Humanitarian Talk 5: Advancing equitable partnerships in fragile contexts through Due Diligence Passporting

According to the States of Fragility 2025 report1, approximately two billion people, or 25% of the world’s population, and 72% of the world’s most extreme poor, live in situations of high and extreme fragility. Sustaining humanitarian, development, and peace efforts in these contexts is essential to uphold the EU’s values and collective commitment to alleviate suffering, eradicate poverty, and protect human rights.

Working in fragile contexts presents complex and interconnected risks for donors, intermediaries, and implementing partners. While actors across the nexus broadly share common goals, systems, and ways of working, nuanced differences in mandates, risk appetite, and accountability often hinder coordinated risk management and limit efficiency. These challenges are compounded by constrained budgets and increasing political debate over the role and effectiveness of Official Development Assistance (ODA).

There is a need to reduce duplication, promote coherence, and strengthen equitable partnerships with local and national actors. Due diligence passporting—the mutual recognition of due diligence assessments based on harmonised criteria—offers a practical mechanism to support these objectives.

This Humanitarian Talk will bring together local and national actors, alongside donors and INGOs to explore the potential of due diligence passporting within the EU’s integrated approach. It will draw on learning from existing initiatives, including the Charter4Change initiative supported by Irish Aid and the LOCAL project in West Africa supported by ECHO. The session will examine how passporting can promote equitable partnerships and reduce compliance burdens, while addressing risks and tensions linked to scaling up and harmonisation.