HAP Publications

Research and Communications at HAP

HAP's research and communication activities have been brought together under one common strategy. This strategy is one of the key reasons for the semi-independent nature of HAP research. HAP's research role is intended to reinforce and improve studies into the practice of accountability through strategic partnerships with academic institutions, UN bodies and other organizations concerned with humanitarian accountability.

Our research activities provide three functions:

to carry out small projects (either desk studies or through member agencies), to collect case studies, tools, examples of good practice
to commission studies to consultants, individuals researchers, member agencies, research institutions, or through cooperative arrangements with other initiatives.
to act as a support function to the program areas of HAP, collecting and correlating material for the Resource Library and also carrying out other required work when necessary.

HAP's communication and advocacy work, goes beyond a purely supportive function for the Standard and capacity building aspects of HAP's programme. Instead, we seek to engage with strategic research insitutions that can strengthen the case for downward accountability beyond our own internal capabilities.

The majority of HAP publications are available FREE in pdf format.

Humanitarian Accountability Reports (2005 - present)
To complain or not to complain: still the Question
The Guide to the HAP Standard
The HAP Humanitarian Accountability and Quality Management Standard (2007)
The Building Safer Organisations Handbook and Guidelines
Annotated Bibliography
Recent Presentations and Conferences

♦ The 2009 Humanitarian Accountability Report

The 2009 Humanitarian Accountability Report opens with an overview of the principal developments and trends in relation to accountability in the humanitarian system in 2009, written by John Borton, a renowned independent consultant. The report highlights the main challenges to improving accountability to crisis-affected communities as:

• Evaluations of humanitarian action do not assess accountability to beneficiaries and affected communities either explicitly or systematically

• Accountability to crisis affected communities is poorly developed within at least two UN agencies that perform critical roles within the humanitarian system and within most of the Clusters that are integral to current humanitarian reform efforts.

The report also includes an analysis of the positive practices and challenges of accountability and quality programming as perceived or experienced by disaster survivors in Southern Sudan. This is one of the few opportunities to hear directly from programme beneficiaries and it highlights some of the issues that are consistently raised by users of aid services.

A summary of member agency activities offers insight into how members are working towards achieving their accountability and quality commitments, globally.

This year's Report is available in both pdf download and hardcopy. To order a hardcopy please follow the link on the left-hand menu bar.

*Humanitarian Accountability Reports for previous years are available below (click on the covers to download the pdf versions):

♦ To complain or not to complain: still the question

Released on 25 June, 2008 To complain or not to complain: still the question, is the result of seven months participatory-based research with nearly 300 disaster survivors in Kenya, Namibia and Thailand. The commissioned report was conducted by Kirsti Lattu and is available to download from our Resource section or by clicking To complain or not to complain!

(738kb pdf format)

♦ The Guide to the HAP Standard (Oxford: Oxfam Publishing, 2008)

The Guide to the HAP Standard is a companion to the Humanitarian Accountability and Quality Management Standard (2007). Aimed at leaders, managers and staff of humanitarian agencies, it is also relevant to individuals and organizations generally interested in accountability and humanitarian affairs.

The Guide explains:

the HAP 2007 Standard
how agencies can meet the Standard
how agencies are certified against the standard
how agencies can apply for certification

You can now download the complete Guide to the HAP Standard:

Table of Contents

PART I: Introduction (pages 1 - 10)

PART II: Qualifying Norms for Certification (pages 11 - 29)

PART II: The Humanitarian Accountability Convenant (pages 30 - 41)

PART II: Benchmarks for the HAP Standard (pages 42 - 93)

PART III: The HAP Certification Scheme (pages 95 - 114)

Annex 1: Full text of the HAP Standard (pages 115 - 139)

Annex 2: Acronyms and Glossary (pages 141 - 151)

Annex 3: Tools (pages 153 - 223)

Annex 4: Quality and Accountability Initiatives (pages 224 - 227)

Annex 5: Acknowledgements (pages 228 - 233)

Index (pages 234 - 239)

To order your hardcopy of the Guide to the HAP Standard follow the linke to Oxfam Publishing website.

***NEW*** French translation of the Tools Section from the Guide to the HAP Standard are now available. Click here to download them in PDF format.

♦ HAP 2007 Standard

Like HAP's Principles of Accountability, the HAP 2007 Standard in Humanitarian Accountability and Quality Management has been developed through intensive consultation and field tests. It is based upon a simple but effective humanitarian quality management system that may be applied by all humanitarian agencies.

