Save the Children International (STCI) expects to lose £30m annually after the charity decided to stop bidding for a country-specific UN funding pot to enable local organisations to access the money.
The international development charity this week revealed that it will no longer look to access the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA)’s country-based pool funds.
These pool funds make money available to humanitarian partners operating in countries affected by crisis so they can provide “life-saving” assistance.
In its announcement, the UK-headquartered charity cited UN-OCHA’s own research which found that $32bn (£25bn) of humanitarian funding in 2024 was distributed “unequally” across NGOs.
Just 8% of funding went to local NGOs that year, while 60% towards multilateral organisations.
From January 2026 until the end of the following year, STCI will withdraw from the pool funds in an attempt to allow local charities to benefit instead.
Call for other NGOs to follow
Abdurahman Sharif, senior humanitarian director at STCI, stressed that the move was not a retreat from humanitarian action and encouraged other larger charities to follow its example.
In a blog post, he said: “It is a step toward genuine localisation.
“Our withdrawal from [pool funds] will be meaningless if other international NGOs (INGOs) simply fill the gap we leave behind. We urge our fellow international organisations to examine their own positions.”
INGOs “disproportionately” benefit from pool funds, according to STCI’s data, receiving 54% of the money compared to 41% going to local NGOs.
STCI’s 2024 progress and impact report revealed that the charity received $43.5m from “major industrial donor” UN-OCHA, more than double the amount it received in 2023 of $19.9m.
When asked how much STCI stands to lose, a spokesperson said that it was one of the largest recipients of pool funds and a gradual withdrawal over two years would equate to a loss of £30m annually.
STCI posted a total gross income in 2024 of £1.1bn, compared to a total expenditure of £1.18bn.
Local organisations are ‘rooted in communities’
Sharif has said that local organisations are “rooted in their communities” and understand their distinct cultures, contexts and needs in ways that international NGOs cannot.
He wrote in his blog post: “They are present before crises emerge and remain long after international attention has moved elsewhere.”
The director added that the role of STCI should be to complement and support local leadership, rather than replace it.
Sharif said: “We recognise this decision carries risk and are committed to ensuring a safe and ethical transition.”
The director argued that, in time, 100% of pool funds should go directly to local organisations.
In an advocacy brief written by head of humanitarian advocacy Andrea Núñez-Flores Rey and Sharif, STCI called on “all system leaders” to contribute to “wider sector reform”.
Inger Ashing, STCI chief executive, posted to LinkedIn, added: “This is a significant step for us, and one we believe is necessary to strengthen the humanitarian system.
“As long as INGOs continue to absorb a large share of these resources, progress on localisation will remain limited. Our withdrawal is one way to help shift that balance.”
