The second Aid Matters event organized by Global Responsibility kicked off with a CEO breakfast, an exclusive session for managing directors of our member organizations. Our director Lukas Wank and Ambassador Nikolaus Lutterotti, the new head of Section VII of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for development cooperation and humanitarian assistance, discussed current topics including Austria’s new Africa strategy, surging threats to the International Humanitarian Law, and Austria’s temporary membership of the UN Security Council. 

Morning session: The power of partnerships 

After the exclusive breakfast with approximately 30 CEOs, the morning session brought together colleagues from Austrian NGOs, cooperation partners, as well as the umbrella organizations from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Slovenia. In their introductory remarks, Stefan Fritz, Chairperson of Global Responsibility, and Lukas Wank emphasized the urgency of strengthening partnerships across the globe in times of shrinking civic space and tightening budgets.

In the morning session, facilitated by Karin Kuranda, expert speakers encouraged the audience to reflect on how they work with partners and on the changing roles Austrian NGOs may take on in the future. 

Moses Isooba, Executive Director of the Uganda National NGO Forum, argued in his keynote address that the sector has become much better at speaking about localization, but genuine partnership also requires shifting power over who decides, who holds resources, and who defines success. He called for Austrian NGOs to commit to locally led development based on direct ownership of local actors, quality financing instead of restricted projects, risk sharing, mutual transformation, and the re-definition of purposeful roles for themselves. Communities and local organizations should be recognized as co-investors rather than beneficiaries, contributing knowledge, legitimacy, voluntary effort, and local resources — forms of capital that should be valued as much as financial resources.

„The question is no longer whether we support shifting power in principle. The question is: what decisions are we prepared to share, what resources are we prepared to relinquish, and what risks are we prepared to carry together?“

„The aim is therefore not to ‘give voice’ to communities, but to democratize access to the microphone and to decision-making.“

„Either Global North NGOs die well, die badly, or they transition.“

– Moses Isooba, Executive Director of the Uganda National NGO Forum

Moses has made his keynote address available for further reading.

Following Moses’ keynote, Eilidh Kennedy, Director of the Inter-Agency Research and Analysis Network (IARAN), noted that „we have not realized the system-wide change many hoped to see“. Despite progress in language, multi-year funding and local leadership initiatives, in 2024 only 4% of funding went directly to local NGOs. Past reforms have changed the surface while preserving the power structures of international aid, which are deeply rooted in worldviews and mindsets. Eilidh continued by outlining different scenarios for the future of aid, some of which could force Global North NGOs to fundamentally rethink their structures, roles and ways of working. However, she warned against waiting for external disruption since financial pressure may lead organizations to shrink without changing how they work. Instead, she called on Austrian NGOs to take the driving seat, be creative and take meaningful steps towards more just, locally led partnerships.

„(…) the system itself is predicated on structures which privilege some and disempower others. Without unpacking things right down to the foundation, changes that we make will only result in superficial changes to the people it matters the most.“

„The question is: Do we still add value? Do we still add value today? Do we still add value in five years? Do we still add value in ten years? And if so, what does this look like?“

– Eilidh Kennedy, Director of the Inter-Agency Research and Analysis Network

Dylan Mathews, CEO of Peace Direct, drawing on in-depth consultations with local actors, highlighted how the current system leaves many of them feeling like second-class citizens in their own countries: their expertise being undervalued, partnerships being extractive and transactional, language undermining their dignity and access to funding remaining limited. He encouraged international actors to reflect critically on their power and positionality, adopt a “transition mindset”, and rethink their understanding of partnerships to build genuinely equitable relationships. He outlined nine possible roles for Global North NGOs, further explored in his afternoon workshop (see below), and closed by calling on organizations to begin the process of change by revisiting their mission and strategy, engaging openly with partners, and bringing boards and senior leadership into the conversation. 

„The picture local actors paint of the system that we have, does not paint us in a particularly good light.“

„Engage in an open conversation with your partners, be brave and let them guide.“

– Dylan Mathews, CEO of Peace Direct

At the audience’s request: possible changes NGOs could approach immediately 

During the Q&A session following the keynote speeches, Moses addressed the challenge of accountability across different legal systems. His proposition was to take a step back, trusting local actors who know the deficits of their own systems best. Eilidh added that local organizations often suffer from generalized accusations of corruption. Unlike with NGOs in the Global North, failures of individuals are often blamed on the entire organization or even the entire country when it comes to local NGOs.  

