Localizing Aid in Ukraine,” produced by Refugees International and The Share Trust with support from CDP, demonstrated that Ukrainian CSOs deliver aid between 15.5 percent and 32 percent more cost-effectively than international organizations, based on budget analysis from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF). The findings – which were only possible to assemble because the UHF and HC shared the relevant data in support of the Alliance’s overall efforts – quickly became a common talking point across Alliance members and international localization advocates, bolstering support for creating an ecosystem of locally led pool funds, among other suggestions. Shortly thereafter, the Ukrainian Aid Leadership Conference also released an update titled “It’s Time to Accelerate the Locally Led Response,” highlighting both advances and areas where reform efforts were lagging.

In the fall of 2024, the second edition of the Baseline was released alongside the “Annual Ukraine Localization Survey,” jointly conducted by Refugees International and Alliance member East SOS during summer and early fall. Designed to complement the primarily perception-based Baseline, the Survey collected both quantitative and qualitative data through Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). The data was categorized by the respondent’s role—Donor, UN agency, INGO, Cluster, or Local/National NGO (L/NNGO)—to assess broader trends and recommend actionable steps for each stakeholder group to empower Ukrainian responders and improve aid delivery.

With momentum building, it was no surprise that HC Denise Brown’s final contribution before leaving her role was to secure approval for the Alliance’s final localization strategy at the Humanitarian Country Team meeting in August 2024. However, Alliance members realized that the strategy needed to be streamlined into an operational plan for the Alliance itself as well as for the HCT’s specific role of ensuring alignment among UN agencies, international NGOs, local organizations, and government actors in the humanitarian response. With flexible funding from CAFOD, consultant Catherine Green collaborated with the Alliance, Refugees International and other partners in late 2024 to refine the strategy and develop a focused operational plan. This process also supported further organizational development and laid the groundwork for the Alliance’s expansion.

At the end of October, the Alliance hosted a three-day planning conference in Kyiv with more than 120 representatives of national and local Ukrainian CSOs, members of the Humanitarian NGO Platform in Ukraine, INGOs, donors, UN agencies, OCHA, Ukrainian government agencies and academic representatives all of whom worked to plan Alliance activities for the next year and identify specific steps and indicators. The main outcome was a decision by the Alliance to work alongside these partners on four core areas in 2025: Flexible, long-term funding via networks and consortia; streamlined processes to support local initiatives; equitable accountability through transparent partnerships; and legislation to align humanitarian practices with European standards. The operational planning documents (See Annex II) that were published in the wake of the conference – and forwarded to the HCT for consideration – also included specific requests for the three main pillars of the internationally led humanitarian response.

Support from Refugees International, CAFOD, CDP, and other international partners was important throughout the Alliance’s formation—contributing to drafting, planning, reporting, and convening efforts. However, even with the best intentions, international actors must recognize the risk of unintentionally overshadowing local coalitions. INGOs and donors often bring significant resources and global influence, which can dominate conversations if not carefully managed.

In Ukraine, the Alliance’s international supporters had to remain mindful of this dynamic, particularly as advocacy efforts gained traction. On a few occasions, international organizations’ work on Ukraine was misinterpreted as representing the Alliance’s official position—even when the coalition had not yet reached an internal consensus. In one such instance, criticism expressed in private by an international supporter concerning the representation of Ukrainian CSOs at the Humanitarian Platform was interpreted as an Alliance position critical of the Platform. Such misunderstandings risk undermining the Alliance’s autonomy. To prevent this, Refugees International and other allies worked to clarify roles and ensure that the Alliance remained the primary voice in all public advocacy related to its work. These experiences highlight a critical lesson: INGOs and donors must practice intentional restraint and discipline, continuously asking, Are we amplifying the local coalition’s voice or unintentionally speaking over it? Achieving this requires transparent communication and consistent coordination. In fast-moving crisis responses, silos can form, leading to duplicated efforts or misaligned messaging. Ensuring that every partner – local or international – is fully informed of each other’s activities reduces confusion and strengthens collective impact.

As the Alliance grew, regular update calls and coordination meetings proved essential for aligning strategies and sharing insights openly. When misunderstandings did occur, addressing them with honesty and transparency helped preserve trust and strengthen collaboration. However, maintaining this level of coordination is labor-intensive, and it will require ongoing investment in communication structures, staffing, and joint planning. Ultimately, the Alliance’s experience underscores that effective international support does not mean leading – it means reinforcing local leadership.

