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A Reference Guide for verifying the application of the CHS in accordance with the CHS Verification Framework

The CHS Verification Guide is a practical reference tool designed to support organisations in verifying their alignment with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) on Quality and Accountability. Building upon the CHS Verification Framework, this guide provides additional insights into what to look for when assessing compliance with CHS commitments, offering practical examples and possible sources of evidence.

Following the 2024 revision of the CHS, this guide ensures a consistent and structured approach to verification, helping organisations navigate the verification process with clear, practical, and adaptable methodologies. It serves as an essential resource for CHS self-assessment, independent verification, and certification, supporting organisations in demonstrating and improving their accountability to crisis-affected people and communities. It is not intended to introduce additional requirements but rather to facilitate a consistent and effective verification process.

What the CHS Verification Guide Offers:

• General Guidance for CHS Verification: The guide provides foundational principles for verification methodologies, emphasising the importance of placing people and communities at the centre, adapting to organisational contexts, focusing on results, and using an enquiry-based approach. It also elaborates on some key aspects of verification, such as :
• Triangulation of Evidence: The guide emphasises the use of multiple sources and methods to gather evidence, ensuring robust and reliable findings.
• Sampling and Balancing Evidence: It discusses the importance of sampling and balancing documentary and non-documentary evidence to reach credible conclusions.
• A flexible, inquiry-based approach that can be adapted based on an organisation’s size, scope, and operational setting.
• Managing Bias: Guidance is provided on recognising and mitigating personal biases during verification processes.
• Guidance for verifying that an organisation demonstrates effective methods and coherent organisational approaches.
• Community Perspectives: The guide highlights the critical role of community perspectives in verifying compliance with CHS requirements.
• Guidance for verifying when working in partnerships, recognising the diverse ways organisations collaborate.
• Guidance on using the CHS scoring grid
• Detailed guidance per CHS commitment and requirement: Specific Guidance for verifying the requirement, outlining what to verify and where to find evidence. The guidance needs to be applied as appropriate, considering the organisation’s type, nature of work, and operational context, while the possible sources of evidence are indicative but non-exhaustive and non-compulsory
• Annexes: The guide includes two annexes:
• CHS Scoring Grid: Defines the scoring scale used to assess the extent to which CHS requirements are met.
• Glossary: Provides definitions of key terms used in the CHS.

Related documents

This guide is part of the broader CHS Verification Tools, developed to support organisations engaging with CHS verification processes as well as individuals, internal and external to organisations, carrying out CHS verification, enhancing accountability and improving the quality and impact of humanitarian and development organisations.

Contributors

The Guide was developed through a participatory approach involving a drafting team with thorough knowledge and experience of the CHS revision process and verification options (self-assessment, independent verification, certification), with contributions from:

• An advisory group composed of 11 CHS Alliance member organisations with knowledge of CHS verification process, covering a variety of organisation types including national, international and global networks.
• The CHS Verification Advisory Panel comprised of verification experts in the humanitarian sectors.
• Consultation with thematic groups, such as :
  • Accountability to Children Advisory Group
  • Climate Charter partners
  • Data Responsibility Working Group
  • Disability Reference Group

Feedback

The CHS Verification Guide is designed to be adaptable to different organisational contexts and is intended for continuous improvement based on user feedback. Users are encouraged to provide feedback to enhance future editions.

For feedback and inquiries, please contact chs@chsalliance.org