(449kb pdf format)

Translations: French, Spanish, Myanmar (Burmese) and Urdu

♦ Building Safer Organisations Handbook and Guidelines

The BSO Handbook and Guideline assist trained investigators and managers to implement good investigation practices in the field. A compilation of the materials used by BSO facilitators, the Handbook is a reference for facilitators and former BSO workshop participants. The Guidelines, on the other hand, build on the IASC’s draft Model Complaints and Investigation Procedure and Guidance and accompany organizations from the first step of designing accessible complaints mechanisms to the final step of writing the investigation reports.

Read the Handbook (3291kb pdf format) and Guidelines (543kb pdf format).

♦ Annotated Bibliography (last updated November 2009)

Since 2008, HAP has undertaken to archive an extensive bibliography covering the themes of beneficiary participation, accountability and management systems in humanitarian action and relief efforts. The bibliography is ordered by year (most recent publications are first) and all entries are made in alphabetical order using the author's surname.

This document will be continually added to and updated so visit often for the most recent copy. Click here to download the Bibliography (512kb).

Recent Presentations and Conferences

November 2009 Presentation at the Innovations Fair, ALNAP, London UK (presenters: Coleen Heemskerk and Emily Rogers)
November 2009 Humanitarian Accountability presentation, CDAC, London UK (presenter: Nicholas Stockton)
November 2009 presented at the Accountability to Primary Stakeholders meeting, Cartigny, Switzerland (presenter: Nicholas Stockton)
September 2009 Profit and Non-profit Accountability conference, Pisa Italy (presenter: Nicholas Stockton)
September 2009 Improving humanitarian accountability and the HAP Standard, IRC Conference Ditchley Park, UK (presenter: Nicholas Stockton)
August 2009 Presentation to People in Aid on regulatory collaborations (presenters: Sheryl Haw and Lieske Pott Hofstede)
July 2009 Improving Accountability presentation to DFID, London UK (presenter: Nicholas Stockton)
May 2009 presentation on Progress of the HAP Standard Review, BOND, London UK (presenter: Monica Blagescu)
May 2009 participanted in the AFCID Code of Conduct revision meetings, Canberra Australia (present: Nicholas Stockton)
May 2009 Presentation on Improving Accountability, Conference on Accountability at the Berlin Civil Society Centre, Berlin Germany (presenter: Nicholas Stockton)
April 2009 Presentation on Humanitarian Accountability, Geneva Consultants Forum, Geneva (presenter: Barb Wigley)
April 2009 NCVO Advisory Group, London, UK
April 2009 Presentation to the Norwegian NGO consortium, Oslo, Norway (presenters: Coleen Heemskerk and Nicholas Stockton)
March 2009 Accountability presentation to the Conference on Conservation and Human Rights, Washington, United States (presenter: Nicholas Stockton)
March 2009 3-Day seminar on Gender-based Violence, Dtalk: Development Studies Center, Dublin Ireland (presenter: Jamie Munn)
Feburary 2009 International Humanitarian Conference, Webster University, Geneva (presenters: Barb Wigley and Jamie Munn)
December 2008 ALNAP Biannual Meeting, Berlin Germany (presenter: Monica Blagescu)
October 2008 3-Day seminar on Gender-based Violence Dtalk: Development Studies Center, Dublin Ireland (presenter: Jamie Munn)
July 2008 Understanding HAP's Accountability to Beneficiaries briefings to UN, INGO Directors, and local NGO Forum in Myanmar (presenter: Monica Blagescu)
May 2008 Understanding Power and the HAP Standard Amsterdam Global Conference on Sustainability and Transparency hosted by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the University of Amsterdam Business School. (presenter: Jamie Munn)
May 2008 Accountability towards beneficiaries KPMG International Not-for-profit Event, workshop 1 (presenter: Nicholas Stockton)
March 2008 Accountability Lessons Learnt Bangladesh (presenter: Monica Blagescu)
March 2008 Accountability for Protection Delivery UNHCR / NGO retreat on International Protection (presenter: Nicholas Stockton)
Feburary 2008 Gender-based Violence seminar Dtalk: Development Studies Center, Dublin Ireland (presenter: Katharina Samara-Wickrama)
Feburary 2008 Briefing on HAP World Vision Zimbabwe (presenter: Monica Blagescu)
January 2008 Humanitarian Accountability DfID Partners Meeting (presenter: Nicholas Stockton)
January 2008 Master Class on Accountability Global Connections, UK (presenter: Sheryl Haw)