The debate around local leadership in development cooperation – or locally led development reflects the broader history of decolonisation, power dynamics, and the struggle for a more inclusive, fair, and contextually relevant development.
The four umbrella organisations in Denmark (Civil Society in Development (CISU), Centre for Church-Based Development (CKU) the Danish Youth Council (DUF) and Disabled People’s Organisations Denmark (DPOD) are strongly committed to the agenda of locally led development and therefore commissioned this analysis of how they and their member organisations can further improve their approaches to partnership, local leadership and locally led development – and how they can inspire future efforts within and beyond the four pooled funds by showcasing best practices related to local leadership.
The report presents a set of learning points that each of the four umbrella organiations or pooled funds managers can further develop from.
CISU will produce a Management Response and outline how CISU will transform and adjust related to each learning point. Expected to be published at the end of 2025.