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Quality and Accountability: It is not enough to do the things right, the right things have to be done Notes from the panel discussion organized by CHS Alliance, the Sphere Project & Groupe URD, an event sponsored by Switzerland and Denmark Arno Wicki, Deputy Head of Swiss Humanitarian Aid and SHA, Head of Multilateral Division Arno Wicki introduced the discussion, asking “How can we do the right things and do them well?” Though it seems obvious doing it is not trivial, especially if we also want to ensure people have a voice. From a donor perspective, the question is “how can we make the most out of the limited resources we have?” Well, our opinion is that with standards and quality, we can put people at the centre while at the same time being more effective. Stephan Schønemann, Director for Humanitarian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark The report of the Secretary General “One Humanity: Shared Responsibility” highlights the challenges that political actors, donors, development and humanitarian organizations are facing and will have to deal with in the coming years: we all have to do more and better with constrained resources! This calls for a renewed commitment towards enhancing the quality, accountability and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance. The progress made in advocating for putting people at the centre of humanitarian action is significant. Yet the challenge of translating this into meaningful policy, practice, and a consistently applied approach to consultation, participation, local leadership, assessment, monitoring, and reporting by all humanitarian actors remains a deep challenge. With the attempt to raise the bar and setting the standard, a new quality and accountability tool - the Core Humanitarian Standard - was launched 1 ½ years ago in Copenhagen. The Standard places people affected by crisis at the centre of humanitarian action, and it sets out nine commitments that organisations and individuals involved in humanitarian response can use to improve the quality and effectiveness of the assistance they provide.

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Page 1: Quality and Accountability: It is not enough to do the ... is not enough to do the things right, ... us are obliged to do. The Standard is a way of concretising our ethical commitment

QualityandAccountability:Itisnotenoughtodothethingsright,therightthingshavetobedone

NotesfromthepaneldiscussionorganizedbyCHSAlliance,theSphereProject&GroupeURD,aneventsponsoredbySwitzerlandandDenmark

ArnoWicki,DeputyHeadofSwissHumanitarianAidandSHA,HeadofMultilateralDivision

ArnoWickiintroducedthediscussion,asking“Howcanwedotherightthingsanddothemwell?”

Thoughitseemsobviousdoingitisnottrivial,especiallyifwealsowanttoensurepeoplehaveavoice.Fromadonorperspective,thequestionis“howcanwemakethemostoutofthelimitedresourceswehave?”Well,ouropinionisthatwithstandardsandquality,wecanputpeopleatthecentrewhileatthesametimebeingmoreeffective.

StephanSchønemann,DirectorforHumanitarianAffairs,MinistryofForeignAffairsofDenmark

ThereportoftheSecretaryGeneral“OneHumanity:SharedResponsibility”highlightsthechallengesthatpoliticalactors,donors,developmentandhumanitarianorganizationsarefacingandwillhavetodealwithinthecomingyears:weallhavetodomoreandbetterwithconstrainedresources!Thiscallsforarenewedcommitmenttowardsenhancingthequality,accountabilityandeffectivenessofhumanitarianassistance.

Theprogressmadeinadvocatingforputtingpeopleatthecentreofhumanitarianactionissignificant.Yetthechallengeoftranslatingthisintomeaningfulpolicy,practice,andaconsistentlyappliedapproachtoconsultation,participation,localleadership,assessment,monitoring,andreportingbyallhumanitarianactorsremainsadeepchallenge.

Withtheattempttoraisethebarandsettingthestandard,anewqualityandaccountabilitytool-theCoreHumanitarianStandard-waslaunched1½yearsagoinCopenhagen.TheStandardplacespeopleaffectedbycrisisatthecentreofhumanitarianaction,anditsetsoutninecommitmentsthatorganisationsandindividualsinvolvedinhumanitarianresponsecanusetoimprovethequalityandeffectivenessoftheassistancetheyprovide.

