Islamic Relief has a strongly held vision and mission – based on Islamic values and the humanitarian imperative – that guides our work and approach. This has led the organisation to develop and accept a code of conduct that guides our staff in delivering the highest quality services to the most needy and destitute communities in the world.  We firmly place the needs and rights of the poorest at the heart of our planning and strategising.

But how do we assess the quality and appropriateness of our activities? How do we ensure that our clients; the poorest and most vulnerable, are empowered to access, influence and critically assess the service we provide? How do we know that our work is driven by the needs of poor people and not influenced by competing interests of other stakeholders?

Do communities really know who Islamic Relief is?  Do our beneficiaries understand our mandate and what standards and services we are obliged to provide and to whom?  Are we transparent to both beneficiaries and donors about the way we utilise resources and the results we achieve?

This manual sets out to introduce, explain and advise on how best Islamic Relief can answer some of the above questions. It sets in place an Accountability Framework in which we can all strive to improve the quality of our work in the eyes of our beneficiaries and the rest of the world.