Humanitarian Standards: News

First steps agreed to develop a new humanitarian standards architecture

The Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP), People In Aid and the Sphere Project have now moved into the action phase to develop a new humanitarian standards architecture.

(16 May 2013)

Humanitarian standards consultation report now published

The global stakeholder consultation report on humanitarian standards, commissioned by the Joint Standards Initiative (JSI) has been made public.

(1 May 2013)

JSI Advisory Group Meeting (8th April, 2013) Update

The Joint Standards Initiative Advisory Group met on April 8, 2013 in Geneva to discuss the draft report from the stakeholder consultation; the Advisory Group’s recommendations to the HAP, People In Aid, and Sphere Boards and the JSI Steering Group; and the potential organisational review, which is part of the Advisory Group’s terms of reference.

(24 April 2013)

Organisational Development Assignment for JSI

The Joint Standards Initiative is an exciting collaboration between; HAP International, People In Aid and the Sphere Project, to improve the humanitarian standards architecture.

(18 March 2013)

Snapshot from the Global Leaders Conference in Copenhagen 11-12th March 2013

The Copenhagen Conference aimed to gather the views and opinions of influential leaders across the humanitarian sector on how to improve coherence in humanitarian standards.

(18 March 2013)

Snapshot from the JSI Stakeholder Consultation – Panama City, Panama

To keep stakeholders updated on the progress of the JSI consultative process, the consultation team will provide regular blog posts containing snapshots of the process. This post comes from Patricia Goldschmid of the consultation team.

(11 March 2013)

Snapshot from the JSI Stakeholder Consultation – Villahermosa, Mexico

(10 March 2013)

Snapshot from the JSI Stakeholder Consultation – Beirut, Lebanon

(4 March 2013)

Snapshot from the JSI Consultation - Bangkok, Thailand

(28 February 2013)

Snapshot from the JSI Stakeholder Consultation - Juba, South Sudan

(26 February 2013)

Snapshot from the JSI Stakeholder Consultation – Nairobi, Kenya

(25 February 2013)

Time is running out to take part in the JSI Consultation – Deadline 28th Feb

Consultation events, interviews and focus group discussions are taking place across the globe, as thousands of people contribute to the conversation on how to improve humanitarian standards.

(22 February 2013)

Snapshot from the JSI Consultation - Cairo, Egypt

(21 February 2013)

Snapshot from the JSI Stakeholder Consultation – Richard Toll, Senegal

(20 February 2013)

East Africa (Nairobi) consultation invite: Would you like to influence the future of humanitarian Standards?

You are warmly invited to a regional consultation event for East Africa in Nairobi, facilitated by Lois Austin (JSI Lead Consultant) and Robert Schofield (JSI Coordinator).

(7 February 2013)

Global consultation hots up – make your voice heard on the future of humanitarian standards

We are in the thick of the Joint Standards Initiative Consultation which launched in Dec 2012 and ends on 1st March 2013. The on-line survey has been widely circulated in four languages, focus group discussions are taking place across the globe and regional consultation events start this week. Here are some of the ways you can participate before the end of the month:

(6 February 2013)

Dakar Focus Group Discussion: Souhaitez-vous contribuer au futur des standards humanitaires?

Invitation – groupe de discussion - JSI – Dakar, Sénégal

Trois des principales initiatives de qualité et de redevabilité, HAP International, People In Aid et le Projet Sphère, sont actuellement à l’œuvre pour apporter une plus grande cohérence entre leurs standards, et ce par le biais d’une collaboration novatrice appelée Joint Standards Initiative (JSI).

(1 February 2013)

Snapshot from the JSI Stakeholder Consultation - Paris, France

To keep stakeholders updated on the progress of the JSI consultative process, the consultation team will provide regular blog posts containing snapshots of the process. This first post comes from Glenn O’Neil, member of the consultation team.

(25 January 2013)

Launch of the Guide to the 2010 HAP Standard

The Humanitarian Accountability Partnership launched the Guide to the 2010 HAP Standard in Accountability and Quality Management in Geneva on the 24th January 2013.

