The CHS: A global standard grounded in local realities

The CHS sets out nine commitments that describe what people and communities in situations of crisis and vulnerability can expect from those that support them. The commitments complement each other and are all essential elements of the CHS. Each commitment is accompanied by requirements that describe what needs to be done to ensure it is met when supporting people and communities.

To successfully meet the nine commitments and accompanying requirements, organisations must have the necessary enabling environment to support the systematic application of the CHS. This means applying and demonstrating at all levels and functions of the organisation a culture of quality and accountability in organisational values, working approaches and internal processes, and interactions with stakeholders.

The CHS was developed through an extensive consultation process that involved people and communities affected by crisis, aid workers and experts, national and international aid organisations and networks, and governments.

Since its original launch in 2014, the CHS has become a key reference in the aid sector. Hundreds of organisations use the CHS to guide and orient their work with growing evidence that it has driven improvements for those organisations that consistently apply it as part of their work. The CHS has also shaped and influenced global efforts to strengthen and improve quality and accountability in the sector.

In March 2024, an updated version of the CHS will be publicly launched.

Read the 2014 standard here

Find out more about the 2024 updated standard here

 

Putting crisis-affected people at the centre
Putting crisis-affected people at the centre

P-FIM training participants listen to a group of pregnant women, girl mothers, women's associations and survivors of SBBV in North Kivu, DRC.

Credit: Johanniter

Save the Children is embedding the CHS as our guiding standard within emergency response. Above all, we wish to place accountability to children as the driving force behind everything we do.
Richard Cobb, Evidence and Impact Advisor, Save the Children
CHS Alliance
Groupe URD
Sphere Project