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Highlights

• The independent review of progress achieved in 2008 towards HAP’s vision of a humanitarian system championing the rights and the dignity of disaster survivors found evidence of substantive progress toward this end.
• Similarly, the 2008 Humanitarian Accountability perceptions survey found growing optimism about improved accountability practices towards disaster survivors, but recognition that there is still a long way to go.
• Three concerns emerged from discussions with disaster survivors in 2008: first, the mixed quality of much information provided by agencies; second, the widespread failure to facilitate the right of beneficiaries to complain; and, third, the limited opportunities offered to enable communities to participate in programme planning.
• The UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development launched the newly published The Guide to the HAP Standard.
• HAP, Sphere and People In Aid took practical steps towards greater inter-operability
• Record growth of membership, from 19 to 28 Full Members and from 4 to 6 Associate Members.
• 2 agencies were certified in Humanitarian Accountability and Quality Management.
• 14 members enrolled in the HAP certification scheme.
• 21 agencies submitted humanitarian accountability work plan implementation reports to HAP.
• 65% of the activities in the 2008 HAP Secretariat Workplan were completed using 61% of the expenditure budget. However, only 52% of the 2008 revenue budget was raised, with a net operating loss being posted of just over CHF 300,000 for the year.

The 2008 Humanitarian Accountability Report contains five chapters.

Chapter 1: An Overview of Humanitarian Accountability in 2008. The opening chapter provides an overview of materials relevant to humanitarian accountability published in 2008. The purpose of the annual humanitarian accountability essay is to offer an informed and independent view of progress made by the humanitarian system towards meeting HAP’s strategic vision of “a humanitarian sector with a trusted and widely accepted accountability framework, which is transparent and accessible to all relevant parties”. John Borton, a distinguished independent consultant, undertook the review. The “guest” chapter does not purport to represent the views of the HAP Secretariat or of the HAP membership.

Chapter 2: Survey of Perceptions of humanitarian accountability. This chapter reports on the fourth annual survey of perceptions of humanitarian accountability.

Chapter 3: Voices of disaster survivors. During 2008, HAP staff held extensive discussions with communities affected by disasters. Some of the direct quotes recorded at various locations are presented here.

Chapter 4: Members’ Accountability Workplan Implementation Reports. In preparing for the 2009 General Assembly, most of HAP’s members prepared summary accountability workplan implementation reports. These are presented in tabulated form in this chapter.

Chapter 5: The HAP Secretariat Annual Report. This chapter was prepared by HAP staff and provides a self-assessment of progress achieved against the objectives set out in the 2008 workplan and the headline targets described in the 2007-2009 medium term strategic plan.