CUL summary Reflections/Lessons

Prof. Thomas brings extensive experience in reflecting on how development systems operate in practice, with a particular focus on how intention, power, and everyday practice shape outcomes. In this session, he set the tone for the Collaborative Unlearning Labs by introducing the core mindset of unlearning, encouraging participants to question assumptions and reflect on how development is actually practiced in real contexts.

The 2nd Lab convened development practitioners in a structured reflective space to examine how decisions are made across development systems and partnerships, and how these processes ultimately shape outcomes. The session surfaced the often-invisible dynamics that influence decision-making—including power relations, institutional incentives, and embedded assumptions.

The third PRA Collaborative Unlearning Lab invited practitioners to look beneath the language of partnership and examine how power, resources, voice, and decision-making operate in everyday humanitarian and development practice. The conversation also surfaced the emotional and practical costs of unequal partnerships.

The development and humanitarian ecosystem is increasingly recognising the need to shift power, strengthen locally led approaches, and build more equitable partnerships. Yet while conversations on trust-based philanthropy have gained momentum among funders and foundations, one question remains open: how do these values travel across the entire ecosystem — from funders to intermediaries to the community-based organisations working closest to communities?