Local and national non-governmental organisations received directly only 4% of the US$80 million mobilised this year for humanitarian response in Mozambique, the Mozambican Local Humanitarian Coordination Platform (MLHCP) has warned.
The funds were made available through pooled financing mechanisms managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), but the bulk did not reach Mozambican organisations directly, according to a communiqué issued by the platform.
Marking its first anniversary, the MLHCP called on donors and partners to increase direct financing to national organisations, warning that these bodies continue to face limited access to both resources and decision-making processes within the humanitarian response architecture.
Established a year ago by Mozambican non-governmental organisations, the platform now counts more than 120 members and advocates for a humanitarian response led by local actors, on the grounds that these organisations are closer to communities affected by conflict, natural disasters, and other emergencies. ‘The process of transferring leadership, resources, and responsibilities to Mozambican organisations is not advancing in Mozambique at the pace it should,’ the communiqué states.
The platform added that, despite local actors having been identified as central protagonists of the humanitarian response, they continue to feel structurally excluded — both from leadership and coordination mechanisms and from access to funding. The MLHCP framed its appeal against a backdrop of acute humanitarian pressure, noting that approximately 2.4 million people require assistance in Mozambique, while the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan is only 29% funded.
The document also flagged the drought risk associated with the El Niño phenomenon and the trajectory of the cholera outbreak, which has already produced more than nine thousand cases and 86 deaths. ‘The status quo must change,’ the platform argued, stressing that local actors remain excluded from decision-making centres despite frequently being the first to respond when crises occur. ‘The question is not whether local actors have a mandate to respond, but whether the broader humanitarian system accepts that they should lead the response,’ the document states.
The MLHCP said it intends to assume co-leadership roles in humanitarian coordination mechanisms, strengthen territorial coordination, and reactivate the Localisation Working Group, in line with recommendations put forward by a review mission conducted in November of last year.
The platform also considered that the humanitarian reform being promoted by the United Nations represents an opportunity to strengthen local leadership, but cautioned that this objective will only be achieved through an effective transfer of both resources and decision-making authority.
In its appeal addressed to authorities, donors, UN agencies, and international non-governmental organisations, the MLHCP called for the simplification of fund-access procedures, enhanced institutional support for local actors, and the guarantee of effective access to financing and decision-making processes.
Source: Diário Económico
