Accountability to Affected People: Assessing NGO engagement with the Collective AAP Framework, 2022

As the humanitarian community has sought to integrate Accountability to Affected People (AAP) within its programming throughout the last decade, there have been continued criticisms over mixed understandings of AAP and the irregularity of its endorsement. In response, the IASC and UN OCHA have begun field testing the Accountability to Affected People Collective Framework (the Framework) as a means to operationalise a renewed commitment from humanitarian leadership, and to harmonise in-country AAP practices.

Through a mixed-methods approach combining an extensive literature review and stakeholder interviews, the report highlights the key successes NGOs have had in integrating AAP practices within their regional commitments and programmes. Section 1 introduces the Framework and situates it within broader trends of accountability and localisation. Section 2 outlines the research methodology employed for this report. Sections 3 and 4 separate the research findings into two sections, to better distinguish between the broader context, successes, and room for improvement within the Northwest Syria-Gaziantep region, and specific successes and concerns relating to the field testing of the Framework. Section 5 consists of recommendations drawn from both Sections 3 & 4, to emphasise how the rollout of the Framework relies heavily on existing contextual circumstances, which must be reviewed before rollout begins. Recommendations are therefore organised around five key aspects of the Framework process.