Bringing Accountability to Humanitarianism
By David Peyton
Despite its good intentions, the humanitarian enterprise is not immune from inefficiency or even corruption. Earlier this month, the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) held its annual general assembly in Geneva where it released its 2008 Humanitarian Accountability Report. HAP exists to identify, test, and recommend alternative accountability approaches for NGOs and IGOs and to make “humanitarian action accountable to those people whose lives are at risk due to armed conflict or other calamitous event.”
The organization’s 2008 report reveals that there is room for improvement across the humanitarian sector. The report cites a study completed by One World Trust, which annually compares a select grouping of NGOs, IGO, and corporations, underscoring the need for UN accountability reform. In particular, UNICEF and UNHCR scored less than 30 points out of a possible 100 on organizational transparency. The two UN agencies are cited for lacking openness with regards to program activities and decision making processes. “The low scores are somewhat surprising; each scores only fractionally higher than NATO and the IAEA [the two IGOs involved in defence and security, two traditionally secretive areas of work]. Yet these organisations are more in the public eye and their influence on individuals is significantly more direct and tangible.”
According to AEI fellow Mauro De Lorenzo, this should not surprise us. “Wherever UNHCR is responsible for determining refugee status, it fails to meet its own guidelines for fairness.” In a recent article in Frank magazine, De Lorenzo discusses the importance of critically examining humanitarianism and its related institutions. “When you turn a policy issue into a humanitarian issue, everyone is immune from responsibility. This is one of the most important ways in which helping can hurt.”
In this vein, the HAP is an effort on the part of humanitarian organizations to impose a greater degree of accountability on their activities. The 2008 report shows signs of modest improvements, with increased numbers of humanitarian organizations submitting their operations to HAP evaluation and recommendations (2008 HAP report, p. 5).
Complimenting this trend, the American Enterprise Institute and the Federalist Society have re-launched an oversight website, NGO Watch, which monitors NGOs on issues of transparency and accountability and highlights instances of success and failure. The project website collects relevant academic and media pieces about NGO activities and maintains an up-to-date list of key NGO monitoring organizations.
As the number of organizations focused on transparency and accountability grows, the humanitarian sector will no doubt undergo reflection and fundamental change. These changes are necessary and pressing if the sector hopes to effectively assist people facing humanitarian crises.
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