Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PME), along with other standards, provide the main vehicle through which issues of Q&A are addressed in the work of ACT Alliance. Systematic and regular monitoring will ensure collection, analysis and utilization of vital programme information to inform programme decisions while ACT evaluations will help identify lessons and leverage learning within ACT. It is envisaged that this handbook will provide a common Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) reference for promoting evidence-based decisions making and expanding opportunity for sharing lessons for improving programme quality and results of ACT appeals and Rapid Response Funds (RRFs) as well as development practice across the Alliance.

Better planning and functional monitoring and evaluation systems help in translating Q&A issues into real practice of programme management and implementation.

The ACT PME Handbook is available in English, French and Spanish.

ACT PME Handbook_English

ACT PME Handbook_French

ACT PME Handbook_Spanish

(ACT Policies and guidelines)

In emergencies when people have lost their homes and belongings, Material Aid such as food, medicines, blankets, quilts, clothing, and health kits, are essential items for survival. Material Aid may be purchased locally, or, if not readily available or too expensive, may by ACT implementing member or partner be requested from ACT Material Aid donor agencies.

In the latter case, it may free up a budget line item amount for blankets / quilts etc., to use the cash coming in for the already covered needs for other essential emergency needs. At the same time it is important that Material Aid donations through lack of transparent and clear reporting cause problems for raising the necessary cash donations needed for the emergency operation (the value of Material Aid reported may result in an impression, wrongly, that an appeal is better funded than it in reality is).

In other cases, where implementing partners are prepared for emergency response and have stockpiled material resources for immediate distribution upon impact, the shipment of Material Aid , to replenish their warehouses for the next emergency, is an expedient, cost effective contribution.

The ACT Guidelines on Material Aid are available in English, French and Spanish.

GUIDELINES ON MATERIAL AID ENGLISH

GUIDELINES ON MATERIAL AID_FRENCH

GUIDELINES ON MATERIAL AID_SPANISH

(ACT Policies and guidelines)

ACT Alliance has developed guiding principles to assist ACT staff, consultants and volunteers in providing community-based psychosocial support work with countries around the world. Community-based Psychosocial Support adds a mental and social dimension to traditional humanitarian aid and has assumed considerable significance as a focus for relief efforts. It has been shown that when the affected people’s psychosocial wellbeing has been addressed, they are more likely to benefit from the other components of recovery efforts.

These guiding principles are meant to serve as a reference for psychosocial support initiatives held by the members of ACT Alliance. These guiding principles uphold the standard of quality of psychosocial work and represent best practices in this area. They are based on the principles of respect for human beings and their human rights, gender equality, understanding and enablement.

Community based psychosocial support (CBPS) is an approach in which humanitarian relief integrates psychosocial aspects into the response. Psychosocial well-being depends on many aspects of a person’s life.  To achieve a sense of well-being, people rely on social interaction; mental stimulation and learning; physical security and safety; and religious and spiritual beliefs.  Their material and biological as well as their psychosocial needs must be met in terms of food, water, shelter, sanitation, physical and mental health. They also need economic stability. Following a disaster, the manner in which people’s basic needs, safety and security are met has an impact on their well-being and recovery.

The foundation of all community-based psychosocial work is the recognition of the affected community’s capacity for recovery, resilience and future rebuilding and development. Psychosocial support goes beyond the initial phases of emergencies and distressing events. It is important to foster capacity building towards self-governance and collective decision making for ongoing community development. All communities and individuals have resources and strategies for dealing with difficulties, illness, and distress. It is the responsibility of humanitarian workers to respect, understand and enable the community and individuals in their own recovery. The strategies for dealing with difficulties can never be supported when individuals’ basic human rights are abused.

The ACT CBPS Guiding Principles are available in English, French and Spanish.

ACT CBPS Guiding Principles ENGLISH

ACT CBPS Guiding Principles appr FRENCH

ACT CBPS Guiding Principles SPANISH

Civil society organisations are a vibrant and essential feature in the democratic life of countries across the globe. CSOs collaborate with the full diversity of people and promote their rights. The essential characteristics of CSOs as distinct development actors – that they are voluntary, diverse, non-partisan, autonomous, non-violent, working and collaborating for change – are the foundation for the Istanbul principles for CSO development effectiveness. These principles guide the work and practices of civil society organizations in both peaceful and conflict situations, in different areas of work from grassroots to policy advocacy, and in a continuum from humanitarian emergencies to long-term development.

