Quality and Accountability

Quality and Accountability

major policy documents updated  and approved (Code of Good Practice,  Code of Conduct, Safeguarding Policy)

revised Quality and Accountability  Framework presented for final  approval in 2025

In 2024, the ACT Secretariat continued strengthening a culture of quality and accountability across its stakeholders, including communities, members, and ACT structures.

The ACT Quality and Accountability Framework underwent a proposed revision, which was presented to the Governing Board and is set for finalization in 2025. Key policies, including the ACT Code of Good Practice, ACT Code of Conduct, and the Safeguarding Policy Framework were reviewed/revised and were approved by the Governing Board. These updates reinforced ACT’s commitment to continuous learning and improvement by incorporating insights from past CHS audits and member consultations, reflecting strong leadership engagement and governance support.

Building Regional Capacity
and Awareness

To enhance accountability and safeguarding practices, ACT regions, forums, and members received dedicated support through online learning opportunities. Notably, the e-course on Safeguarding was launched on the Fabo ACT Learn platform, and a webinar provided members with guidance on delivering hybrid Safeguarding sessions.

In response to member requests, two workshops were conducted in Syria in September 2024 to introduce the updated CHS v2024. In November, ACT supported the PANZ Forum with a CHS workshop for local partners in Vanuatu, and in December, ACT member CWSA received support in co-facilitating a global Safeguarding workshop in Thailand. These capacity-building initiatives aimed to enhance the understanding and implementation of humanitarian standards in various regions.

Advancing Strategic Partnerships and Pilot Initiatives

A significant milestone was the launch of Phase 2 of the CHS Self-Assessment pilot project, led by the ACT Secretariat and funded by Kerk in Actie (KiA). This initiative engaged six national ACT members in Bangladesh, Jordan-Palestine, Madagascar, Romania, Syria-Lebanon, and Uganda, with technical support from the ACT Secretariat and CHS Alliance.

ACT Alliance sustained its collaboration with key partners, including Sphere, HQAI, CHS Alliance, Fabo, and SCHR, reinforcing its commitment to global standards. Additionally, Niall O’Rourke, Head of Humanitarian Affairs, continued representing ACT Alliance on the Sphere Board.

Embedding Accountability Through Practice and Learning

The ACT Reference Group on Quality & Accountability provided strategic guidance to the Secretariat in implementing the Global Strategy through its annual work plan. Regular meetings enabled continuous support for humanitarian programs, ensuring quality and accountability were embedded in the humanitarian operations manual and tools.

Collaboration with the Community of Practice (CoP) on Safeguarding also strengthened collective efforts to promote safe and accountable practices through policy frameworks. CoP remained highly engaged, convening quarterly meetings with focused discussions that fostered learning and best practices. Efforts to raise awareness on safeguarding policies, guidance documents, and hybrid training materials marked a key achievement in 2024.

Collaboration with Fabo ACT Learn proved valuable, with ACT actively participating in learning events and advisory group meetings. A new Community of Practice on Learning was established to benefit the wider ACT membership, and Secretariat staff completed refresher e-courses on Fabo, ensuring compliance with mandatory training requirements.

ACT Alliance continued implementing its Complaints Policy, providing guidance and support to members as needed. Efforts were made to assist forums and members in integrating CHS requirements into appeal/RRF publishing, monitoring, and reporting. Additionally, CHS requirements were incorporated into the ongoing humanitarian reform processes, aligning ACT’s operations with global standards and reinforcing accountability across the Alliance.

Learning is ongoing, and so is our responsibility to deliver safe, high-quality humanitarian responses.