March 2024 – March 2025 (finished)
STAAR undertook research on the role of civil society and local actors in the design, delivery, and monitoring of social protection and humanitarian cash programming, with a focus on improving gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) outcomes in both crisis and stable contexts.
The research examined how local actors engage with social protection systems, including their linkages with humanitarian responses. It identified challenges to effective engagement and proposed strategic opportunities to strengthen local involvement, enhance programme design, and improve outcomes for marginalised groups.
This work drew on experiences from five to seven countries and focused on localisation and GESI to generate practical recommendations for inclusive, resilient social protection. The findings were used to support FCDO’s delivery of commitments in the 2022 UK International Development White Paper, including a new localisation strategy by 2024.