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1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

Refugees

On September 27th, 2017 Caritas Internationalis officially launched a two-year campaign “Share the Journey” aimed at strengthening the bonds between migrants, refugees and host communities. Pope Francis officially launched the initiative in Saint Peter's Square. Caritas Internationalis plans on engaging members, communities and individuals on a regional/national basis throughout the campaign lifecycle.
 

1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

People-centered approaches (feedback mechanisms, community engagement, etc)

As part of its Emergency Response Framework, Caritas Internationalis has set up three Sectoral Working Groups for the professional development and quick deployment of specialist Caritas Internationalis Member Organisations (CIMOs) staff for emergency response.

One of the three Sectoral Working Groups focuses on Accountability, Protection and Real Time Evaluations. Accountability Sectoral Working Group members are deployed to ensure that Caritas responses are accountable to the people we serve and that people and their needs are at the centre and forefront of the response.

The core areas of focus of the Accountability Sectoral Working Group are community engagement and participation, needs assessments and analysis, information sharing, feedback and complaint handling and protection mainstreaming.

To date the Accountability Sectoral Working Group has been successful in organising trainings for its members, in developing tools and resources for each key area of work, and in deploying its members to carry out two Real Time Evaluations.
 

Cash-based programming

Caritas member organizations have implemented various cash-based programs for several years already. A Caritas Cash Working Group (CCWG) has been created. Its role is to support all Caritas Member Organizations through regular updates, research, development of tools, and trainings.

Caritas has conducted a mapping to understand the extent of Caritas member organizations in Cash Transfer programs. According to the mapping, cash based programs have been implemented in more than forty countries and forty emergency responses. (2016-2017).

The Caritas Cash Working Group will promote Cash Learning Partnership (CaLP) training and will put together resources that could be used by member organizations when implementing cash programs in emergencies.
 

Building community resilience

Caritas Internationalis is a member of the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR), a voluntary alliance of nine of the world’s leading humanitarian organizations, which come together to support quality, accountability and learning in humanitarian action.

SCHR has identified putting people at the center of humanitarian action or the Participation Revolution as one of the priorities for collective work post World Humanitarian Summit (WHS). In September 2017, SCHR members carried out a peer review of our respective emergency responses in northern Iraq and northern Uganda to identify enablers and disenables for effective participation. In the next phase, SCHR will focus on incentives to steer the necessary mind shift for organizations to become “people-centred”. SCHR is aiming to put the “participation revolution” into practice within the next 5 years.
 

Strengthening national/local leadership and systems

Seven Caritas member organizations are signatory of the Charter4Change which outlines eight commitments of international NGOs to change their ways of working with national NGO partners.

Caritas is currently working on the elaboration of a Caritas position paper on localization. The paper will outline how member organizations support each other when crises hit; how Caritas engages in national and international coordination mechanisms and systems; the scope and reach of Caritas members within countries; their presence and contribution to humanitarian action; and their perspectives on how local actors deliver humanitarian assistance; and the importance of the networks of support within and between Caritas members.
 

Adherence to quality and accountability standards (e.g. CHS, SPHERE)

Caritas Internationalis sits on the board of The Sphere Project and Caritas helped draft the original Sphere Handbook and has been closely involved in its subsequent revisions.

Caritas staff worldwide are consistently trained to ensure that they are familiar with Sphere. Caritas Internationalis has developed and rolled-out the new Caritas Emergency Response Framework which aims at enhancing our collective responses by strengthening the leadership role of our national members, enhancing internal and external coordination and setting-up additional surge capacities in Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Shelter and Settlements and Accountability. 

In addition, in 2014 the Caritas Internationalis governance bodies introduced the Caritas Internationalis Management Standards as a central instrument to help the confederation and its members in their organisational development and to assess members’ level of organisational health.

The standards have been rolled out and member organizations have been invited to apply them and to undergo an assessment against the standards. In 2019 assessments will be ongoing, and further trainings will be provided.