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Beneficiary Communication and Accountability. A Responsibility, Not a Choice: Lessons Learned and Recommendations

Purpose

This document outlines lessons learned from recent beneficiary communication and accountability (BCA) programmes in Indonesia, Haiti and Pakistan and provides recommendations and emerging guidelines for volunteers and staff in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement on how to incorporate BCA into emergency response, recovery and development work.

Overview

  • Programme Delivery: BCA programming should go beyond one-way information, and instead form a two-way dialogue with communities, to support well-informed and better quality programming and advocacy. Two-way communication should become a priority in the recovery phase of a disaster programme if not before; communication with beneficiaries is more effective when the information is relevant, accessible, clear and timely. Multiple channels and methods should be used to communicate and link these; sharing all information, both positive and negative, builds community trust in the organisation. A beneficiary communication and accountability plan should also be developed that involves a society’s stakeholders and clearly defines roles and responsibilities.
  • Strategy and leadership: Develop a BCA policy that explains the programme; integrate BCA processes into existing key policy and guidelines; articulate the link between BCA and accountability to beneficiaries.
  • Organisational structure and programme title: Embed the BCA programme within sector programme teams, when possible, and consider changing the title of the programme to reflect links to accountability.
  • Resources (technical, financial and human): Invest in capacity-building of BCA volunteers and staff and the technology to support programming; modify BCA volunteer and staff terms of reference to reflect expanded functions of the beneficiary communication role.
  • Skill-sharing processes and internal networks: Raise awareness of the importance of BCA approaches to stakeholders through training, and internal and external communication.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Audiences: Technical staff, Communication staff, Volunteers

Citation: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2011). Beneficiary Communication and Accountability. A Responsibility, Not a Choice: Lessons Learned and Recommendations (pp. 1-68).

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Download: http://www.ifrc.org/PageFiles/94411/IFRC%20BCA%20Lesson%20Learned%20doc_final.pdf

Our Commitments to: Accountability to Beneficiaries and the Communities where We Work

Purpose:

What is accountability to beneficiaries (AtB)? Why is it important? What types of work should apply these commitments? How should AtB commitments be applied when working with partners? This document details the British Red Cross’s eight AtB commitments.

Overview:

At the programme level, AtB commitments include:

  • Communicating who the British Red Cross are and what they do – sharing and discussing timely information with beneficiaries and communities, and ensuring operations are transparent;
  • Participating in programme decisions – enabling beneficiaries and their representatives to play an active role in programme design and the decision-making processes and activities that affect them;
  • Using evidence as the basis for decisions (systematically collecting, using, and learning from evidence to inform programmes and demonstrate impact);
  • Hearing and responding to complaints (setting up complaints and response mechanisms through which beneficiaries and communities can question programmes and actions, and get feedback about how these will be acted upon).

At the organisational level, AtB commitments include:

  • Staff and volunteers’ competencies – ensuring staff and volunteers have the competencies needed to meet AtB commitments;
  • Improving approaches for achieving AtB –assisting partners to review and improve approaches for strengthening AtB;
  • Leadership and management for quality – putting in place policy and processes that places intended beneficiaries at the centre of decision-making, and ensuring these AtB commitments are modelled in organisational ways of working;
  • Collaborating with partners to strengthen AtB – working with partners to raise awareness of, strengthen commitments to, and support the realisation of AtB.

Annex 1 (p.15) looks at the links between the eight AtB commitments and the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) 2010 standard benchmarks.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation, policy guidance

Audiences: National society leadership, Technical staff

Reference: British Red Cross (July 2013). Our commitments to: accountability to beneficiaries and the communities where we work (pp. 1-15). Available from: http://www.hapinternational.org/pool/files/BRC%202013_Accountability%20to%20beneficiaries%20and%20communities.pdf[Accessed: 19 December 2015].

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Download: https://www.rcrc-resilience-southeastasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/BRC-2013_Accountability-to-beneficiaries-and-communities.pdf

Ten Steps and Indicators of a Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM)

Purpose:

This document outlines 12 steps of a complaints and response mechanism (CRM). Each step has two indicators.

Overview:

The 12 steps are:

  1. Establishment of a CRM is supported by senior management and appropriate resources, including human resources
  2. Beneficiaries, host communities and other stakeholders are consulted regarding appropriate ways to make complaints
  3. The organisation finalises its complaints handling policy and procedures
  4. Staff are trained in the processes and procedures
  5. Beneficiaries, host communities and other stakeholders are informed as to how to make a complaint
  6. Complaints are submitted
  7. Complainants are acknowledged
  8. Complaints are reviewed and investigated
  9. Response is given
  10. The complainant may appeal the decision
  11. Information from complaints is continuously fed into project improvement
  12. The CRM is evaluated and adjusted according to lessons learnt.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Audiences: Gender and diversity practitioners; Technical staff

Reference: Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) (n.d.). The Steps and Indicators of a Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) (pp. 1-2).

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Download: https://www.rcrc-resilience-southeastasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Steps-and-indicators-for-development-of-a-CRM.pdf

The 2010 HAP Standard in Accountability and Quality Management

Purpose:

The Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) Standard helps organisations that assist or act on behalf of people affected by, or prone to, disasters, conflict, poverty or other crises, to design, implement, assess, improve and recognise accountable programmes. It describes how to establish a commitment to accountability and the processes that will deliver good quality programmes for the people who experience them first hand.

