During the meeting, Apollo Gabazira, the CARE Country Director, emphasized the critical role of international organizations in empowering national actors with resources, power, and voice. He stressed the significance of embracing the shift towards locally led development and highlighted the commitment of various organizations to go beyond mere rhetoric and actively support this transition. “Locally led is the thing of the moment. It’s everywhere you look. It has been rhetoric until they tell you to do it. But the signatories (Save the Children, Oxfam, DCA, CRS, FInnAid, World Vision, and CARE) committed to go beyond the rhetoric. We also recognize that giving money and promising to give money are different things being influenced by three ‘CAT factors’; Capacity – sharing, Accountability, and Trust. If we don’t address CAT, localization remains a paper exercise. Hence our interest in deploying QuAM, and I am confident we shall have a solution.” Said Gabazira.

Dr. Isooba Moses, the Executive Director of Uganda National NGO Forum, framed QUAM as a multipurpose tool for enhancing institutional health in the sector. He emphasized the need for QUAM to signify more than just a certificate, stressing the importance of putting words into action and demonstrating readiness for locally led development.
“We are reimagining QUAM that goes beyond a Certificate, but living what this is all about. We need to be fit for purpose if we’re going to take on the mantle of locally-led development. If we are going to be able to take on the mantle of engaging in localization, we need to move from talk. We need to move from rhetoric to action. We need to be able to give guarantees to INGOs and development partners that as national actors, we are fit for purpose. Then we can be able to talk about localization, upholding the subsidiarity principle. Being able to appreciate that national actors are primarily the ones that will find the solution to the problem. And for us to be able to do that, it’s not going to be about talking and asking for direct funding is not going to be asking for militia funding. It’s not going to be asking for unrestricted funding. We must be fit for purpose”. Affirmed Dr Isooba.