Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP)

Now open for Applications

The U-Learn consortium is pleased to announce Cohort #6 & 7 of “AAP in Action” technical support program for the Uganda refugee response actors to apply.

Click Here For More Info & Application Form

What is Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP)?

ACCOUNTABILITY TO AFFECTED PERSONS (AAP) REPRESENTS ALL EFFORTS UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THAT THE VIEWS OF ‘THE PERSONS WE SERVE” BOTH REFUGEES AND HOST COMMUNITIES ARE TAKEN ON BOARD BY PARTNERS TO INFORM PROGRAMMING AT ALL STAGES OF THE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT CYCLES.

AAP is a commitment to the intentional and systematic inclusion of the expressed needs, concerns, capacities, and views of the “persons we serve” in their diversity and being answerable for the organizational decisions and staff conducts throughout the program management cycle. It is anchored on the premise that the persons we serve are rights holders and hence the center of all decisions in our programming.

 

AAP facilitates programming across the humanitarian-development nexus by increasing the influence that “the persons we serve” have over decision making, thus empowering communities to shape and realize their long-term development. AAP overlaps with related concepts like “communication with communities,” “risk communications,” “client responsiveness,” and “community engagement.” AAP is sometimes confused with ‘accountability’ more broadly, but it is a separate concept.

AAP facilitates a change in mindset from seeing the persons we serve as “beneficiaries” to viewing them as partners and key stakeholders.
Section of the Refugee Engagement Forum (REF) and Taskforce members during the 11th REF meeting in Kampala

The 3 Core Concepts of AAP

Giving account

Transparently and effectively sharing relevant, accurate information with the communities and individuals we serve. This Includes all efforts to inform affected persons about what programs are doing, client’s rights and entitlements, organizational programs/procedures/processes, selection criteria,and other relevant information (e.g. through information outreach campaigns).

Taking account

Giving communities influence over decision-making in a way that accounts for thier diversity, and allows the views of the most at-risk to be equally considered. This includes all efforts to collect and understand clients’ views, while ensuring that decisions are shaped by these views (e.g. proactive efforts to understand the perspectives and perceptions of beneficiaries, through satisfaction surveys, community meetings, and needs assessments).

Being held to account

Giving communities and individuals the opportunity to assess and if appropriate sanction organization’s actions. This includes all efforts to enable clients to hold organizations accountable for the behaviors and performance of their staff and activities (e.g. mechanisms that beneficiaries can use to raise concerns and make requests, such as through complaints and feedback mechanisms).

U-Learn’s activities in AAP

What does U-Learn AAP Do?

The AAP component of U-Learn works towards a vision of affected populations (refugees and host communities) being increasingly able to meaningfully participate in the refugee response, leading to improved service provision.

 

To this end, U-Learn generates systematic insights into the views and needs of refugees and host communities, and analyses and facilitates improvement of existing AAP mechanisms.

U-Learn’s current work on AAP can broadly be divided into 2 areas:

1. Technical support (AAP training & AAPA)

Under the Technical support, we provide technical advice and support to international, national, and local actors on AAP, while also supporting coordination mechanisms at the national and local levels within the Uganda refugee response. This allows the entire response to participate more effectively in national and international learning about what works for AAP. We also in collaboration with UN partners, designed needs assessments for training, developed manuals and content, and offered regular training to partners on AAP topics, such as client feedback mechanisms and reporting systems. These training sessions aim to strengthen the systems and culture of AAP in the Ugandan refugee response community.

2. Support REF & Community feedback sessions

Under the Support to the Refugee Engagement Forum (REF), we are contributing to building a more powerful and effective REF by increasing the voices of refugees at national level, in collaboration with the REF Task Force and CRRF Secretariat. We are strengthening connections between REF and community leadership structures, such as Refugee Welfare Committees (RWCs), at both regional and national levels. In addition to that, through the community feedback and consultative meetings, we are strengthening a two-way communication process by empowering communities to articulate their own concerns and identifying appropriate responses and solutions to problems that affect them with special attention to Age, Gender and Diversity factors.