Sphere and the CHS aim to improve the quality of humanitarian response in situations of disaster and conflict and to enhance the accountability of humanitarian action to crisis-affected people. Sphere’s WASH technical chapter describes the critical need for community engagement, linking communities with response teams to maximise their influence on reducing public health risks. The WASH Community Engagement model in Sphere (chapter  E ) emphasises accountability, including welcoming and addressing complaints and using power responsibly.

One of the principles of the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs seeks to guide behavioural standards, stating the need to ‘hold ourselves accountable to both those we seek to assist and those from whom we accept resources’.

There are different forms of accountability: upwards accountability (e.g. to donors) lateral accountability (e.g. to governments) and downward or forward accountability (e.g. to those affected by the disaster). As service providers, hygiene promoters are accountable to the affected population – they are the best judges of the programme’s impact and have a right to a say in decisions that affect their lives (see also Accountability to Affected Population, F.23).

WASH accountability comprises five dimensions of change: (1) participation, (2) transparency, (3) feedback and complaints, (4) monitoring, evaluation and learning and (5) staff competencies and attitudes. These five dimensions complement and link with the CHS, particularly commitment 4: ‘Communities and people affected by crisis know their rights and entitlements, have access to information and participate in decisions that affect them’ and commitment 5: ‘Communities and people affected by crisis have access to safe and responsive mechanisms to handle complaints.’

WASH personnel should take responsibility for their actions, particularly in an emergency situation when communities are more vulnerable to exploitation and where aid workers often think they already know what people need. Wherever data is collected, efforts must be made to keep both communities and staff safe, including adhering to data protection standards. In highly insecure environments, it may be necessary to conduct remote interviews (via phone or digital means) or provide personal protection. 

Even in an acute emergency, it is essential to involve the affected population as far as possible in programme planning, implementation, monitoring and feedback (M.5). Being accountable includes building trust, being respectful and developing collaborative relationships with affected communities. WASH personnel can and should support people’s capacity to overcome adversity by listening, providing clear and accurate information and the opportunity to provide feedback on the programme.

The advantages of accountability are many. Listening to people, empowering and involving them in decisions that affect them and understanding their needs will lead to an appropriately designed, implemented and more sustainable programme.