Standards

The Humanitarian Guild maintains professional standards to guide the recognition of responsible humanitarian and emergency practice.

These standards articulate the expectations of judgement, responsibility, and conduct that underpin Guild recognition. They are designed to reflect the realities of complex operating environments rather than prescriptive models of practice.

Purpose of standards

The Guild’s standards exist to:

support responsible decision-making in complex humanitarian and emergency contexts
provide a consistent basis for professional recognition
reinforce trust between practitioners, organisations, and communities
reflect applied experience rather than formal role titles alone

Standards are applied with consideration of context, responsibility, and professional judgement.

Domains considered

In assessing professional standing, the Guild considers evidence of practice across relevant domains, which may include:

Judgement and Decision-Making
The ability to assess risk, weigh consequences, and make defensible decisions in uncertain or pressured environments.
Responsibility and Accountability
Demonstrated responsibility for people, resources, outcomes, or advice within humanitarian or emergency contexts.
Operational and Professional Conduct
Consistent adherence to ethical principles, professional integrity, and appropriate conduct.
Contextual and Cultural Awareness
Understanding of the social, cultural, political, and operational contexts in which humanitarian action occurs.
Collaboration and Professional Trust
The ability to work constructively with diverse actors, including communities, organisations, and institutions.

Not all domains apply equally to all roles or credential levels.

Principles of assessment

Assessment against the Guild’s standards is guided by the following principles:

Context matters
Standards are applied with consideration of operating environment, role, and constraints.
Judgement over prescription
Recognition reflects professional judgement rather than checklist compliance.
Responsibility over visibility
Standing is assessed based on responsibility held, not public profile or seniority alone.
Consistency and fairness
Standards are applied consistently across applicants and credential levels.

What the standards do not cover

The Guild’s standards do not:

certify technical competencies or training outcomes
replace organisational performance management
assess individual opinions or policy positions
confer authority, licensing, or operational mandate

Recognition reflects professional standing, not endorsement.

Review and development

The Guild’s standards are reviewed periodically to ensure continued relevance and alignment with evolving professional practice.

Input may be sought from recognised practitioners and relevant sector bodies as part of this process.

Relationship to credentials

Standards provide the foundation for all credential recognition awarded by the Guild.

Information on credential levels and verification is published separately.

Standards are applied proportionately to credential level and role context.