Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International - HAP Standard

HAP Standard

The HAP Standard is a practical and measurable tool that represents a broad consensus of what matters most in humanitarian action. The Standard helps organisations design, implement, assess, improve and recognise accountable programmes. Being accountable to crisis-affected communities helps organisations to develop quality programmes that meet those people’s needs, and reduces the possibility of mistakes, abuse (including sexual exploitation and abuse) and corruption.

The 2010 edition of the HAP Standard in Accountability and Quality Management is the result of an extensive review process of the 2007 Standard that involved wide consultation with different stakeholders, including crisis-affected communities, aid workers and donors. Over 1,900 people in 56 countries contributed to the review process and the preparation of the 2010 edition, bringing to the process authentic experiences from different perspectives.

The HAP Standard is a quality assurance tool for humanitarian organisations. By comparing an organisation's processes, policies and products to the Standard's six benchmarks, it is possible to measure how well the organisation assures accountability and quality in its humanitarian work. Organisations that comply with the Standard:

• declare their commitment to HAP’s seven Principles of Accountability and to their own Humanitarian Accountability Framework (a set of definitions, procedures and standards that specify how an agency will ensure accountability to its stakeholders);
• develop and implement a Humanitarian Quality Management System;
• provide key information about quality management to key stakeholders;
• enable beneficiaries and their representatives to participate in programme decisions and give their informed consent;
• determine the competencies and development needs of staff;
• establish and implement a complaints-handling procedure;
• establish a process of continual improvement.