We have met in Geneva today, for our regular twice-yearly discussion of the major humanitarian challenges facing the world. Yemen was first and foremost in our talks. We are alarmed at the dramatic deterioration in the situation over recent months. Millions of lives are now at serious risk.

We live in a world where conflicts, natural disasters and disease are driving ever greater numbers of people to seek desperate remedies for their hunger, safety and survival. The world has never been so wealthy and yet on the frontline of humanitarian action, where courageous work is taking place daily, the lack of available resources to save lives is a constantly growing risk. This massive, deepening deficit requires an ambitious, global and collective response.

How can certification of humanitarian organisations contribute to greater effectiveness and accountability in humanitarian actions? Over the past 18 months, the Certification Review Project, sponsored by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR), has been researching what a successful, sustainable certification model might look like and how to achieve it.

How Certification relates to the Core Humanitarian Standard

Following many questions and concerns about how these two closely related projects are working side-by-side, we have drawn up a two-page description and table that explains clearly how and where the objectives and expected outcomes for each project connect.

Certification Review Project: Phase Two – Pilot testing