SCHR Certification Project
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the certification project?
Why is the project focused on certification?
What do you mean by certification?
What does the project hope to achieve?
How can certification contribute to better quality, effectiveness and
accountability?
Who is the target audience for this project?
What about smaller players? Would a certification system exclude them?
Isn’t this just duplication of existing efforts? Is this trying to replace HAP?
How does this project relate to the Joint Standards Initiative?
How does this project relate to professionalization of humanitarian staff?
What are some of the criteria to guide the project?
Who is supporting and funding the project?
How can I get more information or engage with the project?
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SCHR Certification Project
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the certification project?
The certification review project is an initiative to explore how the certification of humanitarian organisations
could contribute to better quality and more effective humanitarian action, and if so, what it would take to
develop and implement a successful, sustainable and widely used certification model for the sector. The
project aims to learn from the successes and shortcomings of existing experiences in the sector (such as HAP
and People In Aid) and build consensus around how certification could contribute to greater respect for
humanitarian principles and compliance with agreed quality and accountability standards and good practices.
Why is the project focused on certification?
Certification is not a new concept in the sector. Over the past twenty years, several key evaluations in the
humanitarian sector have called for the establishment of a system-wide quality assurance or certification
mechanism as a means to improve the quality, reliability and effectiveness of aid efforts. Since then, there
have been several initiatives aimed at improving the quality and accountability of humanitarian aid. However,
the evidence suggests that voluntary commitment to the current set of quality and accountability initiatives in
the sector has not been enough to drive substantial, sustained improvements in the way humanitarian
organizations respond to the needs of affected populations.
Many humanitarian organisations already participate in formal certification processes, most notably HAP and
People In Aid. Others have invested private sector certification, such as ISO 9000 or performance and
management audits. Some processes and mechanisms used in the sector are similar to certification, although
they are not explicitly called this. These range from regulatory frameworks at the national level for charitable
or non-profit organisations, to procedures developed by donors, funders and other agencies to assess and
select partners. However, these efforts are not harmonised and the majority of actors currently engaged in
humanitarian actions are not aware of them or do not engage actively with them, thus limiting their impact as
a mechanism for increased coherence in the sector.
Experiences from other sectors demonstrate that independent, external review and certification processes
make a significant contribution to more coherent, consistent use of best practices and quality standards. The
basic assumption behind this project is that the humanitarian sector has reached a stage of maturity that a
system-wide certification system has the potential to allow humanitarian organizations to show that they are
credible, reliable and accountable partners, committed to meeting the needs, priorities and concerns of
people affected by crisis.
What do you mean by certification?
For this project, certification means a systematic and regular independent (normally external) assessment of
some key criteria around the organisation’s capacity, experience and performance in supporting high quality
aid and how well it fulfils its accountability obligations to affected populations and other stakeholders. The
main focus of certification would be around assuring more consistent use and application of quality standards
and best practices, and not regulations of humanitarian actors. The project will explore several options around
how to define and manage any potential certification system for the sector, including building on existing
initiatives. In this regard, the outcomes will depend on the results of the project research and consultation
process and an assessment of the most effective, sustainable manner to move forward with certification if the
evidence shows that this will contribute to improving aid efforts.
What does the project hope to achieve?
The certification project is an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved so far and build a consensus on
what needs to be done to ensure aid efforts consistently, effectively and accountably address the needs and
priorities of crisis-affected populations today and in the future. The project will identify the potential benefits
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SCHR Certification Project
Frequently Asked Questions
(and risks) of certification for humanitarian organisations, their funders and supporters, and most importantly,
the people humanitarian organisations aim to assist through their actions. The project will identify core
criteria that could be used to assess and verify that an organisation has the capacity, competency and
commitment to deliver effective and accountable humanitarian assistance, based on humanitarian principles
and standards of good practice. The project will also explore different implementation options to ensure that
any potential certification model for the sector is open to all, widely endorsed, sustainable and adds value to
humanitarian actions.
How can certification contribute to better quality, effectiveness and
accountability?
