Localized SRoL Support In A Multipolar World - A KPAC22 Side Event

With the Annual Conference (KPAC22) fresh in the minds, KPSRL organized a side event on 21 October with its Advisory Committee (AC), Consortium Partners (CP) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to explore the ways in which, while operating in a multipolar context, Western donors position their SRoL work in a localized way.

Participants deemed it a positive development that the Security and Rule of Law (SRoL) sector is increasingly aware of its biases, language and excluding processes – showing interest to ‘unlearn’ these problematic patterns. A next step could be to monitor progress in that regard.

Participants noted that in discussions on localization, the role of the state and its institutions is increasingly overlooked. Focus of discussions stick to the bottom-up, local level.

For many reasons, the INGO or intermediary will keep on playing a key role in SRoL efforts. It is important to reimagine their role and the concept of ‘partnerships’. When talking about ‘reimagining social contracts’, there is a need to distinguish different phases of the social contract better and what support is needed in those phases. International actors are better at supporting some phases than others.