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[ShowstheCHS]Thislittlebookletisthefruitofmanyyearsofhardwork-anditbringstogetherthemainelementsoftheSphereCoreStandards,theHAPstandard,theRedCrossandRedCrescentCodeofConduct,thePeopleinAidCodeofGoodPracticeandcriteriafromtheOECD’sDACandfromtheQualityCompassdevelopedbyGroupeURD.ThekeystakeholdersofthiscommonstandardareGroupeURD,SphereandCHSAlliance.

ItisworthcomplimentingtheseorganisationsandnetworksfortheiramazingeffortsinjoiningforcesandcreatingoneCoreHumanitarianStandardratherthataseriesofmany.Togethertheyarebuildingacomplementaryapproachthatcontributestoharmonisingandstrengtheningthecoherenceofstandards.Strengtheningthecoherenceofstandardsacrossdifferentsectorsofhumanitarianworkonthebasisofsharedfundamentalvalues,commonstructureandconsistentlanguageensuresgreaterownershipandenablesincreasedeffectivenessandefficiency.

WiththerecentadoptionoftheCoreHumanitarianStandardbytheGlobalClusterstocomplementexistinginternationaltechnicalstandards,andwiththesupportthiscommonstandardhasgarneredasabaselinefororganizationalaccountabilityfromNGOstoactorssuchastheEuropeanCommission,wehavearealopportunitytostrengthenaframeworkwhichputspeopleatthecenterofhumanitarianaction.

ThisopportunityhasalreadybeenusedtotranslateourcommonunderstandingofrecognizedstandardssuchasSphereandtheCHSintoinstitutionalcommitmentsandactionsatthelevelofHumanitarianResponsePlans.ThishasbeenthecaseintheresponseplansofSomalia,Afghanistan,NigerandDRCamongstothers.

Whenresponseplans,commonprioritiesandcollectivegoalsareinformedbyevidenceandanalysisagainstinternationallyrecognizedstandards–significantshifts

inpracticecanbeseen.Tomakethishappenrequiresstrongleadershipatcountrylevel.

[Historicalperspective]

Theseinitiativesillustratethatformorethan20years,thehumanitariansectorhasgraduallybeenimprovingitspracticesthroughthedevelopmentanddisseminationofamyriadofqualityandaccountabilityinitiativesandself-regulatorytools.Humanitarianorganisationshavegonethroughanenormousprofessionalizationprocess,whiletryingtoadapttovariouscodeofconducts,commonstandards,goodpractices,evaluationmechanismsandlearningnetworks.Wehaveatlargeseenagreatimprovementinthelogistical,financialandmanagerialsystemsoforganisations.Theiradministrativecontrolshavealsoincreasedinordertorespondtogrowingrequestsfromdonorsandpublicopinionabouttransparencyandaccountability.Andtheevaluationofresponseisnowwellacceptedandestablished.Thisisallgood.However,thequalityofhumanitarianaidfromtheperspectiveofbeneficiaries,localauthoritiesandmedia,isregularlyquestioned.Aseriesofchallengesarestillaheadofusandwecanaskourselvesthesequestions:

1. Howdowemaintainqualityandaccountabilitywhileadaptingresponsestonewandincreasinglycomplexandfast-changingsituations,whichatthesametimerequireustoinnovate,takerisks,andacceleratelearning?

2. Howdowemakesurethataffectedcommunitiesareputatthecenter,whichmeansinvestinginlocalcapacitiessothatinternationalactorssupportnationalmechanismsratherthanreplacethem?

3. Howdowepassfromanindividualresponsibilitytoacollectiveone,whichmeansashiftfromcoordinatinginputstoachievingoutcomestogether?

Andhowdowequicklytransitionfromshort-termcrisisassistancetosupportforcollectiveoutcomesinprotractedemergencies,whichenablerecoverywithdignity?

Thepurposeoftoday’ssideeventistoexplorehowwecanaddresssomeofthechallengesjustmentioned-andtodiscusshowqualityandaccountabilitycanincreasetheeffectivenessandefficiencyofaid.MySwisscolleagueArnoWicky,DeputyHeadofSwissHumanitarianAidandHeadofMultilateralDivision,willguideyouthroughthisafternoon’sdiscussions,whichIhopewillinspireusalltonotonlydothingsrightbuttoensurethatitistherightthingsthatweareactuallydoing!Thankyouallforlistening!

