Overview

AAP in distributions (and in any humanitarian response) is about a shift in mindset from seeing affected populations as beneficiaries to key partners and stakeholders in their own recovery. There are four major pillars of AAP that guide putting in place mechanisms during distributions that ensure we are accountable to affected persons, which are: 

• Participation and consultation
• Information-sharing and transparency
• Complaints and Feedback Mechanisms (CFM)
• Coordination

Maintaining a gender and social inclusion lens is also a core part of AAP to ensure we are taking into account specific needs, vulnerabilities, strengths, risks of different populations in design and implementation of distributions. _^*1

Having accountability measures in place (e.g., participatory assessments, CFM, good communication plans, etc.) at all stages of distribution planning, implementation, and monitoring enhances protection since AAP and protection are “fundamentally linked, and should be approached as essential, complementary and mutually reinforcing components of an effective humanitarian response.” _^*2

See: ACCOUNTABILITY TO AFFECTED POPULATIONS (AAP) entry for more details of IOM AAP Framework.

Participation and consultation 

As partners in their own recovery, affected populations participate and are consulted about their needs, ideas, and participate in decision-making, as possible, at all stages of distributions (selection criteria, planning, implementation, post-distribution monitoring). This is the principle of “Nothing about us, without us”.

Information-sharing and transparency

Affected persons must be fully informed at all stages of distributions, including date, time, location, organization, how to use and assemble NFIs, how selection decisions were made, that distributed NFIs are free of charge, etc. They must receive clear, concise information and communication that is culturally contextualized and translated properly into relevant languages. It must take into account differences in how men, women, and/or non-gender conforming persons access information. A variety of media must be used to inform affected populations to ensure it reaches everyone we intend to reach. This ensures transparency around all aspects of the distribution.

Complaints and Feedback Mechanisms (CFM)

CFM provide channels for beneficiaries to express their concerns and/or other feedback about the distribution, including how to improve how it’s implemented. At minimum, distributions should have a complaints box and an information and complaints desk set up at the distribution site. Ideally, there are multiple ways to provide complaints and feedback. Whichever the mechanism, the key is not just to get the complaints and/or other feedback but to act on it in a transparent way. 

For more details, see FEEDBACK AND COMPLAINT MECHANISMS IN SHELTER OPERATIONS entry and  resources below.

Coordination

Coordination involves collaborating with peers and partners to deliver on AAP principles and commitments in a coherent and coordinated way. This ensures that there are not duplicative distributions with the same affected persons, risking exclusion of others. 
 

Contacts

For more information, please contact the Shelter and Settlements Unit in Geneva: ShelterSupport@iom.int.

Please also find the contact information to the IOM Shelter Reference Group: ShelterReferenceGroup@iom.int.