(24 January 2013)

Would you like to influence the future of humanitarian standards?

At the heart of the the Joint Standards Initiative, is an open enquiry across the humanitarian community to gather views on the use, relevance and future of humanitarian standards. This consultation process launched in December 2012 and is now in full swing until early March 2013. We look forward to receiving your views and here are two ways you can participate.

(9 January 2013)

JSI Advisory Group (formerly JSI Working Group) Update

Following the first Advisory Group meeting in September 2012, a concept note for the stakeholder consultation was developed and two consultants were hired in November to lead the consultation process: Lois Austin and Glenn O’Neil. (For a note from that meeting, please see here.)

(21 December 2012)

Renewed commitment to standards coherence

The Boards of the three standards initiatives met at the end of November and renewed their commitment to the JSI process, which is gathering pace.

(19 December 2012)

JSI engaging with the British Red Cross

Recent engagement by a group of British Red Cross employees was very rewarding for the Joint Standards Initiative (JSI). As part of the BRC's annual Learning Week Robert Schofield, JSI Coordinator, and myself, People In Aid's Director, were asked to talk about quality and accountability.

(4 December 2012)

Consultants appointed for JSI Stakeholder Consultation

The Stakeholder Consultation is central to the JSI’s commitment to review existing Quality and Accountability standards and determine how they can be improved.

We have recently recruited a strong pair of consultants, Lois Austin and Glenn O’Neil, to provide expert support to this process of enquiry. They bring a range of experience from the International Red Cross/ Red Crescent Movement, NGOs, the Cash Learning Partnership (Calp), UN, donors and the private sector, as well as a good track record in undertaking participatory research and presenting major reports.

(20 November 2012)

An Update from Robert Schofield, JSI Coordinator

I’m passionate about improving the quality of humanitarian action to the most vulnerable, which is why I’m delighted to be coordinating the Joint Standards Initiative over the next 12 months. I’m convinced that by seeking to be more coherent across standards organisations and gathering the widest possible views to inform a conversation about how to do this better, we will make a valuable contribution to driving up quality and professionalism across the sector.

(9 November 2012)

Expert Working Group launched in Geneva

The inaugural JSI Working Group meeting took place on 27^th September 2012 in Geneva marking a significant step forward in the Joint Standards Initiative (JSI) process. This expert Working Group will act as the guardian of the Stakeholder Consultation, which will shape and influence the evolution of the JSI.

(17 October 2012)

Stakeholder Consultation - Consultant needed

We are looking for a Consultant(s) to support a major stakeholder consultation which we anticipate launching in November to run for a 4 month period.

(10 October 2012)

The Joint Standards Initiative is gaining momentum in a number of crucial areas

The ground breaking collaboration to transform the quality and accountability system is gathering pace.

(19 September 2012)

After Action Review of the JSI Horn of Africa Joint Deployment

In October 2011, a Joint Standards Initiative (JSI) team was deployed in the Horn of Africa. The deployment sought to offer a common standards platform to the wider humanitarian community on the ground during the drought response.

(15 July 2012)

Robert Schofield is appointed as the Joint Standards Initiative Coordinator

Neil Casey, current chair of the Joint Standards Initiative, announced today that Robert Schofield has been appointed as the full time Joint Standards Initiative Coordinator to begin mid August 2012. Casey stated that “We are delighted with Robert’s appointment. His extensive humanitarian experience, comprehensive understanding of the current standards architecture and strong commitment to the voice of the beneficiary will bring energy and added momentum to the Joint Standards Initiative process”

(3 July 2012)

Joint Standards Initative Update and Overview

Over the last 20 years the humanitarian sector has become increasingly professionalised, with the development of a variety of standards and accountability mechanisms to ensure high quality humanitarian assistance. In recent years there has been a proliferation of such initiatives, which has in turn led to confusion, lack of awareness and inconsistent application of standards amongst field workers and others.

(25 June 2012)

Joint deployment to the Horn of Africa - Final report

The 2011 East Africa drought was the result of the worst water shortage in 60 years. An estimated 10 million people were affected by a severe food crisis across Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya.

