Lessons from the Accountability to Affected Populations in Action (AAPA) Programme in Uganda
This spotlight piece highlights AAPA’s innovative approach, implementation process and achievements, and draws lessons to inform organisations aiming to achieve greater accountability to the populations they serve.
The Accountability to Affected Populations in Action (AAPA) programme, led by U-Learn Consortium and implemented by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Uganda, seeks to improve accountability towards refugees and host communities. The training programme translates theoretical knowledge of AAP into practical action at an institutional level. It supports selected cohorts of refugee response actors in Uganda to mainstream AAP in their operations by providing direct and one-to-one technical guidance. The programme was developed in collaboration with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) following an online training programme in 2021 during which participants expressed the need for further support to be able to actually operationalise AAP in their respective organisations. The AAPA programme bridges the gap between theory and practice by taking a peer-to-peer approach that diagnoses and tackles specific barriers to AAP implementation.