1. Respect and promote human rights and social justice
CSOs are effective as development actors when they … develop and implement strategies, activities and practices that promote individual and collective human rights, including the right to development, with dignity, decent work, social justice and equity for all people.

2. Embody gender equality and equity while promoting women and girls’ rights
CSOs are effective as development actors when they … promote and practice development cooperation embodying gender equity, reflecting women’s concerns and experience, while supporting women’s efforts to realize their individual and collective rights, participating as fully empowered actors in the development process.

3. Focus on people’s empowerment, democratic ownership and participation
CSOs are effective as development actors when they … support the empowerment and inclusive participation of people to expand their democratic ownership over policies and development initiatives that affect their lives, with an emphasis on the poor and marginalised.

4. Promote Environmental Sustainability
CSOs are effective as development actors when they … develop and implement priorities and approaches that promote environmental sustainability for present and future generations, including urgent responses to climate crises, with specific attention to the socio-economic, cultural and indigenous conditions for ecological integrity and justice.

5. Practice transparency and accountability
CSOs are effective as development actors when they … demonstrate a sustained organizational commitment to transparency, multiple accountability, and integrity in their internal operations.

6. Pursue equitable partnerships and solidarity
CSOs are effective as development actors when they … commit to transparent relationships with CSOs and other development actors, freely and as equals, based on shared development goals and values, mutual respect, trust, organizational autonomy, long-term accompaniment, solidarity and global citizenship.

7. Create and share knowledge and commit to mutual learning
CSOs are effective as development actors when they … enhance the ways they learn from their experience, from other CSOs and development actors, integrating evidence from development practice and results, including the knowledge and wisdom of local and indigenous communities, strengthening innovation and their vision for the future they would like to see.

8. Commit to realising positive sustainable change
CSOs are effective as development actors when they … collaborate to realize sustainable outcomes and impacts of their development actions, focusing on results and conditions for lasting change for people, with special emphasis on poor and marginalized populations, ensuring an enduring legacy for present and future generations.

Guided by these Istanbul principles, CSOs are committed to take pro-active actions to improve and be fully accountable for their development practices. Equally important will be enabling policies and practices by all actors. Through actions consistent with these principles, donor and partner country governments demonstrate their Accra Agenda for Action pledge that they “share an interest in ensuring that CSO contributions to development reach their full potential”. All governments have an obligation to uphold basic human rights – among others, the right to association, the right to assembly, and the freedom of expression. Together these are pre-conditions for effective development.

CSO-Istanbul-Dev-Eff-Principles_Dec2010_English

CSO-Istanbul-Dev-Eff-Principles_Dec2010_French

CSO-Istanbul-Dev-Eff-Principles_Dec2010_Spanish

The world we seek to change is itself changing. Economic power is gradually shifting from the US and Europe to the growing economies in the global East and the South, and emerging economies are playing new roles as donors and in international trade. Therefore major changes in development and humanitarian finance are foreseen in addition to increased competition for limited financial resources.

This is compounded by increased negative perceptions of non-governmental organisations across world, trends towards shrinking civil society space, and the private sector’s entrance into the development arena making use of technological advancements competing on efficiency and effectiveness with NGOs. At the same time, extreme weather events are reported to intensify and cause increasing climate-induced displacement.

Therefore, increased resources towards emergency response, human rights and climate justice advocacy is foreseen. It is within this changing arena that the 2015-2018 communications strategy, with its goal of increasing brand recognition to ensure ACT Alliance remains relevant and competitive, must be effectively implemented if the alliance is to bring about positive change to those most affected by poverty and injustice

The 2015-2018 global ACT Alliance strategy has significantly departed from the previous term strategy, creating the new narrative of the alliance as member-driven. Whereas the previous strategy detailed what members, forums and the secretariat should achieve, the new strategy focuses more on the creation of an overall framework direction of the alliance based on mutual ways of working that show the added value of being part of the network.

