ZOA recertified against Core Humanitarian Standard

ZOA has been recertified against the Core Humanitarian Standard by the independent audit body HQAI (Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative). ZOA meets all requirements. This certification shows that ZOA does its work in a high-quality manner. In 2020, ZOA was the first Dutch based organisation to be awarded the CHS certification.

16 August 2024

Recertification against CHS

ZOA meets all requirements

ZOA is thankful for the recertification against the Core Humanitarian Standard. “The certificate gives independent assurance of the quality and accountability of our work in responding to the needs and rights of people in crisis areas,” says Jakolien Meas, ZOA’s Integrity Coordinator.

The Core Humanitarian Standard is a measurable and verifiable standard to improve aid. CHS is about what people and communities affected by crisis can expect from ZOA regarding the relevance, quality and effectiveness of the assistance. “The people we support, can hold us to account,” says Jakolien.

The CHS Alliance is a global alliance of 200+ humanitarian and development organisations committed to making aid work better. The alliance aims to strengthen accountability and put people affected by crisis at the centre, by implementing the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS).

This is completely in line with ZOA’s strategic priorities. “Driven by our values, we want to ensure that our programmes meet the needs of the people we seek to assist,” says Jakolien. “It is our goal that our interventions improve people’s self-reliance.”

To ZOA, the CHS certification is an important recognition of the quality of its work, and a critical tool to asses the daily work. It helps to ensure the quality, reduce the risk of mistakes and continuously improve the way of working.

Learn from the process

“Quality and accountability have always been at the heart of our activities,” states Jakolien. However, the process of auditing against the CHS is very helpful. “The independent auditors assess the quality and accountability of our policies and processes and their implementation.”

The recent audit involved document reviews, interviews with staff, partners, the direct input of communities and participants, other stakeholders and direct observation of selected country programmes and project sites.

As a result, ZOA received the findings of where systems, policies and practices are strong and effective, and where further improvements are needed. The CHS certification is valid for three years provided maintenance audits (every 12 months) confirm the continuing conformity with the requirements of the standard.

Continuous improvement

“We would like to express our thanks to all those involved for their contributions to the process,” says Jakolien. “The process was an excellent opportunity to put the CHS at the forefront in the organisation and realign our procedures to the quality standard.”

The CHS certification is part of ZOA’s four-year strategic cycle. ZOA will be held accountable for the progress made and for resolving the weaknesses identified by the audit. “We look at it as an opportunity to further improve the way we work,” says Jakolien. “We are proud to be part of a community of organisations that strive for quality, accountability and are committed to making aid work better for people.”