Key Takeaways

Evidence-Based Advocacy Fuels Localization Momentum. The “Humanitarian Localization Baseline for Ukraine” and other joint reports gave the Alliance crucial data to demonstrate the need and value of local leadership, thereby strengthening its bargaining power with donors and stakeholders.
Collaborative Research Drives Policy Change. Partnerships with Refugees International, The Share Trust, and others enabled the Alliance to present compelling findings – like Ukrainian CSOs delivering aid between 15.5 percent and 32 percent more cost-effectively – reinforcing the push for locally led pooled funds and other systemic reforms identified by the Alliance.
Operational Planning Emerged from In-Depth Analysis. Research findings and stakeholder inputs culminated in a comprehensive operational plan that clearly defined core focus areas (e.g., pooled funding, transparent partnerships, streamlined processes), guiding the Alliance’s strategic direction for 2025. These focus areas will help the Alliance to better target its advocacy and monitor the implementation over time of specific indicators.
International Support Requires Careful Coordination. While international supporters provided important funding and assistance to the Alliance, their significant influence risks overshadowing local actors if not managed with clear role definitions and communication protocols. By respecting coalition autonomy and practicing disciplined advocacy, donors and INGOs can foster truly locally driven outcomes.

Institutionalization and Expansion

After a year that saw only minimal staffing support for its director, the Alliance entered 2025 with a more detailed and ambitious program but also a growing team to manage activities. The Secretariat now includes: a Director, Program and Project Manager, Head of Advocacy Sector, Government Relations Specialist, Chief Humanitarian Officer, Project Administration Specialist, Project Administration Advocacy Specialist, Communications Manager, and Graphic Designer. Alongside the Secretariat, there are now four Working Groups (WGs) focused on specific areas:

Knowledge Sharing and Research Coordination – Creating a learning ecosystem necessary at all stages of humanitarian response and recovery and adequate for researching the progress of localization in Ukraine.
Humanitarian Architecture and Civil Protection – Strengthening the Civil Protection ecosystem to respond to emergencies as a contribution to an effective and safe humanitarian architecture in Ukraine.
Due Diligence and Pooled Funds – Harmonization of the CSO verification system for the Ukrainian context and the creation of locally led pooled funds
Cash Programs – Strengthening the role of Ukrainian CSOs in the implementation of cash programs in Ukraine.

Having robust staffing and dedicated working groups marks a critical transition for the Alliance, enabling it to move beyond the initial startup phase into deeper, more effective coordination and advocacy roles. The Alliance’s growth into a Secretariat with specialized positions provides essential capacity to manage complex partnerships, funding processes, and policy dialogues while the establishment of working groups ensures structured expertise in key strategic areas.

This expanded organizational structure is especially significant as Ukraine’s humanitarian architecture is likely to undergo substantial reconstruction, potentially including a reduction in international presence and resources. A strong, adequately staffed local coalition can help ensure that Ukrainian CSOs are well-positioned to lead coordination efforts, advocate effectively for localization reforms, and directly influence humanitarian, recovery, and development agendas. Ultimately, this structural evolution should allow the Alliance to assert sustained local leadership, ensuring a genuinely locally led response that is resilient, responsive, and aligned with community needs in a rapidly changing humanitarian environment. “We know how incredibly good locally led Ukrainian NGOs are at re-thinking, re-inventing and re-configuring our internal and external processes and projects in the nick of time,” observed Dina Urich, head of direct help at the evacuation-focused NGO Helping to Leave. “If we managed to help millions of Ukrainians in 2022 with zero institutional funding or grants, surviving only on crowdfunding, we know, for sure, that after three years of intense work, immersing ourselves in the humanitarian landscape in Ukraine, building so many horizontal connections, cooperating with international NGOs and other actors in numerous ways and now with our Alliance of CSOs, we are going to succeed.”

The Alliance plans to finalize its overall structure—beyond the Secretariat and Working Groups (WGs)—by the end of the first quarter of 2025, transitioning from its previous flexible, consensus-based approach to one that is more systematic and clearly delineated. A key concern raised by several Alliance members is ensuring that smaller organizations play influential roles, balancing the voices of the larger founding organizations. “Smaller organizations know the actual situation on the ground far better than our large organizations,” argued Galkin, who leads one of the country’s largest humanitarian organizations. “I would personally like to see more connections with grassroots organizations, linking them with INGOs, donors, and our government.” As discussions over the Alliance’s structure wrap up in the coming weeks, Galkin emphasized the need for clarity: “We need to [emerge] more systematic and more structured… How do we operate exactly?”

