Partnership Management

Long-term humanitarian impact does not come from isolated interventions. It comes from trust that National Societies build over years with the communities they serve. As a trusted partner to National Societies, we form relationships that are grounded in a shared understanding of what each National Society needs to grow stronger and more sustainable. That kind of relationship takes time to build and commitment to maintain.

The Netherlands Red Cross invests in long-term bilateral partnerships with eight partner National Societies, each formalised through a multi-year strategic framework partnership agreement. These partnerships are not project-based arrangements. They are long-term commitments, structured around the strategic priorities of the National Society itself, and designed to strengthen local ownership over time.

At the heart of each partnership is a Netherlands Red Cross representative based in-country, whose role is to understand the context deeply and build trust with the National Society. Partnership health is monitored periodically through a structured review process that assesses whether the partnership is on track and what needs to change.

Support has been provided in eight bilateral partner countries: Ethiopia, Zambia, Mali, Lebanon, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Sudan and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

How we work together

Partnership support follows the pace and priorities of each National Society. It can include:

• Maintaining long-term in-country presence to connect the National Society to Red Cross Red Crescent Movement expertise and networks
• Conducting periodic joint partnership reviews to assess the health of the collaboration and mutually agree on what needs to be changed or strengthened
• Committing to long-term investment through predictable funding, mutual accountability, capacity strengthening, and resource mobilization.
• Engaging with IFRC to ensure the bilateral partnership connects to and reinforces broader Red Cross Red Crescent Movement coordination in-country
• Adapting partnerships over time, with partner National Societies increasingly shaping priorities, decisions, and approaches