Overview:

There are six benchmarks in the HAP Standard (pp. 10-24). Each has related requirements. The first requirement of each benchmark covers organisational policy or corporate statements, and subsequent requirements cover an organisation’s practice. The benchmarks are: establishing and delivering on commitments; staff competency; sharing information; participation; handling complaints; and learning and continual improvement.

The HAP principles of accountability are (p.25): commitment to humanitarian standards and rights; setting standards and building capacity; communication; participation in programmes; monitoring and reporting on compliance; addressing complaints; implementing partners.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation; Training

Audiences: Gender and diversity practitioners; Technical staff

Reference: HAP International (2013). The 2010 HAP Standard in Accountability and Quality Management. Pp 1-60. Available from: www.alnap.org/pool/files/2010-hap-standard-in-accountability.pdf [Accessed: 21st September 2016]

 

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Download: https://www.rcrc-resilience-southeastasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2010-hap-standard-in-accountability.pdf

Audio Visual: IFRC International Women’s Day 2015

Purpose

This video looks at various answers to the question: Within the IFRC how can we make gender equality between women and men happen?

Overview

A few of the responses provided were:

  • “Close the gender gap in wages, reduce occupational segregation and ensure equal parental rights”.
  • “Recognise positive steps already taken, and work together to address the changes needed for women and men”.
  • “Set goals, increase participation, be a role model, empower women in new technologies, be accountable”.
  • “Regular training on gender and discrimination issues”.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation, Training

Audiences: Volunteers

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Download: https://www.rcrc-resilience-southeastasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IFRC-International-Women’s-Day-2015-1.mp4

How to Manage Gender-Responsive Evaluation: Evaluation Handbook

Purpose

This is a practical handbook to help those initiating, managing and/or using gender-responsive evaluations by providing direction, advice and tools for every step in the evaluation process: planning, preparation, conducting, reporting, evaluation and follow up.

Overview

  • Chapter 1 introduces the concept of gender-responsive evaluation and how it fits within results-based management (RBM) at UN Women. The key principles for gender-responsive evaluation at UN Women are: national ownership and leadership; the UN system of coordination and coherence with regard to gender equality and the empowerment of women; innovation; fair power relations and empowerment; participation and inclusion; independence and impartiality; transparency; quality and credibility; intentionality and use of evaluation; and ethics.
  • Chapter 7 looks at tools for evaluation such as the evaluation process standards for decentralised evaluation; eight parameters for prioritising evaluation; and the evaluation plan template.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation, Monitoring and evaluation

Audiences: Technical staff

Reference: UN Women (2015). How to Manage Gender-Responsive Evaluation: Evaluation Handbook. Independent Evaluation Office. Pp. 2-162. Available from: http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2015/4/un-women-evaluation-handbook-how-to-manage-gender-responsive-evaluation [Accessed: 18th July 2016].

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Download: https://www.rcrc-resilience-southeastasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/UNWomen-EvaluationHandbook-WEB-FINAL.pdf

Gender and Diversity in Emergencies – Quick and Easy Steps for Accountability to Affected People

Purpose

This poster looks at the steps for accountability to affected people in assessments and monitoring; shelter and gender-based violence.

Overview

  • In assessments and monitoring, the steps involve: guaranteeing gender balance in the assessment team; speaking directly with affected women, men, boys and girls (separately if needed) about their needs, and priorities; collecting and recording data broken down by age and sex; analysing data and monitoring implementation; and asking questions – who, what, how and which.
  • In shelter, the steps involve: consulting women, men, boys and girls (including people with disabilities, and the elderly) in shelter design; appointing a gender-balanced evacuation centre or shelter committee; using the assessment approach mentioned above for shelter programming; ensuring that survivors/victims of sexual violence have shelter needs met based on their needs; considering vulnerability in distributions; implementing a mechanism for making confidential complaints; and liaising with protection actors on whether discriminatory land-ownership policies exist.
  • In gender-based violence, the steps involve: recruiting staff and volunteers in a manner that will discourage sexual exploitation and abuse; ensuring that all staff and volunteers are briefed on the code of conduct; linking with protection teams to establish how you will refer survivors/victims of gender based violence to relevant support services; implementing mechanisms for making confidential complaints; ensuring that survivors of gender-based violence have safe access to shelter; ensuring that health services and community based psychological and social support are provided for survivors of sexual violence; and disseminating information about available services for survivors of violence or women/children presently experiencing domestic violence.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Themes: Risk assessment, Community-based or community participation, Gender-based violence, Mental health and psychosocial needs, Shelter, Human resources, Accountability to beneficiaries, Gender, Age (elderly), Age (children/youth)

Audiences: Technical staff; Gender and diversity practitioners

Reference: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies & The Vanuatu Red Cross Society. Gender and diversity in emergencies: Quick and easy steps for accountability to affected people.p.1.

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Download: https://www.rcrc-resilience-southeastasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Gender_Diversity-Poster-HR-2.pdf