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Accountability to Affected Populations
IOM saves lives, alleviates suffering, and assists and protects vulnerable groups and mobile populations affected by crises. The needs and rights of individuals and communities are at the core of its operations, and it is to these populations whom IOM’s humanitarian and other crisis-related work is accountable.
IOM’s Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) Framework provides an overview of IOM’s commitments to and actions on AAP, as well as definitions and explanations about the rationale and internal and external policies shaping the Organization’s approach. IOM adheres to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)’s definition of AAP as "an active commitment by humanitarian actors to use power responsibly by taking account of, giving account to, and being held to account by the people they seek to assist."
What is Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP)?
Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) is an active commitment by humanitarian actors to use power responsibly by taking account of, giving account to, and being held to account by the people they seek to assist. This means that AAP requires humanitarian actors and organizations to be transparent and to involve people affected by crisis in decision-making processes.
Apart from helping the Organization ensure quality, safe and responsive programming in line with the evolving needs of affected populations and communities, the Framework reinforces the Organization’s zero-tolerance against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and other forms of misconduct. The commitments of the Framework were developed in line with the IASC commitments to AAP and adapted to meet IOM’s operational realities, they are:
- Leadership: Strengthen leadership and systems to embed good practices within the organization’s management structures and ensure compliance of IOM staff and implementing partners.
- Information-sharing and transparency: Protect and promote the right to information and two-way communication with affected people.
- Participation: Involve populations to influence and shape the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of activities and decision-making processes throughout the full project cycle.
- Complaints and feedback mechanisms: Establish diverse and contextually appropriate mechanisms that enable communities to provide feedback on programs and submit complaints, and that activate appropriate processes and procedures to provide a timely response.
- Partner coordination: Collaborate with peers and partners to deliver on AAP principles and commitments in a coordinated and coherent way, including collective responsibility in inter-agency contexts.
Related Content
Accountability to Affected Populations Framework
The Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) Framework establishes IOM’s common approach for implementing and mainstreaming AAP throughout its crisis-related work as contained in its Migration Crisis Operational Framework.
