Measuring Commitment to Best Practice
HRI
OBJECTIVES
The main goal of the Humanitarian Response Index is to improve the effectiveness of the aid provided to the crisis-affected populations.
The HRI addresses one of the key links of the humanitarian response system: donor countries, which have a remarkable influence on the rest of the chain. Donors can apply pressure to make humanitarian action more effective, relevant and coherent. Furthermore, since it is an annual report, the HRI will allow detailed analysis of the evolution of humanitarian action, donors’ commitments and outstanding challenges.
In summary, the purpose is to provide extensive, detailed information about the performance of donors in order to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of their actions and therefore, improve the efficiency and quality of their individual and collective initiatives.
Furthermore, the HRI raises awareness - among donors, the rest of the humanitarian actors and among society as a whole - about the importance of humanitarian action, Good Humanitarian Donorship and the principles that govern it. The information presented in the report aims to promote active political dialogue and the search for collective answers to an increasingly complex reality. Also, it provides accurate information that will increase the donors’ transparency and accountability, essential elements for a better implementation of the humanitarian actions.
The increasing importance of humanitarian action led to the approval of the Principles of Good Humanitarian Donorship in 2003. With the goal of defining common guidelines and best practices, the principles bring together the essential characteristics of humanitarian action. Among the many recommendations included in the document signed by the 23 DAC members is that of conducting regular evaluations of the international response to humanitarian crises, including the analysis of the individual performance of the donors. The Humanitarian Response Index was born as a result of this recommendation, with the goal of providing a practical tool that contributes to the compliance with the Principles, and certainly the improvement of the aid provided to the beneficiaries.