Download Playbook on Equitable Risk Sharing
Risk sharing is ultimately a test of power and partnership. It is not demonstrated by a risk register or a signed agreement, but by what happens when conditions change: whether local and national organisations can raise concerns safely, influence decisions, access the resources to adapt, and remain supported when risks materialise. This report and accompanying risk-sharing playbook show how humanitarian actors can move from transferring risk down the response chain to sharing responsibility for safer, more effective and locally led humanitarian action.
This paper examines how risk is currently understood, allocated and managed across humanitarian programs and partnerships. It centres the perspectives and lived experience of local and national organisations, while also considering the institutional perspectives of donors and intermediaries.
Covering Myanmar, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Ukraine, with additional learning from global and multi country initiatives, the paper identifies emerging practices that could be strengthened and scaled, rather than presenting a set of fully established models. It is accompanied by an Equitable Risk Sharing Playbook, which translates the findings into practical actions to consider across key risk categories and three phases: before, during and after a crisis. This research is supported through a strategic partnership between the DEC and Humanitarian Advisory Group (HAG) and delivered in collaboration with national research partners.