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AminaLabarakwe,Communitymember,BaringoCountyKenya

(translationintoEnglishprovidedbyRuthObwaya,ActionAidKenya)

MynameisAmina.I’mamemberofChurodivisioninBaringocountry,Kenya.

Today,I’mheretotalkaboutQualityandAccountabilityinthecontextofdisaster.

Withthedroughtthattookplacein2011,wehadchallengesaswomentowalklongdistancestofeedchildren.Therewereinadequatehealthservices,andmenwentawayinsearchofpasturesfortheirlivestock.Manyorganizationsrespondedandsupportedusatthistime.MyunderstandingofQ&Aisaprocessthroughwhichpolicymakersaccountforwhatthey’resupposedtodoorhavecommittedtodo.Inmycommunity,Iwasarepresentativeofavigilancecommittee,whichthroughitsworkwastheeyesofthecommunity.Thisisonewaywehelptoholdorganisationstoaccount.

Anotheroneisinvolvementindecisionmakingprocess.Forexample,wewereinvolvedinprocurementprocesstoawardcontracts,whichhelpedtoimprovetransparency.Accountabilityisabottomupprocess.Itneedstoinvolvecommunitymembers,becausewearekeyinrespondingtodisasters.Ihavealsolearntthatwomenleadershipiskeyinanyresponseefforts.

Mymessagetodayisthatthecurrentaccountabilitymodelwherewearemoreconcernedwiththedonorsdoesnotworkforcommunities;ratherwhatweshouldhaveisaccountabilitytowardsboththecommunityandthedonors.Thankyouforrespondingwithsolidarity.

AlejandroMaldonadoExecutivesecretary,CONRED,Guatemala

Fromthepointofviewofgovernments,lookingatstandardsisslightlydifferent.Asagovernment,webelieveintheimportanceofstandards,especially

Sphere,becauseithelpsusbettermeettheneedsofourpopulation.Itishoweveralsoimportantforaccountabilityandtransparencypurposes.Standardsareanimportanttoolinthefightagainstcorruption,whichisabigissueinCentralAmerica.

InOct.2009,theGovernmentofGuatemalacommittedinwritingtocomplywiththeSphereStandards.Weworkedtowardsthisgoalbydevelopingmanualsandprotocolstoimplementthiscommitment.Forexample,wedevelopedTermsofReferenceforprocurementactivitiesandpurchases,settingclearrulesforexampleforthebiddingprocess.Wealsoworkedwithourproviderssothattheymeetthestandardsintermsofwhattheyproduce,inordertobettermeettheneedsofendusers,dependingontheirowncontextandculture.

Standardsarealsoveryusefulinsofarastheyhelpquantifytheamountofassistancethatoughttobeprovidedinanemergency.Inrelationtothat,italsoallowsustoplanforfutureeventsanddecidewhatshouldbeputinawarehouse.Veryimportantlyaswell,standardshelptominimisethehumanfactorandsupportobjectivedecisionsvs.arbitrarilydecidingwhatgoeswhere.

Standardsalsopushustoimprove,evenwhenitmeansfightingwithourownlegislation.Wechangedourapproachintermsofwhatkindofmattresseswereprovidedtopeopleaffectedbycrisisbasedonthestandard,eventhoughitwasn’teasytoachieve.

Standardsareindispensabletoolsforabetterresponse.Theyhelptobetterprepareourresponse,allowtoreducethetimeneededtorespond,andareimportantforouraccountabilityandtransparency.

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LiseGrande,ResidentHumanitarianCoordinator,Iraq

We'dliketomakethreekeypointsabouttheaccountabilityagenda:

First,wewanttoacknowledgehowimportantthisagendaisandtocelebratethehugeprogressthathasbeenmadeinthepastseveralyearstobringmoreandmoreattentiontoourcollectiveresponsibilities.

Second,we'dliketoreflectontheconcretestepswecantakeatthegroundleveltoensurethattheaccountabilityagendaisputrightatthecentreofourcollectiveefforts.