A widely accepted and used certification process would provide a common framework to demonstrate that
organisations are accountable for meeting their commitments to humanitarian principles and good practices.
At a time of increasing competition from new actors, like the military or private sector, certification could also
help reinforce humanitarian principles and establish a set of minimum criteria and benchmarks that would
distinguish humanitarian organisations from other actors working crisis situations.
External validation that organisations are complying with these standards and commitments would give
different stakeholders the assurance that organisations are accountable for their actions. Certification could
also provide an incentive to organisations of all sizes and types to develop the necessary capacity to
consistently apply humanitarian principles, quality standards and good practices. A system with clear added
value and benefits for participating organisations, such as recognition, access to funding or other advantages,
could be a powerful incentive for more consistent application of existing standards and good practices. At the
same time, it could motivate those who do not understand or apply humanitarian principles and quality
standards in their work to learn from and comply with the criteria set out in a certification model.
Who is the target audience for this project?
The SCHR recognises that there are many other actors engaged in humanitarian work, and many different
views around certification. This project will try to facilitate a constructive debate that reflects all points of view
in the findings and outcomes. While the SCHR has initiated the project, the intention is that the project
findings will be based on wide consultation with multiple stakeholders, and that the outcomes will benefit the
sector as a whole. For the moment, the initial focus is on NGO and Red Cross Red Crescent humanitarian
actors, but at a later stage, the potential implications of a certification system for development work or other
actors could also be considered. The intention is to develop a simple, agreed framework and a sustainable
system that would address the needs and concerns of all stakeholders, not just SCHR members or international
NGOs, and that is flexible enough to adapt and evolve as required. For this, the project will be carrying our
research and consultations to understand how certification could impact on different groups, such as donors,
host governments, local and national NGOs and affected populations.
What about smaller players? Would a certification system exclude them?
The increasing involvement of many smaller organisations and new actors in crisis situations, many unfamiliar
with humanitarian principles and existing standards and good practices, has complicated efforts for more
effective, coordinated responses. In many cases, new and smaller actors have brought innovative ideas and
new approaches to delivering humanitarian assistance. However, in other cases, the presence of other actors
with competing agendas and objectives has contributed to an erosion of “humanitarian space,” blurring the
distinction between organisations committed to humanitarian principles and other players in the eyes of
affected populations, governments, funders, and the media. An inclusive, accessible certification system could
help distinguish credible and reliable actors from others, while providing orientation for newer or less
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SCHR Certification Project
Frequently Asked Questions
experienced actors on how and where to build capacity to become a principled, effective and accountable
humanitarian organisation.
Isn’t this just duplication of existing efforts? Is this trying to replace HAP?
No. Over the past ten years HAP has made a valuable contribution to increasing awareness of accountability
issues in the humanitarian sector. Many humanitarian organisations, including several members of the SCHR
are HAP members and have been HAP-certified. This has undoubtedly contributed to greater accountability
towards affected populations However, HAP has had less success in generating widespread adoption of HAP
standards amongst the wider humanitarian community, and several larger, membership-based organisations
have found it difficult to fully apply HAP standards within their networks.
The SCHR certification project is exploring the wider issue of how certification could benefit the sector as a
whole, including other stakeholders. It differs from HAP in that the project is considering a broader set of
issues on how to promote quality assurance, performance as well as accountability to different stakeholder
groups. There is a firm commitment to work closely with HAP to build on and learn from its successes and
shortcomings. In fact, HAP is represented both on the project Steering Group and the project Technical
Advisory Group to help share ideas and look for ways the certification project can add to and complement
HAPs own learning and research process. The project findings are not predetermined, and could include
recommendations on how to ensure any existing or proposed certification models – including HAP - can be
more sustainable and successful at meeting the needs of the sector.
How does this project relate to the Joint Standards Initiative?
