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A Reference Guide for verifying the application of the CHS in line 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 on Quality and Accountability (CHS). 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 navigate the verification process with clear, practical, and adaptable methodologies. It is an essential resource for CHS self-assessment, independent verification, and certification, supporting organisations in demonstrating and improving their accountability to 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:

1. General Guidance for CHS Verification includes 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.
2. Community perspectives:The Guide highlights the critical role of community perspectives in verifying application of and compliance with the CHS requirements.
3. Working in partnership: Guidance for verifying when working in partnerships, recognising the diverse ways organisations collaborate.
4. Detailed guidance per CHS commitment and requirement: Specific Guidance for verifying each requirement, outlining what to verify and where to find evidence. The guidance must be applied as appropriate, considering the organisation’s type, nature of work, and operational context. The possible sources of evidence are indicative, non-exhaustive, and non-compulsory.
5. The Guide elaborates on some key aspects of verification, such as :

• • Taking a flexible, enquiry-based approach that can be adapted based on an organisation’s size, scope, and operational setting.
  • Triangulating evidence to ensure robust and reliable findings using multiple sources and methods to gather evidence.
  • Sampling and balancing documentary and non-documentary evidence to reach credible conclusions.
  • Managing Bias through recognising and mitigating personal biases during verification processes.
  • Demonstratingeffective methods and coherent organisational approaches.
  • How to use the CHS scoring grid to assess the extent to which CHS requirements are met.
  • CHS 2024 Glossary detailing the definitions that apply for 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