Accountability in Humanitarian Action

How can we make sure that aid provided is appropriate and relevant?

By Emma Dearing

Theme: It is important that humanitarian response is appropriate and relevant to the needs of the people being served, and to ensure that this is the case, it is important that response is measured in a structured and systematic way.

Summary: To ensure that aid provided is the best possible, Sphere established core standards that organizations can utilize. These standards are important, and can ultimately help maintain appropriate and relevant aid, given that the very first standard is “Humanitarian response is appropriate and relevant.” There are nine total core standards, however I have decided to focus on the first one, because it is an important first step to take. There are three specific performance indicators listed to ensure that aid is appropriate and relevant, “communities and people affected by crisis consider that the response takes account of their specific needs, culture, and preferences. The assistance and protection provided correspond with assessed risks, vulnerabilities and needs. The response takes account of the capacities, skills and knowledge of people requiring assistance and protection." (The Sphere Project, 2011 p. 54); these are important, because appropriate and relevant aid can be the difference between life or death for some that are vulnerable and affected by crises. Additionally, appropriate, and relevant response ensures that it is non-discriminatory and impartial in nature.

To determine whether aid is truly appropriate and relevant, it is important that there are systems in place to measure it. In an article published in the Journal of International Humanitarian Action, authors analyzed a variety of humanitarian response and their measurements to determine if it was truly appropriate and relevant, and in turn, accountable. Their findings showed that there is a lack of appropriateness, relevance, and accountability in humanitarian response, and suggested that more structured systems are put in place to measure these things, to better the aid that is provided (Abdelmagid, et al., 2019).

Application: As responders, it’s important to provide the best care possible. Care needs to be relevant and appropriate, and tailored to one’s needs.

References:

The Sphere Project. (2011). Core Humanitarian Standard. The Sphere Project Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. Pp. 50-84. Retrieved July 24, 2023 from: https://sheltercluster.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/public/docs/sphere-handbook-2018-en.pdf

Abdelmagid, N., Checchi, F., Garry, S., Warsame, A. (2019, August 28). Defining, measuring and interpreting the appropriateness of humanitarian assistance. International Journal Humanitarian Action, 4(14). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-019-0062-y

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