Background
For several years now, the international humanitarian aid sector has been increasingly challenged by the need for change. These imperatives relate in particular to accountability towards populations, which is not a new issue but one where efforts must continue to be made. As highlighted recently by ALNAP in its study “From tick box to turning point: getting accountability right for improved humanitarian action” (Jennifer Doherty, November 2023): “The humanitarian system has been talking for decades about the need to be more accountable to people affected by crisis. Yet despite the efforts of some invested organisations and individuals, there has been limited progress in terms of positive outcomes reported by communities and the most marginalised individuals within them.”
With the localisation of aid gaining momentum since the COVID-19 pandemic, thinking about better and more accountable aid is now incorporating the issue of partner involvement. Indeed, international players are increasingly looking at how to involve their partners (better) in the issue of accountability. How can responsibility be shared with partners in this area? What are the different ways of doing this, and what are the issues involved? To what extent could the involvement of partners make a positive contribution to efforts to improve the accountability of aid?
These questions and reflections have an impact on all aspects of humanitarian aid, whether in terms of funding, project management or accountability. How can accountability be put into practice in the context of partnerships, particularly with local stakeholders? What are the different possible approaches and what are the challenges?
The webinar on “Accountability and Partnerships” is designed to answer these questions. It is organised by the Accountability Group, a network of accountability officers from around ten international solidarity organisations. The aim of this webinar, and others that will follow, is to open up the network’s discussions by tackling topical issues of interest to the sector in relation to the notion of accountability.
Date: 11 April 2024
Schedule: 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm (2 hours)
Language: French
Speakers
Groupe URD – Webinar moderator – Welcome participants, presentation of the webinar agenda and speakers. Introduction to the concepts of accountability and partnership to set the scene for the discussion. Reminder of relevant international accountability standards such as the CHS, which can be used to place commitments and actions within a global and internationally recognised framework.
French Red Cross (FRC)
Internationally, the FRC always works in collaboration with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. This collaboration can take different forms, and in this webinar we will be focusing on the Pilot Programme Partnership (PPP) programme – a three-year partnership between the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, National Societies and the European Union, implemented in 24 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. The coordinator of this programme will give us a more detailed presentation of the PPP and explain the accountability issues involved. Her speech will be accompanied by a testimonial from the National Red Cross Society in the DRC, who will share their perspectives and experiences on the programme and the challenges of accountability.
Humanité & Inclusion (Handicap International)
In 2022, HI carried out a review of internal practices on the role of the organisation’s local partners in setting up mechanisms to ensure accountability towards populations. The review highlighted a number of findings and lessons learned for the organisation, which will be shared with us during this webinar. This review was followed by a pilot project to support several partners in setting up mechanisms for accountability to the public. We will also hear from one of HI’s partners who has benefited from this support.
Ground Truth Solutions
Ground Truth Solutions is an organisation that aims to strengthen accountability to people in the humanitarian aid sector. Given its position as an independent actor supporting organisations to better highlight community perspectives through research on perception, as well as dialogue and advocacy, and working with and through private and public bodies, GTS wonders about the notion of accountability applied to this type of partnership, and will shed some light on these issues. In addition, together with Ground Truth Solutions, we will be looking at the difficulty of collecting reliable perception data on the level of trust felt by the population in relation to the different types of actors present in humanitarian contexts.
Organised with the support of French Development Agency, Fondation de France, Région Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes and Monegasque Cooperation.
© – 2022 – Preston Concept pour Action Contre la Faim / RESILAC.