CC7.b Number of community-based organizations (CBOs) with whom WFP has established relationships

CC2.c Percentage of country offices progressing on the implementation of United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) standards on consulting organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs)

VERSION

V1.0 - 2026.05 - NEW

INDICATOR CODE

CC7.b

TECHNICAL OWNER

Gender, Protection & Inclusion (GPI)

INDICATOR TYPE

Corporate Level Cross-cutting Indicator

Priority area: Promoting localization

UNIT OF MEASUREMENT & ANALYSIS

Unit of measurement: Number of unique Community Based Organizations (CBOs)

Unit of analysis: Country Office (CSP level)

INDICATOR DEFINITION

This indicator measures how many community-based organizations with whom WFP has established formal relationships across its country offices.

Below are some key terms for this indicator:

Community‑Based Organizations (CBOs) are locally rooted entities formed and led by members of a specific community to address issues that directly affect their daily lives. These issues may be economic, social, cultural, environmental, or political in nature. CBOs are grounded in the lived experiences, priorities, and knowledge of the communities they serve and are primarily accountable to those communities.

Types of Community‑Based and Constituency‑Led Organizations

For the purpose of this indicator, CBOs may include (but are not limited to):

1. Women‑Led Organizations (WLOs) Organizations with a humanitarian mandate and/or mission that are governed or directed by women, or whose leadership is principally composed of women, demonstrated by 50 percent or more of senior leadership positions being occupied by women.

2. Youth‑Led Organizations (YLOs) Youth‑led, non‑profit, voluntary, non‑governmental associations. In some contexts, youth organizations may be part of the state apparatus or be youth worker‑led. (Definition adapted from the EU Youth Partnership).

3. Indigenous Peoples–Led Organizations (IPOs) Organizations led by Indigenous Peoples, often organized according to ethnicity, language, territory, or geographic area. IPOs may operate at local, national, regional, or international levels. They represent the collective needs, rights, aspirations, and perspectives of Indigenous constituencies and may be member‑based, composed of traditional authorities, or represent a collection of peoples or nations.

4. Refugee‑Led Organizations (RLOs) Organizations or groups in which persons with direct lived experience of forced displacement play a primary leadership role, and whose stated objectives and activities focus on responding to the needs of refugees and/or related communities. (Definition provided by UNHCR).

5. Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) Non‑governmental organizations led, directed, and governed by persons with disabilities, who constitute a clear majority of their membership. OPDs play a critical role in representing the perspectives of persons with disabilities. Article 4.3 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities calls on States Parties to engage with persons with disabilities through their representative organizations.

Formal Collaborations

Formal collaborations are engagements documented through a signed instrument that establishes clear roles and responsibilities between WFP and the CBO, including:

• Field‑Level Agreements (FLAs)

• Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs)

• Other procurement contractual agreements

Informal Collaborations: collaborations (e.g. consultations, advisory roles, joint advocacy, community engagement, information sharing) may be documented for learning and institutional knowledge but do not count toward the indicator value.

Role of CBOs in Relation to the State

CBOs are intended to supplement-not replace-the role of the state and operate within local, territorial, and national legal and regulatory frameworks, even when engaging in advocacy or social change. In some contexts, CBOs may establish community‑led or alternative systems (e.g. informal protection mechanisms, solidarity networks, or mutual aid structures), particularly where state systems are absent, inaccessible, or exclusionary.

Distinction Between CBOs, National NGOs, and International NGOs

To avoid confusion, it is important to distinguish local CBOs from National NGOs and International NGOs (INGOs).

Community‑Based Organizations (CBOs)

• Operate at the community or local level (e.g. village, neighbourhood, district)

• Are created, led, and governed by community members

• Possess strong grassroots identity and deep contextual knowledge

• Typically have limited geographic reach and smaller budgets

• Are primarily accountable downward to the community

National NGOs

• Operate at national or sub‑national levels across multiple regions

• Have formal governance structures and professional staff

• May support or partner with CBOs but are not necessarily community‑led

• Often act as intermediaries between communities, donors, and government institutions

International NGOs (INGOs)

• Operate across multiple countries or regions

• Are usually headquartered outside the communities they serve

• Have significant financial, technical, and operational capacity

While they may partner with CBOs, decision‑making and accountability structures are typically external to local communities

MANDATORY COUNTRY-LEVEL INDICATORS & INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR APR AGGREGATION

Mandatory Country level Indicator(s) composing the corporate indicator:

• CC.7.1 Number of community-based organizations wit):h whom WFP has established relationships

Inclusion criteria for Mandatory Country Level Indicator(s):

• Country office has active formal relationships with at least one CBO Only Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) that have at least one formal agreement in place at any time during the reporting year are included in the calculation. The agreement must be formally recognized (e.g., signed, valid, or officially recorded) and active or existing during the reporting period, regardless of whether it started before or ended during the year.

Counting Rules

• The count focuses on CBOs, not agreements. Each eligible CBO is counted only once per reporting year, regardless of the number, type, or duration of agreements it holds.

Evidence (Recommended)

• Country Offices should retain supporting documentation, such as agreement references (ID, title, dates, and status) or other official records confirming that the agreement existed during the reporting year.

CALCULATION & AGGREGATION
METHODOLOGY

This indicator is as the sum of unique CBOs that have at least one formal agreement (FLAs, MOUs, Procurement contracts in place at any time during the reporting year). The agreement must be formally recognized (e.g., signed, valid, or officially recorded) and active or existing during the reporting period, regardless of whether it started before or ended during the year.

Counting Rules: the count focuses on CBOs, not agreements. Each eligible CBO is counted only once per reporting year, regardless of the number, type, or duration of agreements it holds.

DISAGGREGATION FOR REPORTING IN APR

By type of CBO:

Women‑Led Organizations (WLOs); Youth‑Led Organizations (YLOs); Indigenous Peoples–Led Organizations (IPOs); Refugee‑Led Organizations (RLOs); Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs); Self‑defined / Other

By type of collaboration:

Formal agreement type – Field‑Level Agreement (FLA); Memorandum of Understanding (MoU); other procurement contractual agreement

BASELINE

New indicator. Baseline to be established at the end of 2026.

LIMITATIONS

• The indicator relies on country office reporting and classification of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), which may vary across contexts due to differences in interpretation of what constitutes a CBO versus a national or international NGO.

• CBOs may not consistently self-identify using WFP terminology. They are often referred to by other labels or may operate across multiple classifications—for instance, as women-led organization and/or OPDs. Consequently, they may not be captured through narrow or singular definitions of CBOs.

• Differences in registration systems, partner databases, and contract management practices may affect the completeness and accuracy of reporting across country offices.

• The identification and classification of specific types of CBOs (e.g. women-led, youth-led, or refugee-led organizations) may not always be consistently applied or verified, affecting comparability across countries.

• The indicator measures the number of formal partnerships but does not capture the quality, depth, duration, or effectiveness of collaboration with CBOs.

• As an aggregate count, the indicator may not reflect variations in the scale of engagement, as country offices with significantly different numbers of partnerships are weighted equally in interpretation.

• Changes in the number of CBOs over time may be influenced by operational factors such as funding levels, procurement approaches, or partnership strategies, rather than reflecting changes in localization practices alone.