IASC Revised Commitments on Accountability to Affected Populations and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, 2017 (including Guidance Note and Resource List)

Published Date

The IASC Principals commit to:

Leadership Demonstrate their commitment to Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) by enforcing, institutionalising and integrating AAP approaches in the Humanitarian Program Cycle and strategic planning processes, at country level and by establishing appropriate management systems to solicit, hear and act upon the voices and priorities of affected people in a coordinated manner, including for SEA, before, during and after an emergency
Participation and partnership Adopt agency mechanisms that feed into and support collective/coordinated people-centred approaches that enable women, girls, boys, men, including the most marginalised and at-risk people among affected communities, to participate in and play an active role in decisions that will impact their lives, well-being, dignity and protection. Adopt and sustain equitable partnerships with local actors to build upon their long-term relationships and trust with communities.
Information, feedback, and action Adopt agency mechanisms that feed into and support collective and participatory approaches that inform and listen to communities, address feedback and lead to corrective action. Establish and support the implementation of appropriate mechanisms for reporting and handling of SEA-related complaints. Plan, design and manage protection and assistance programmes that are responsive to the diversity and expressed views of affected communities.
Results Measure AAP and PSEA related results at the agency and collective level, including through standards such as the Core Humanitarian Standard and the Minimum Operating Standards on PSEA; the Best Practice Guide to establish Inter-Agency Community-Based Complaint Mechanisms (CBCM) and its accompanying Standard Operating Procedures.

The IASC Principals agree to be held accountable for the progress on fulfilling these commitments.

Following the endorsement of the revised CAAP in November 2017, the IASC AAP PSEA Task Team developed a guidance note (building on the Core Humanitarian Standard and Grand Bargain Participation Revolution Recommendations) and a short-list of resources (developed with the CDAC Network) to accompany the CAAP.

In 2011, the IASC principals agreed to five Commitments on Accountability to Affected Populations (CAAP) as part of a framework for engagement with communities. The revised version was developed and endorsed by the IASC Principals on the 20th of November 2017 to reflect essential developments such as the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), the work done by the IASC on Inter-Agency community based complaints mechanisms including PSEA and the importance of meaningful collaboration with local stakeholders, which came out as a priority recommendation from the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit and in the Grand Bargain.