Thirdly,we'dliketoreflectgentlyonsomeofthekeythreatstotheaccountabilityagenda.Whenwe’retoldtodomorewithless,well,that’sathreattotheaccountabilityagenda.

Whenwethinkbackonwhereweweretenyearsagointermsofaccountabilityandwherewearenow--it'sincredibletoseetheprogress.Tenyearsago,everyoneknewmoreneededtobedonetoensurewewereaccountabletothepopulationswewereserving,buttherewasdrift--somemightevencharacterizeitasoutrightavoidance.Wewouldsay--theSpherestandardsaregreatbutwedon'thaveenoughmoneytofundthem,wedon'thavetoolstoensuretheoperationalcyclehasintegrity;conditionsinthefieldaretoorestrictive,donorswon'tpay,ourcoordinationarchitectureisn'tdesignedforthis,andsoforth.When(inSudan,inthe90s)weactuallyaskedpopulationswhattheyneeded,peoplesaid“Wedon’twantplasticbuckets,wewantcash”andofcoursewewouldignorethat.Accountabilitywasrecognisedassomethingaspirationalbutthelackofanagreedapproachgaveusanalibi,allowingustoavoidreallyhavingtodoanythingseriousaboutit.

Thishasallchanged.Becauseoftheeffortsofmanyorganisationsandmembersstatesandpeople,theaccountabilityagendaismoving.OneofthebestexamplesofthisaretheninecommitmentswhichmakeuptheCoreHumanitarianStandard.Thesecommitmentsareamanifestoofhowweshouldbeworking,andit’sgreatitfeaturesintheGrandBargain.TheStandardisaveryclearstatementthathumanitariansmustseeaccountabilitytothepeopleweserveasourfundamentalresponsibility--somethingallofusareobligedtodo.TheStandardisawayofconcretisingourethicalcommitmentandputtingitliterallyatthecentreofeverythingwetrytodo.AstheBargaingainstraction,manyofuswillbeworkingtoensuringthishappens--sothatwedon’thavetolookbackin10yearssayingwetried,butunfortunatelyfailed.

OursecondpointisaboutimplementingtheCoreHumanitarianStandardintoourhumanitarianoperations--AlejandrohasspokenabouthowGovernmentsaredoingthis,Aminahasspokenabouthowcommunity-basedorganisationsaredoingthisandI'dliketoreflectonhowtheclustersystemandHumanitarianCountryTeamscandothis.

We'dliketosuggestthatthereareatleastfourwaysinwhichHumanitarianCountryTeamscantaketheCHSandreallymakeitwork.

First,wecaninsistthatallorganisationswishingtosubmitprojectstoaHumanitarianResponsePlanshowthattheyareworkingtoreachSpherestandardsandthequalitycriteriaintheCoreHumanitarianStandard.Adashboardcanbeusedtodothis.

Second,wecaninsistthatallclustersdevelopworkplansbasedontheCoreHumanitarianStandardcycleandthatallclustersareworkingtodeliverassistanceatSpherestandards.TheHCTcancollectivelyreviewtheseworkplanstoensurefullsupportforthemacrosstheoperation.

Third,wecaninsistthatonlyorganisationswhichareworkingtoreachSpherestandardsandthequalitycriteriaintheCHSareeligibletoseekfundsfromthein-countrypooledfundandfromtheCERF.

Fourth,wecaninsistthatHCTsconductbiannualstrategicreviewsoftheiroperationstomonitorcollectiveprogressagainsttheCHSandSpherestandards.Ifwedojustthesefourthings,thiswillputaccountabilityattheverycentreofourcollectiveefforts.

MakingsurethatallHumanitarianCountryTeamsdothesefourthingsrequirestwosteps:First,theIASC

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needstochangethetermsofreferenceforHumanitarianCoordinatorstoincludedirectresponsibilityforintegratingtheCoreHumanitarianStandard,andSphereStandards,intotheoperationstheypresideover.Second,theIASCneedstodoexactlythesamethingforallclusterleadsagencies.Accountabilityistooimportanttoleavetothegoodwillandgoodintentionofhumanitarianactors.It'stimetomakeaccountabilitycompulsory.

