Less Paper More Aid: Reporting, Partner Capacity Assessment, and Audit

Humanitarian aid donors have committed to reducing the administrative work attached to managing donor funds. Yet progress on these commitments has been mixed. The forthcoming World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) and efforts to strike a “Grand Bargain” on efficiencies has provided impetus within the donor community to better understand the effects of their conditions on responders, and options for improving the quality of partnerships. Building on this momentum, ICVA, together with a group of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other NGO networks, has launched the campaign Less Paper, More Aid’.
This study, an integral part of the campaign, examined donor and UN guidance on, and NGOs’ perceptions of reporting, partner capacity assessment (PCA) and audit conditions attached to donor grants. Giving voice to NGO staff involved in delivering humanitarian aid, and comparing existing donor requirements, the study addresses an important knowledge gap. Using desk research and literature review, questionnaires, interviews, case studies and round table discussions with working groups, the study sheds light on the impact of donor requirements on NGO resources. It finds that fulfilling donor conditions absorbs substantial amounts of time and involves a range of staff across NGO departments.