CHS changemakers – how Naba’a improved its care of the environment by using the CHS
As part of the Humanitarian Accountability Report 2022: Accountability is Non-Negotiable (HAR), Naba’a shared how they used the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality & Accountability (CHS) to reduce negative effects on the environment.
CHS Alliance member Naba’a is a Lebanese non-profit organisation established in 2001. It focuses on human rights, women’s rights, children’s rights and community development targeting the most marginalised and vulnerable communities, including Lebanese, Palestinians, Syrians and migrant communities, focusing on bridging common ground.
Naba’a decided to complete a CHS certification six years ago in 2016 to demonstrate their commitment to accountability, credibility, and transparency to their international partners and those they serve, and have remained in the process ever since, improving their work over time.
As part of their 2020 certification audit it was found that Naba’a were not systematically covering and acting on potential effects on the environment in their Baseline Analysis, Risk Analysis or Participatory Needs Assessments (CHS indicator 3.6).
In response, Naba’a updated their standard analysis and needs assessments to consider environmental impacts, such as degradation to the local areas where they ran activities, i.e., soil erosion or adding to pollution, to avoid unintendedly amplifying vulnerability levels for the people and communities they serve and work with.
“Naba’a now runs activities to reduce negative effects on the local environment.”
As a result of these improvements, Naba’a now runs activities to reduce negative effects on the local environment, including a programme of “Naba’a is Eco Friendly” which informs the community they serve about the importance of conserving the local environment, and carrying out agricultural activities such as tree planting.
By the next audit in the CHS certification cycle, auditors saw that Naba’a’s relevant analysis and assessments considered potential effects on the environment, contributing to the closing the corrective action on CHS indictor 3.6 in the 2021 CHS certification audit.
Read more about the difference organisations using the CHS to measure and improve are making for the people they serve.
Learn more about using CHS Verification to improve the quality and accountability of aid work.