Dylan addressed how organizations could contribute to a stronger recognition of local evidence and knowledge. He noted that Europe’s more robust research infrastructure contributes to an overrepresentation of European authorship and called for greater investment knowledge production in the Global South, which remains chronically underfunded. Moses added the need to decolonize language and challenge what he calls the Ivory Tower of Knowledge, to ensure that perspectives and knowledge of local and indigenous communities (Ebony Tower of Knowledge) are equitably valued and included. 

The audience with 80 participants asked the experts to identify concrete changes that Austrian NGOs could begin implementing immediately. Dylan stressed the need for organizations to confront their own egos and create space for creative thinking and transformation. Eilidh concluded that ultimately, we want to see partnerships that are not only equal but locally led, with local organizations determining how resources are used. She emphasized that a key role for Austrian NGOs will remain educating at home, building public support for international solidarity, and using their voice to influence their governments. 

Afternoon workshops 

After a lunch break that offered participants time to connect and exchange thoughts, the afternoon continued with two parallel workshops.  

Workshop 1 | Reimagining the development sector: Future roles for Austrian NGOs 

In this workshop, Dylan Mathews presented Peace Direct’s observations on why shifting power and resources to local actors remains difficult: NGOs in the Global North struggle to acknowledge structural racism, to recognize their role in suppressing local civil society, to imagine a role for themselves beyond direct implementation, and to transform their operating models.  

He identified power as the „hidden dimension“ in partnerships, amplified by a lack of clarity on the definition of equitable partnerships and a focus on results, reporting and compliance, rather than long-term transformation. Dylan highlighted a house metaphor: mindsets and worldviews form the foundation, communication and language the mortar, trust, humility, respect and mutuality the walls and practical partnership elements the roof: “You need to start with the foundations, not with the roof tiles.” 

„It is not about Global North NGOs leaving, but about Global North NGOs transforming their practice.“

– Dylan Mathews, CEO of Peace Direct

Dylan encouraged organizations to acknowledge these challenges, engage partners and communities in conversations about power, and challenge discriminatory practices. He concluded by outlining nine potential roles for intermediaries. Common roles include Knowledge broker and producer, Trainer, coach and co-learner, Advocate and amplifier, and Watchdog. Less common roles are Interpreter, Convenor, Connector and eco-system builder, Critical friend, and Sidekick. He encouraged participants to reflect on the roles they already play and emphasized that organizations will need to strengthen their focus on the introduced roles to navigate the transition. 

Workshop 2 | Shifting the power through and in communication 

In this workshop, Moses Isooba illustrated how language is never neutral and can be used in ways that reinforce harmful assumptions. For example, expressions such as “I am on a mission” or “in the field”, which are still commonly used, reproduce colonial, missionary meanings and connotations. He introduced RINGO’s language and lexicon grid, a yet to be launched AI tool that can identify problematic language and suggest alternatives derived from decolonization discourse. While AI can support efforts to challenge colonial language, he stressed that it must be used critically, as its training data can also reproduce existing biases and colonial perspectives. Language is therefore an important site where power is expressed and reproduced. 

In a brief presentation of this work, Jörg Arnold, the workshop’s moderator and co-founder of the Swiss platform Fairpicture, argued that colonial structures are reflected not only in NGO’s overall language use but specifically in their fundraising narratives and imagery. He advocated for avoiding deficit-based representations and enhancing the partner’s agency, for instance through self-representation. 

The workshop concluded with participants developing ideas for more inclusive fundraising and communication, including focussing on shared challenges and existing achievements rather than deficits. Jörg stressed that meaningful change requires organizations to move beyond discussions and translate them into concrete action. Austrian NGOs should not underestimate their responsibility for shaping how countries and citizens in the Global South are perceived by donors and the public in Austria. 

„If we want to change power relations, we need to talk about how we use language.“

– Moses Isooba, Executive Director of the Uganda National NGO Forum

Conclusion

Global Responsibility looks forward to continuing this important conversation with our members, partners and colleagues across the sector. The discussions at Aid Matters 2026 made clear that shifting power requires more than changing language — it calls for new mindsets, honest reflection and concrete changes in how we work and partner. We hope to build on the momentum of the event and create further spaces for exchange, learning and joint action towards more equitable, locally led partnerships. 

We would like to thank our member organization, the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Österreichs, for hosting the event at their venue in Vienna.

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Download

Moses Isooba (17.09.2026): Keynote address

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Links

• Invitation: Aid Matters 2026: The power of partnerships
• Recap (05.06.2025): Aid Matters 2025: Rethinking cooperation in an age of crisis

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Partially, this event was part of