Accountability standards have been set up, and organizations can voluntarily commit to them. Standards apply in particular to the non-profit world and to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
Accountability Standards include
- INGO Accountability Charter, signed by a large number of NGOs to “demonstrate their commitment to accountability and transparency”
- Account Ability’s AA1000 series. “principles – based standards to help organizations become more accountable, responsible and sustainable. They address issues affecting governance, business models and organizational strategy, as well as providing operational guidance on sustainability assurance and stakeholder engagement”
- Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) 2010 standards A standard for humanitarian organizations to help them “design, implement, assess, improve and recognize accountable programmers”
In addition, some non-profit organizations set up their own commitments to accountability:
- Accountability, Learning and Planning System (ALPS) by Action Aid, a framework that sets out the key accountability requirements, guidelines, and processes.
Proposed symbolism
Viktor Frankl, neurologist, psychiatrist, author, and founder of logo therapy and one of the key figures in existential therapy, in his book Man’s Search for Meaning recommended “that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast (that has become a symbol of Liberty and Freedom) should be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.” Frankl stated: “Freedom, however, is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness
