For the five Peer Humanitarian Partners (PHP) participating in the ToGETHER 2.0 Program, reflection provided a space to understand change, identify challenges, and draw lessons to strengthen humanitarian action in the future.

This process took place through the Peer Review Mechanism (PRM) and Advocacy Canvas Workshop, held from 19 to 22 August 2026 in Magelang, Central Java. The activities brought together Yayasan CAPPA Keadilan Ekologi, Mitra Wacana, Jaga Balai, GKJW, and YAPHI, together with Yayasan SHEEP Indonesia.

Developing Lessons from Experience through PRM

Through the PRM, participants critically reviewed their organizational experiences. They examined what worked well, the challenges they encountered, the factors that influenced the process, and the lessons that could be applied within their respective contexts.

Five experiences were reflected collectively, covering shifts in humanitarian paradigms, community vulnerability, institutional strengthening, sustainable program implementation, and localization within organizations. YAPHI’s experience received particular attention as it demonstrated a shift in the organization’s perspective on localization and humanitarian action, including efforts to strengthen community engagement and collaboration with various local actors.

Mapping the Advocacy Canvas

The lessons from the PRM provided the foundation for the Advocacy Canvas Workshop. Participants reviewed their experiences in disaster response and identified several gaps, including aid distribution that did not always fully match community needs, information flows, coordination, policies, and limited human resource capacity.

The prioritization process identified five key issues: needs-based assistance, accountability and participation, locally based logistics, coordination and governance, and local actor capacity. Based on relevance, influence, the collective position of PHP, and urgency, participants selected two shared priorities: local actor capacity, and coordination and governance.

These two issues were directed toward the goal of strengthening the role of local actors and the effectiveness of leadership in disaster governance through systems that are transparent, accountable, risk-informed, and grounded in equal partnerships.

Participants then mapped strategic actors and developed advocacy approaches. Public campaigns through social media and podcasts were designed to advance the issue of local actor capacity. Meanwhile, lobbying, focus group discussions, and disaster-related forums were identified as approaches to improve coordination and governance.

This process marked an initial step toward building a collective PHP voice to promote a more inclusive humanitarian system centered on local leadership.