The Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) contains nine commitments that place people and communities affected by crisis at the centre of humanitarian action. Since 2016, organisations using the Standard have been encouraged to assess the degree to which they are fulfilling these commitments as per a Verification Scheme adopted by the CHS Alliance. The Verification Scheme includes three modalities: Self-Assessment, Independent Verification, and Certification. This review considers, specifically from the perspective of local and national organisations, how the Verification Scheme can best reach as many organisations as possible to drive systemic change.

At the time of writing, a total of 133 organisations, large and small and from various parts of the world, have decided to undergo one or more of the verification options. While the numbers are increasing, the uptake thus far has been seen as relatively slow and far from scaled, especially among local and national NGOs. The review provides an analysis of potential barriers to increased uptake from the perspective of local and national NGOs, and recommendations on how these could be addressed.

Fundamentally, the approach taken towards the Verification Scheme depends on the theory of change adopted by the CHS Alliance, including the assumed pathway towards realising the level of systemic change ambitioned. For some, this will be achieved through evidence-based rigour and robust levels of compliance, especially among the actors with a large humanitarian footprint; for others via a multiplicity of actors of all sizes and reach committing, measuring themselves (and each other), and benefiting from facilitated learning and improvement. The latter course, though less scientific, has the advantage of being affordable at a large scale, better suited to play on intrinsic organisational motivation, and perhaps more in line with the dynamic nature of organisational culture and performance. Both approaches can be merged to a certain degree, but this needs to be consciously done.

HERE undertook this project in partnership with Elise Baudot Queguiner and Rayelene Govender.