Building on the success of the Local Systems Framework and its Policy Implementation Assessment, the Local Systems Position Paper reiterates USAID’s commitment to systems thinking and systems practice and presents six approaches that will help USAID strengthen and further embed these mindsets and tools in all of our work:

Systems thinking has been a consistent component of USAID’s decades-long commitment to locally led development and humanitarian assistance. It is a foundational skill for all Agency staff, which can help advance all of the Agency’s objectives and policy priorities. 

USAID uses systems thinking to better understand the increasingly complex and interrelated challenges we confront – from climate change to migration to governance – and the perspectives of diverse stakeholders on these issues. When we understand challenges as complex systems – where outcomes emerge from the interactions and relationships between actors and elements in that system – we can leverage and help strengthen the local capacities and relationships that will ultimately drive sustainable progress.

The Local Systems Position Paper reflects months of extensive internal and external consultations, which are summarized here. Additional resources to support the Local Systems Position Paper – such as illustrative systems practice tools that can be used at each stage of the Program Cycle, case studies, and sector-specific deep dives – will be shared in 2025.

If you have any questions or would like to get involved in implementation of the position paper, please reach out to LSPP@usaid.gov.