I will shamelessly admit to biases due to my profession and western lifestyle when I first considered this assignment. I thought accountability meant providing assurance to donors that their money went to their intended recipients and purposes. Well, that is only one side of accountability.

In disaster response, I've come to see that significant emphasis is placed on accountability towards those who receive the humanitarian aid. Tonight I've been doing some reading on accountability standards that are used in humanitarian relief work by The Sphere Project and Humanitarian Accountability Project (see links at side). For example, accountability to beneficiaries includes making sure they are involved in the initial analysis, implementation and evaluation of the disaster response. Naturally, NGOs are even more accountable to recipients whose lives and well being hang in the balance on the effectiveness of relief efforts.

Accountability can mean responsibility towards those to whom you report, or who you represent. However, we are all accountable to anyone who is affected by our actions, on a personal and a corporate basis. This is especially true in the global world where we find ourselves. Who would have thought that the over extended mortgages of you and me, and the lack of disclosure of risks inherent in these bundled mortgages by our bank would cripple the world economy? But it did. Who was accountable?