The Alliance is also focused on expanding its membership base, expecting more than a dozen CSOs to join under new rules and statutes approved by current members. “Almost 60 CSOs applied,” explained Leonova. “We had an open call in November 2024. After reviewing their applications – especially their motivation and reasoning behind wanting to join the Alliance – we presented everything to the current members. We want this to be about quality, not quantity,” Leonova emphasized. “At the end, we will have fresh air—new ideas and new people. We hope this will build new branches in our tree.” But several Alliance members remain cautious about expanding too rapidly or extensively. “We have seen this over the years with other coalition efforts,” warned Daria Rybalchenko, director of the National Network of Local Philanthropy Development. “We have to be careful… New organizations may join who aren’t as committed to localization, and we could lose focus on this critical issue.” Another challenge involves balancing inclusivity with the need for decisive action and advocacy. “I personally believe we have the potential to strengthen our advocacy in the coming period without seeking consensus on everything,” said Fred Larsson, director of the NGO Resource Center (NGORC). “Differences of opinion are healthy and necessary. But we must also claim our space confidently.”

The Alliance remains committed to amplifying the representation of Ukrainian CSOs both nationally and internationally. It is advocating for a formal seat at the Humanitarian Country Team, similar to the position held by the NGO Platform, which would significantly enhance the likelihood of having the Alliance’s operational plan approved, implemented, and monitored effectively. Additionally, the Alliance is progressing toward becoming a member of Charter for Change and has been invited by the Grand Bargain Secretariat to anchor a new National Reference Group in Ukraine that would coordinate with other such Groups globally to drive the localization agenda. On January 28, the Alliance presented its operational plan at the Fifth Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting (SOM)—a critical forum involving EU leaders shaping Ukraine’s future. “We know that the Alliance offers far stronger representation – especially internationally – than if we were advocating on our own,” said Rybalchenko.

Key Takeaways

Enhanced Capacity Through Expanded Secretariat. By adding specialized roles, the Alliance now has the dedicated expertise to handle complex coordination, funding, and policy engagement, moving beyond its startup phase.
Working Groups for Targeted Expertise: The creation of four Working Groups provides structured forums for addressing critical issues, helping to ensure the Alliance can respond to evolving humanitarian challenges more effectively.
Preparation for a Changing Humanitarian Landscape. As international support may contract, a well-staffed local coalition becomes essential. The Alliance’s expanded structure positions Ukrainian CSOs to lead and influence national recovery and development agendas in a shifting aid environment.
Commitment to Structured Governance and Diversity. Transitioning from a consensus-based model to a clearer organizational framework can help address members’ concerns about ensuring smaller CSOs play meaningful roles and that the Alliance remains both representative and decisive.
Incorporating Smaller Organizations Can Strengthen Localized Aid Delivery. Ensuring the active participation of smaller CSOs keeps the Alliance connected to the realities on the ground, where humanitarian needs are most clearly understood. Balancing their voices with those of larger organizations enhances responsiveness, strengthens advocacy, and ensures aid efforts remain community-driven rather than overly centralized.
Cultivating Leadership in Multiple Forums. Pursuing memberships and seats at various internationally led forums asserts local/national expertise, priorities, and operational realities while opposing top-down approaches that may not align with local needs. Furthermore, participation fosters direct relationships with donors, international NGOs, and policymakers, enabling local coalitions to advocate for sustainable funding models, power-shifting reforms, and equitable partnerships.

Conclusion

Ukraine’s humanitarian response has benefitted from a range of factors: a strong civil society foundation, high international visibility, robust donor engagement, exceptional funding, and the country’s clear aspirations for European integration. These factors have created fertile ground for building a local coalition focused on shifting power. The Alliance took up the challenge and, in the process, not only elevated the voices of Ukrainian civil society but also provided evidence, along with supportive partners, that localization results in more efficient and sustainable humanitarian outcomes.

