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While local actors, including community leaders, civil society organizations, and grassroots organizations, are often among the first to respond to humanitarian crises, knowledge generation in the humanitarian sector has been largely shaped by the Global North with limited integration of local histories, experiences and priorities. Start Network’s recent report on Local, Indigenous, and Traditional Knowledge (LITK) underscores the critical importance of integrating traditional knowledge into humanitarian programming. It highlights the valuable and unique insights held by Indigenous and local communities, recognizing their existing capacities and the vital role their knowledge can play at every stage of humanitarian efforts. By incorporating LITK, humanitarian responses can be more effective, contextually relevant, and respectful of local cultures, ensuring that interventions are better suited to the needs of affected communities. This session reflects on key insights from Start Network’s ongoing research in this area and explores opportunities for integrating LITK into humanitarian policy and practice. We will also address challenges, including the perception of LITK as anecdotal rather than empirical and the structural barriers that prevent its inclusion in mainstream humanitarian practice. By highlighting both successes and obstacles, this discussion aims to move beyond rhetoric and identify tangible steps towards systemic change in knowledge validation, funding models, and programme design.