HAP 2007 Standard in Humanitarian Accountability and Quality Management
Basic information
- Type: Certification scheme
- Year established: 2007
- Status: Active
- Thematic area: Humanitarian / emergency relief
- Summary: HAP International is a self-regulatory body for the humanitarian sector. It has developed a certification scheme (HAP 2007 Standard in Humanitarian Accountability and Quality Management) to help organisations achieve accountability and quality management. The scheme is open to all humanitarian organisations and requires agencies to demonstrate that they meet specified performance benchmarks for humanitarian quality management; transparency; beneficiary participation;staff competencies; complaints handling and continual improvement. Agencies also commit themselves to the general Principles for Humanitarian Action, addressing among others, gender, religious and political affiliations and conflict of interests issues. Certification is granted for three years subject to a compliance verification audit and mid term monitoring. The costs associated with HAP are covered by a combination of membership fees, certification fees and funding from bilateral and private donors.
Contact details
- Host organisation: Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International
- Acronym: HAP
- Website: www.hapinternational.org
- Email: secretariat@hapinternational.org
- Phone: +41 (0) 227881641
- Address: Maison Internationale de l'Environnement 2 Chemin Balexert 7 (first floor, room 1-08) CH - 1219 Châtelaine Geneva, Switzerland
Areas addressed
- Principles or standards: Standards-based
- Communications / advocacy / fundraising:
- General commitment to transparency
- Governance and Management:
- Anti-Corruption
- Human resources:
- Staff development and training
- Beneficiary / client / supporter participation:
- General commitment to beneficiary participation
- In all project cycle stages
- In needs assessment
- In project design
- In implementation
- In monitoring (during project)
- In evaluation (ex post)
- In strategic planning
- Monitoring and Evaluation:
- General commitment to evaluation
- Commitment to integrate learning in future
- Cross-cutting thematic areas:
- Human rights
Participation
- Reasons for participation
- Certificate / seal of approval
Compliance
- Evidence base: Desk & Field/site
- Description of monitoring mechanism: Recertification is required every three years.
- Has sanctioning mechanism: Yes
- Description of sanctioning mechanism: If complaints are addressed to HAP international, these complaints are forwarded to the agencies concerned prior to submission to the Standing Complaints Committtee of the HAP Board. The SCC reviews these complaints and the agencies' responses. HAP will also consider and review complaints against non-member agencies.
- Can removal be enforced?: Yes
Assessment
The Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International is one of a number of self-regulatory initiatives within the humanitarian and emergency relief fields that is focused on strengthening the accountability, performance and quality of NGOs. These Initiatives have already done much work in identifying commonalities and differences. The niche that HAP fills is in its focus on improving the quality and impact of humanitarian action through helping agencies become more accountable to disaster survivors. In this way it is focused largely on the development and application of instruments and incentives to strengthen beneficiary accountability. Also distinctive is the fact that HAP is a certification agency and has been empowered by its members to promote and assess compliance with the HAP 2007 Standard in Humanitarian Accountability and Quality Management.
Similar initiatives
ALNAP, Coordination Sud (France), Code of Good Practice in the Management and Support of Aid Personnel (People in Aid), SPHERE Project, Emergency Capacity Building Project (ECB)