Ourthirdpointismoresensitive--it'sabouttheveryrealthreatstotheaccountabilityagendathatthecurrentfundingcrisisrepresents.IfyouallowI'dliketousetheexampleofIraq,whereIamcurrentlybasedastheHumanitarianCoordinator,tomakethispoint.

Iraqisinmanywaysakindofdonororphan.Thedonorswhoarecontributinggenerouslytootheroperationsinthemiddleeast,byandlarge,havebeenhesitanttodothesameforIraq.Therearemanyreasonsforthis--whateverthemeritsofthesereasons,intheend,therearemorethan7millionIraqiswhodesperatelyneedhelpandaren'tgettingwhattheydeservebecausethefundingisn'tthere.Lastyear,thedonorsinsistedthattheIraqicountryteamprioritisewhatwasthenaUSD2billionappeal.Weweretoldthatifwedidn't,ouroperationwouldn'tbecredible.Soweprioritised.Itwasaverydifficultprocesswhichobligedustodosomethingnoneofuswantedtodo.RatherthancalculatingthecostsofprovidingassistancetomillionsofpeopleatSpherestandards,wewereforcedtoretrenchfromthestandardsandcalculatethecostsofmuchsmalleremergencypackagesforeachcluster.Thedifferencebetweentheemergencypackagesandthestandardsrepresentanethicalgap.Weexpected,ingoodfaith,thatatleasttheemergencypackageswouldbefunded.Theyweretosomedegree;butinfact,onlypartially.Weshouldmakenomistakeaboutthis--prioritisation,thestep-childofunder-funding,isnotaneutralprocess--itforcesustostepawayfromourcommitmenttoupholdinternationalstandards.

Myownviewisthathumanitarianactiononlyreallymakessensewhenitisprincipled.Let’sbefrank.Aprincipledresponsecostsmoney.Thishastocomefromsomewhere;humanitarianassistanceistooimportanttobevoluntary.Weneedtoconsideralloptionsincludingassessedcontributionsfrommemberstatesorfromtaxesimposedbymemberstatesonthesaleofgunsormaybeevencigarettes.Aprincipledapproachmeansweneedtoassessneedscollectively,onthebasisofanagreedmethodology,thencalculatethecostsofmeetingtheseneedsatSpherestandardsandusethe

CoreHumanitarianStandardtoensureweareaccountabletopopulations.Anyotherapproach,honestly,isn'treallyethical.

FrançoisGrünewald,ExecutiveDirector,GroupeURD,France

Theroadtothissideeventwasabumpyone.Therehasbeenmuchdebateovernearly20yearstogettotheCoreHumanitarianStandard.Ibelievecontextiseverything.Sohowcanwecapturecomplexitythroughstandards,orensureouractionsaccountforcontextsthatchangefromonedaytotheother’Howwillthingsthatarevalidtodaystillberelevantin5years.Justthinkabouttherathersuddenriseofcashor3Dprinting?

ThegoodthingabouttheCoreHumanitarianStandardisthatisisnotatechnicalsolution,it’saboutaskingquestions.AtGroupeURD,welikebeingconfrontationalandasking(theright)questions.Attheendoftheday,weneedtoavoidjustcomingwitharecipebookandusingstandardsassuch.Accountingforcontextisnotaneasytaskanditrequiresmorethanabook.Itrequiresengagementwithlocalactorsifyoudon’twanttoendupdoingbythebookthingsthataretotallystupid.

EvenattheICRC,doctrineisrevisited.Revisitingourstandardsiswhatweshoulduseevaluationsfor.Wealsoneedtoacknowledgethatsometimes,wedon’tcomplywithstandardsbecauseofstaffingorsecurityissues.Weneedtoknowwhywecan’tmeetthestandardtofigureouthowtoimprove,andasthemigrantcrisisisshowingus,weneedtobeagiletoadapttoquicklychangingsituations.That’swhyweneedtokeepaskingquestionssuchasthoseintheCoreHumanitarianStandard.


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