However, Ukraine should not be viewed as a singular success story confined to its particular context. The lessons learned through the Alliance’s early journey – its emphasis on inclusive leadership, direct relationships with donors, collaborative governance, and meaningful partnerships – carry global relevance. The progress made in Ukraine should inspire systemic change across humanitarian responses worldwide. No crisis context is less deserving of a genuinely locally led response, and the principles that have fueled Ukraine’s advancements can and should drive reform elsewhere.The Alliance’s early achievements and their current positioning demonstrate that empowering local leadership is not only possible but essential for fostering resilience and more sustainable humanitarian outcomes. As global humanitarian systems face increasing challenges, Ukraine’s experience offers a blueprint for how coalitions can build power, assert leadership, and create change. The momentum generated in Ukraine must now fuel broader global action, ensuring that all communities in crisis receive the equitable, effective, and locally driven humanitarian response they deserve.

Annex I

The Alliance’s Locally Led Response Strategy (2024–2029) in Ukraine focuses on empowering local leadership in humanitarian crises and laying the groundwork for recovery. The strategy emphasizes that local actors should lead responses, with international partners playing a supportive role. Its approach is grounded in the principles of decentralization, inclusivity, and empowerment of local actors.

The strategy’s core priorities include:

Empowering Local Leadership: Enabling Ukrainian civil society organizations (CSOs) to lead humanitarian responses.
Inclusivity and Accountability: Ensuring diverse voices, including those of women, people with disabilities, internally displaced people (IDPs), and ethnic minorities, are represented.
Resilience Building: Strengthening local communities’ capacity to prepare for and respond to emergencies.
Partnerships and Collaboration: Promoting equal partnerships between local and international actors.

Key actions outlined to remedy existing challenges include:

Direct Funding Access: Streamlining financial processes to allow local organizations easier access to international funds.
Capacity Building: Providing training, mentorship, and institutional support tailored to local needs.
Decentralized Decision-Making: Shifting leadership closer to communities to ensure more relevant and timely responses.
Accountability Mechanisms: Implementing clear monitoring systems with measurable goals to track progress and ensure transparency.

Annex II

The Alliance’s Overall Operational Plan (2025)

Monitoring Localization Progress:
- Establish the Localization Progress Bureau to monitor and evaluate the implementation of localization indicators.
- Conduct annual assessments of humanitarian localization in Ukraine.
- Develop a Localization Data Bank for sharing and requesting research data.
- Integrate existing and new data into a unified virtual platform to enhance consistency and avoid research duplication.
Strengthening Research Culture:
- Create a Research Partnership Network to promote coordination among Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian research institutions.
- Develop a map of research partners and a shared calendar for research events.
- Engage Ukrainian universities in research, training, and capacity-building on humanitarian response.
- Establish a research hub to develop accessible methodologies for humanitarian research.
Creating a Learning Ecosystem:
- Map educational institutions for inclusion in a national learning ecosystem.
- Develop intensive training programs for humanitarian workers, including a one-year certification program.
- Create a Wiki Humanitarian Platform to catalog knowledge and best practices.
- Enhance global advocacy training for Ukrainian CSO leaders to boost international representation.
Strengthening Ukraine’s Civil Protection System:
- Develop a unified map of civil society organizations (CSOs) and volunteers involved in civil protection.
- Create guidelines for CSOs to implement civil protection measures.
- Train CSOs and volunteers for effective participation in crisis response.
Promoting Safety and Well-being of Humanitarian Workers:
- Advocate for the inclusion of humanitarian workers’ rights in Ukrainian labor law.
- Coordinate safety training for local humanitarian workers and promote mental health support programs.
- Establish a national standard for Duty of Care (DoC) for humanitarian personnel.
Enhancing Cash Assistance Programs:
- Develop a CVA & Cash Coordination Capacity Building Plan for national actors.
- Involve local CSOs in regular needs assessments and cash feasibility studies.
- Strengthen cash program leadership through mentoring, research, and advocacy for increased funding.
Developing Pooled Funding Mechanisms:
- Map existing organizations involved in regranting and pooled funds.
- Establish a Community of Practice to support pooled fund development and management.
- Advocate for increased donor funding for localized pooled funds and engage private sector partnerships.
Harmonizing CSO Verification System:
- Create a unified verification standard for Ukrainian CSOs.
- Establish a supervisory board to ensure transparency and accountability.
- Raise awareness of grant opportunities for organizational development.

Featured Image: Members of the Alliance UA CSO hold up their respective organizations’ logos in front of the Alliance UA CSO office based in Kyiv, Ukraine, 2024. Image Credit: Alliance UA CSO.