Home 5 Good Practice Toolkit 5 Quality Principle 9: People and Culture

Quality Principle 9:
People and Culture

Development and humanitarian organisations manage and support their people fairly and effectively.

Rationale

Quality Principle 9 recognises the importance of our people and their ability to work to enable good development outcomes. The working environments of our organisations should be places where the key human rights principles of fairness, equity, and respect for social and cultural diversity are deeply embedded in policies, practices and organisational culture. This means that there is agreement between these same principles that underlie your mission and goals for aid and development, and the way that staff and volunteers are treated.

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This Quality Principle requires Members to have established frameworks that clearly define and protect the rights and safety of staff and volunteers, and that support their duty of care to personnel, both paid and voluntary. This is particularly necessary given the often insecure and stressful nature of development, humanitarian and emergency management activities. The standards recognise that staff and volunteers are key to our organisations being able to fulfil its missions and objectives. And they will help deliver effective programmes, as good personnel and management practices contribute to greater organisational effectiveness.  This Quality Principle covers the professional management of human resources, professional conduct, training and development and rights and discrimination. This reflects the approach taken by the Core Humanitarian Standard, where its equivalent human resources criterion requires that ‘staff are supported to do their job effectively, and are treated fairly and equitably’. The revised Code requirements are explicit in their requirements for volunteers, in particular those who fill roles which are an integral part of the Member’s organisational structure. Quality Principle 9 reflects a more comprehensive and holistic approach to human resources than ever before.

Quality Principle 9 requires ACFID’s Members to be fair and non-discriminatory in their management of staff, requires human resources policies and procedures to address equity and diversity, and requires Members to comply with human resource regulations and legislation.

Quality Principle 9 is implemented through four Commitments by ACFID Members.

Commitments

COMMITMENT 9.1

We have the human resource capacity and capability to deliver our work.

COMMITMENT 9.2

We protect, value and support our people.

COMMITMENT 9.3

We manage our people effectively and fairly.

COMMITMENT 9.4

We enable our people to conduct themselves professionally and according to our stated values.

About

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Annual Report 2022-23

Reporting on ACFID’s activities to ensure transparency and accountability

ACFID

ACFID is the peak body for Australian NGOs involved in international development and humanitarian action.

Our PARTNERSHIPS

ACFID works and engages with a range of strategic partners in addition to our members.

GOVERNANCE

ACFID is governed by its Board, ACFID Council, and various expert and governance committees.

Members

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Conference 2023

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT 2.0
disruptive dynamics, inspired ideas

18-19 October 2023

Meet our Members

The ACFID membership is comprised of Australian NGOs that actively work in the international aid and development sector.

Become a member

Joining ACFID means joining an experienced and powerful mix of like-minded organisations committed to good international development practice.

Membership types & fees

ACFID has two types of organisational membership: Full Membership and Affiliate Membership.

State of the Sector

The State of the Sector Report provides a comprehensive and robust analysis of the state of the Australian aid and development sector.

NGO Aid Map

ACFID’s NGO Aid Map allows the Australian public and stakeholders to explore the work of ACFID Members around the world.

Development Practice Committee

The DPC is an expert advisory group of development practitioners leading good practice within the sector.

Our Focus

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Federal Budget 23-24 Analysis

Facts and figures on how aid is presented in this year’s annual budget

Strategic Plan

ACFID prioritises a robust response to climate change and pressure on civil society in developing countries, as well as other key priorities.

Emergency Aid

ACFID Members provide vital life-saving assistance in the immediate aftermath of an emergency.

Climate Change

Action on climate change is one of ACFID’s highest priorities, as it is an existential threat to humanity and our development.

Civil Society

Civil societies are a cornerstone of regional stability and ensure that the voices of the marginalised are heard.

Supporting NGOS

Supporting NGOs as Valuable Partners.

Inclusive & locally led development

Walking the talk on inclusive development.

Humanitarian Action

Taking humanitarian action for those in greatest need.

Elevating Development

Elevating Development to the Heart of Australia’s International Engagement.

PSEAH

Improving standards, practice and culture to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

Code of Conduct

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2022-23 ACFID Code of Conduct Review

The ACFID Code of Conduct is periodically reviewed to ensure it continues to reflect good practice and the needs of ACFID and its members.

Code of Conduct

The Code is a voluntary, self-regulatory industry code of good practice.

About the Code

Find out more about the Code of Conduct and how it operates.

Good Practice Toolkit

Overview and practical resources, and examples to support the implementation of the Code.

Spotlight on the Code

Provides a thematic ‘deep dive’ into each of the nine Quality Principles in the Code

Compliance

This section outlines the responsibility to be taken by each Member to ensure compliance with the Code.

Complaints Handling

How to make a complaint and information on the Code’s independent mechanism to address concerns relating to an ACFID Members’ conduct.

Other Standards

Mapping the Code with other professional standards and principles in the humanitarian and aid sector in Australia and internationally

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