In October 2011, a Joint Standards Initiative (JSI) team were deployed in the Horn of Africa in an effort to synergise the services offered by the Initiative and offer a common quality and accountability (Q&A) platform to the wider sector during the drought response.

We urge the humanitarian community to take into consideration the issues raised by this report.

(10 June 2012)

Jobs: Senior Administrator (short-term) and Coordinator, Joint Standards' Initiative (JSI)

The JSI seeks a short-term Senior Administrator for immediate start (would suit a secondment from a member agency) and is re-advertising for the position of Coordinator, to start in September. More details about the two positions are available below.

(28 May 2012)

Creating a Standard for Standards

Judging by the turnout at the InterAction Forum 2012 workshop “Quality: What Difference Can Greater Coherence Between Standards Make for Organizational and Field Practice?”, creating simplified standards for fieldwork is an increasingly important goal in the aid community.

(10 May 2012)

Humanitarian standards-setting initiatives hold historic meeting

The Boards of the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP), People In Aid and the Sphere Project met for the first time ever in Geneva on 25 April.

(9 May 2012)

Voices of Affected Communities

A central objective of the Joint Deployment to the Horn of Africa was to ensure that the voices of those affected by disaster are amplified and brought centre stage to ensure greater action on accountability and quality. Under the objective of collaborating with and supporting existing networks, and building on the on-going processes, an interagency mapping exercise was conducted during the joint deployment in collaboration with the In-Country Network (ICN) on Protection from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (PSEA)

(24 April 2012)

Job: Coordinator, Joint Standards Initiative (JSI)

We are currently recruiting for a one-year post as Coordinator of the Joint Standards' Initiative, a collaboration between HAP, People In Aid and Sphere. It is an extraordinary opportunity for someone to make a historic difference to the sector.

(29 March 2012)

Update on the Joint Standards Initiative

Following the last communiqué in December 2011, the chairs and directors of the Sphere Project, the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) and People In Aid would like to share an update as they continue to progress their pioneering collaborative work towards joint standards for the humanitarian community.

(13 March 2012)

Quality and Accountability Standards for Improved Disaster Response in Japan

On February 7, 2012, a group of humanitarian workers completed a five day training of trainers (ToT) on quality and accountability making them the first recognised Q&A trainers in Japan.

Read the full story on the People In Aid website (13 February 2012)

Update from the Joint Standards Initiative deployment to the Horn of Africa

Numerous factors, including drought, rising food prices, conflict, seasonal floods and localised resource conflicts have been overstretching the coping strategies of rural and urban livelihoods systems in the Horn of Africa.

(23 December 2011)

Greater Coherence Amongst Standards in Humanitarian Response

The Directors/Manager of the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP), the Sphere Project and People In Aid, as well as the Chairs of their respective Boards, have met regularly in the last few months to address concerns about the proliferation of standards and the potential impact on aidworkers' ability to put our standards into practice. The goal of this process is to achieve greater coherence of standards in humanitarian response and to better equip aidworkers and organisations to meet the rights of disaster- and conflict-affected persons around the world.

(16 December 2011)

Quality and Accountability Initiatives Strengthen Collaboration

Four Quality and Accountability humanitarian initiatives - the Sphere Project, the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) International, People In Aid, and the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP), at a meeting hosted by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) on 20 July 2011, took the first bold steps to strengthen their collaboration in a frank and wide-reaching assessment of their effectiveness and impact. Hearing no doubts from the sector about the value they have added since their founding in the 1990s, the Chief Executives and Board Chairs of these initiatives recognised nevertheless the need to effectively adapt to the ever changing aid environment, in order to maintain relevance and assist aid providers in enhancing the quality of their response to crisis victims.

(4 August 2011)

Horn of Africa Crisis - Guidance, lessons learnt and standards

A Call for Program Quality, Accountability and Effectiveness

Having responded to requests from NGOs and UN agencies working in the Horn of Africa by summarising the guidance, lessons from previous responses and standards which are available to organisations working in the crisis. More detailed information on people management and HR can be found here. Proposed collective activity by the initiatives will be communicated shortly.

(25 July 2011)