HAP, the Sphere Project and People In Aid launched the Joint Standards Initiative (JSI), with financial support
of the SCHR and several donor governments to explore the potential of harmonising their approaches to
standards. The JSI process aims to collect evidence on how existing standards are understood and used, how
relevant and useful they are, and what could be done to improve them. The JSI process is also exploring issues
around compliance and verification of existing standards, without a specific focus on certification as such.
Based on a wide consultation process, the three organisations will consider how to ensure that they can work
together to best support humanitarian organisations to apply standards and best practices, an aim fully
supported by the SCHR.
The certification project will build on the JSI process and incorporate the findings into its analysis. However, it
is a separate and independent project with a different focus and set of objectives. While the JSI project is
looking at the use of standards, the certification project is exploring how certification could provide a means to
verify that principles, good practices and quality standards are applied by organisations. Any criteria developed
by the certification project to assess the capacity, performance or accountability of an organisation would
build on the extensive work already done by HAP, People In Aid, the Sphere Project and others, as well as any
proposals emerging from the JSI process. To ensure better information sharing, the two projects are mutually
represented on each other’s advisory groups.
How does this project relate to professionalization of humanitarian staff?
There are a number of initiatives like ELHRA and training programmes that aim to professionalise the
humanitarian sector. The SCHR fully supports these efforts, especially those aimed at building the professional
capacities of local organisations. The certification project’s focus on organisations will complement the efforts
to professionalise humanitarian staff, so that well-qualified, competent professional staff are supported by
organisations that have sufficient capacity and a commitment to effective and accountable humanitarian
actions for them to be effective in their work.
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SCHR Certification Project
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some of the criteria to guide the project?
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Based on some initial consultations within the SCHR and other stakeholders, the project has set out some
criteria to guide any recommendations around any potential certification system for the sector. The project
outcomes should:
Focus on improving the quality, effectiveness and accountability of aid for crisis affected populations
Reinforce respect and application of humanitarian principles and be driven by the specific needs of the
humanitarian sector;
Add value to the work of humanitarian organisations, not just SCHR members, especially at the field level;
Be based on an open and transparent process with wide engagement of all actors;
Validate, build on, and where possible, consolidate existing quality and accountability initiatives;
Provide a simple yet robust set of criteria to measure organisations’ capacity, performance and accountability
in humanitarian actions;
Ensure flexibility so that any system can be utilised by humanitarian organisations of all sizes and disciplines;
Ensure any proposed models are sustainable, cost-effective and able to meet current needs and prepare for
future trends
Who is supporting and funding the project?
The project has been developed and facilitated by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR)
– an umbrella organisation that brings together nine of the world’s leading humanitarian organisations. The
SCHR has a long history of initiating and supporting efforts for greater coordination, effectiveness and
accountability in humanitarian actions. Examples include SCHR’s key role in developing the Red Cross Red
Crescent and NGO Code of Conduct, and supporting the establishment of the Sphere Project and the
Humanitarian Ombudsman Project (which evolved into HAP).
Through this project, the SCHR wants stimulate debate and discussion in the sector on the potential role of
certification to improving the quality, effectiveness and accountability of humanitarian actions for vulnerable
and crisis affected populations. SCHR member organisations are providing technical support and expertise to
the project, and several NGO umbrella organisations, quality and accountability initiatives and other
stakeholders are represented on the project Steering Group and Technical Advisory Group. Several donor
governments are financially supporting the project, including Denmark, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The SCHR hopes that other organisations and stakeholders will actively engage and contribute to the project
research and consultation process so that the findings reflect a diversity of ideas and interests in the sector.
How can I get more information or engage with the project?
There are many different ways to engage with the project, ranging from sharing your organization’s experience
with certification, to participating in debates and discussions organized through the project, sharing
information and gathering inputs from your networks, or contributing your inputs through surveys, online
discussions or key informant interviews. The project coordination team would welcome your ideas and
suggestions!
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Updates and information will be published on the SCHR website, at www.schr.info You can also contact us by
email:
Philip Tamminga, Certification Project Coordinator: Philip.Tamminga@schr.info
Bethan Montague-Brown, Research Officer: Bethan.Montague_Brown@schr.info
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