Vanuatu

The Partnership stands as evidence that translating the rhetoric of localisation to reality is possible, say Fremden Yanhambath and Anna Gibert.

This extended as far as the replacement of the managing contractor, which similarly failed to grasp that imposition of “one-size-fits-all” processes and systems was detrimental to supporting the complexity of social change in a unique Pacific Island operating context. With the backing of a DFAT country team that was open to innovation, the Partnership undertook a new design process, led by the ni-Vanuatu team leader, which did not see the main problems of Vanuatu’s skills system as needing to be solved by technical “experts”. While the details are still being worked out, the plan is now for the Vanuatu Skills Partnership to become a local entity, and to receive DFAT grant funding directly rather than via a support contractor. It has catalysed a complete restructure of the Ministry of Education, including the provincial skills centres it originally established being formally integrated into the government system. Moreover, rather than being a “doer” of development, the focus of the investment became to facilitate and convene development processes, using its relative neutrality to bring together diverse “green shoots” of reform momentum. Within the aid industry, false assumptions and patronising approaches have been perpetuated by ubiquitous jargon of the sector. This was underpinned by a granular political economy analysis, and understanding that the implementation team would need to work relationally and politically to navigate these thorny challenges. Critically, this also meant supporting a local staff member to take on this politically savvy convening role – the first-ever ni-Vanuatu as a team leader of an Australia-funded initiative. The project was led by an international team leader, with a large number of long-term, full-time international “technical advisers”. The root causes lay well below the surface – a complex intersection of resource distribution, corruption, normalised behaviours, and relationships and allegiances – and were ones that no foreign outsider had the local intelligence, legitimacy and influence to shift. But this was simply the tip of the iceberg. The panel was chaired by DFAT and organised by the [International Development Contractor Community](https://idcc.org.au/), with the intention to drill down into the realities of locally led development cooperation, and away from the rhetoric of the latest industry buzzword.