The communications strategy, therefore, will support this narrative, contributing to all aims of the global strategy, and specifically the enabling aim: that of increasing brand recognition to support the growth of the ‘robust alliance’. The communications strategy must enable members to work together towards increased brand recognition and reputation enhancement, and increased engagement and pride in the alliance. Therefore, the success of the communications strategy rests on setting clear stakeholder targets, working to strengths, and overcoming weaknesses to access new and existing opportunities.

The ACT Communications Strategy is available in English, French and Spanish.

2015-2018 ACT Alliance Communications Strategy_English

ACT Alliance Communications Strategy_French

ACT Alliance Communications Strategy_Spanish

1. It is easy to send a concern, feedback or complaint to the secretariat. Simply email the complaintsbox@actalliance.org or send a message to the complaints focal point via a personal contact at the secretariat or by mail or phone. (See #9 and go to the policy, page 8, for contact details.)

2. Don’t worry; we are trained on how to handle complaints, particularly the sensitive ones, with the utmost care and confidentiality.

3. We want to know about any violations in the code of conduct, breaches of any ACT policy or even a concern about the quality of work you may have.

4. You will hear back from us within ten days of our receipt of your concern.

5. Did you know that all employees of ACT members and the secretariat are required to report allegations, concerns or suspicions of breaches related to abuse, exploitation and fraud and corruption?

6. There are some types of complaints we don’t accept, such as those received six months after the alleged incident. (See #9 and go to the policy, pages 6-7, for more details.)

7. We aim for all ACT members to have their own functioning, safe & accessible complaints mechanism for staff and communities. (See #9 and go to the guidelines, pages 4-10, for how-to guidance.)

8. Ensure your communities know how to raise a concern or complaint; the ACT complaints mechanism is also meant for them – help them access us if the need arises!

Top 8 things to know about the ACT complaints mechanism

The positions, actions and strategies of armed forces play an essential role in securing or endangering the scope for humanitarian action in situations of armed conflict, as do the positions, actions and behaviour of the humanitarian actors themselves. The relations between humanitarian and military actors thus play a key role in the future scope of humanitarian action.

This document looks primarily at how SCHR agencies consider relations with armed forces in situations of armed conflict, or natural disasters taking place in contested environments. This paper contributes to the current debate on humanitarian-military relations and fosters a better understanding of the respective roles and the necessity for humanitarian actors to commit to the positions elaborated herein. It is intended to inform and guide the internal policies and practical guidance of SCHR agencies.

SCHR Position Paper onHumanitarian-Military Relations

(Policies and guidelines)
(Position papers)

This policy outlines the role of ACT groups in the alliance, clarifies distinctions between groups and provides guidance on the architecture, role, group structure, working methods and funding of groups, and the role of the secretariat.

The Advisory Groups are made up of 8-10 committed individuals with relevant expertise and balanced geographical and gender representation to form a fixed ‘strategic hub’ of expertise for a 4 year strategic period. Intentional linkages are created, facilitated by the secretariat, which enable the Advisory Group hub to host a looser network of actors within the alliance with expertise in the strategic area. This network includes relevant CoPs, individuals with specific expertise, sub-working groups formed for a time-bound specific piece of work, other networks of member-staff with specific interest/expertise relevant to that advisory group, interested forums, Governance etc. These looser elements of the network are more flexible to specific needs arising from the membership and anchored to the alliance structures through one of the Advisory Group ‘hubs’.

In particular, the linkages with the ACT forums are strengthened so that the Advisory Groups and Communities of Practice are able to benefit from the wealth of experience and resources in the forums, and equally that the linkages exist so that the forums are able to access what they need from the Advisory Groups or Communities of Practice.

A secretariat Focal Point engages with each Advisory Group. This focal point role ensures that information is shared, that the network is actively built and that the governance has access to the Advisory Group and the broader network for strategic advice. The secretariat focal point is a connecter and enabler, facilitating the Advisory Group in this role.

The ACT Alliance policy on advisory groups and communities of practice is available in English, French and Spanish.

Please note that the English version has been updated, while the French and Spanish versions have not. Updated translations will be available shortly.

ACT Alliance Policy on advisory structures EN 2019  

Revised ACT Alliance policy on advisory groups and CoPs French

Revised ACT Alliance policy on advisory groups and CoPs Spanish

(Policies and guidelines)
(Position papers)

ACT Alliance Membership Agreement 

ACT Alliance Observer Agreement

(Policies and guidelines)