Julie Bishop address to Council 2010
— HAP
Background
The Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) is striving to make humanitarian action accountable to its intended beneficiaries - those people whose lives are at risk due to armed conflict or other calamitous events.
HAP was launched in 2003 after extensive consultation, research and negotiation within the humanitarian system to seek practical ways to address the profound accountability deficit identified by the Joint Evaluation of the international response to the 1994 Rwanda crisis. The work of HAP is based on seven principles of accountability:
- Respect and promote the rights of legitimate humanitarian claimants
- State the standards that apply in their humanitarian assistance work
- Inform beneficiaries about these standards, and their right to be heard
- Meaningfully involve beneficiaries in project planning, implementation, evaluation and reporting
- Demonstrate compliance with the standards that apply in their humanitarian assistance work through monitoring and reporting
- Enable beneficiaries and staff to make complaints and to seek redress in safety
- Implement these principles when working through partner agencies.
Objectives
- To develop principles and standards of accountability to beneficiaries through research, consultation, and collaboration
- To support members and potential members of HAP in adhering to the principles of accountability to beneficiaries through training and advice
- To advocate for the application of HAP’s Accountability Principles
- To monitor and report on the implementation by members of HAP’s Accountability Principles
- To assist members in finding solutions where concerns or complaints are raised about them
- To establish a system of HAP accreditation and certification.
