Formal Systems of Constant Dialogue with Host Societies in Humanitarian Projects

This research project examines the motivations and ways in which development and
humanitarian aid agencies are attempting to engage with the beneficiaries and communities
with whom they work, with the specific aim of increasing Accountability towards Beneficiaries
(?ATB?).
This study finds that while agencies are generally well aware of ATB and agree it is an
important field for action, significant differences exist on the extent to which they use the
concept of accountability to structure their commitments to beneficiaries and the ways in
which they provide aid. Factors that may help to explain these differences include the type
and area of aid delivery, the organization‘s institutional and philosophical underpinnings,
linguistic tradition and cultural background, and finally, membership in accountability/quality
initiatives. In spite of these differences, most agencies have implemented some ATB
mechanisms which try to improve transparency and information sharing, participation,
collection of feedback, complaints handling and response, and monitoring and evaluation of
their projects.