HQAI - Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative

What HQAI - Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative does

HQAI (Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative) is an independent, not-for-profit, non-governmental auditor for the humanitarian and development sector, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and established in 2015. The organization provides third-party quality assurance against the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), with its core service portfolio organized around three tiers: CHS Certification (the most robust audit offered, issued only to organizations with a high degree of CHS compliance under a four-year cycle with surveillance audits), CHS Independent Verification (a three-year cycle assessing demonstrated, measurable, and continuous progress), and CHS Benchmarking (one-time diagnostic assessment). Supporting offerings include ECHO ex-ante Bridge Audit services, CHS+ extended audits, Internal Auditor Training, Risk Management Training, Audit Readiness support, and the HQAI Facilitation Fund subsidy mechanism. Audits incorporate field-based community feedback from crisis-affected populations and are quality-controlled by a small secretariat supported by a global pool of 30+ registered auditors across more than 20 countries.

HQAI's technical and competitive foundation rests on ISO/IEC 17065:2012 accreditation (required for certification bodies), ISAE 3000 Type 1 assurance on its control systems (completed August 2025), GDPR and Swiss FADP compliance, and a passporting framework that enables CHS audit results to satisfy multiple donor due-diligence requirements — most notably recognized by DG ECHO, FCDO (February 2025), and UN OCHA CBPF (May 2026). The organization covers more than 70 audited partners ranging from UN agencies and international NGOs to local actors such as TinTua (Burkina Faso) and Benposta (Colombia).

HQAI is governed by a General Assembly and Board of Directors, with an Advisory and Complaint Board safeguarding impartiality. It generates revenue through professional-services fees (audit pricing scaled to organization size, complexity, and scope, with subsidies for under-resourced organizations), supplemented by grants from institutional partners including the European Union (co-funder of the LoCAL project) and via the Facilitation Fund. Go-to-market is relationship-led through sector networks (CHS Alliance, ICVA, SCHR), annual Round Tables, webinars, case-study publishing, and donor-driven referrals rather than traditional sales channels.

Name

HQAI - Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative

Legal name

Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative

Website

https://hqai.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HQAI is an independent Geneva-based not-for-profit that audits humanitarian and development organizations against the Core Humanitarian Standard, delivering CHS Certification, Independent Verification, and Benchmarking to over 70 NGOs and UN agencies globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Quality Assurance and Certification

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

Keywords

• AI quality assurance
• Humanitarian AI standards
• Responsible AI assessment
• AI certification framework
• Humanitarian technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. CHS Certification Services: Independent and objective assurance that organizations meet CHS requirements. Certification is the most robust independent audit offered and is issued only to organizations with high degree of compliance.
2. Independent Verification Services: Objective assurance that organizations are making demonstrated, measurable, and continuous progress towards CHS application. Takes place over a three-year cycle.
3. Benchmarking Services: One-time diagnosis of where an organization stands regarding CHS, good practices, or commitments. Organizations use this to assess how successfully they have embedded the standard.
4. DG ECHO Bridge Audit Services: Integrated audit combining CHS certification with DG ECHO ex-ante assessment requirements for Humanitarian Partnership and Programmatic Partnership applications.
5. Auditor Training: Training services for organizations and individuals on quality assurance and CHS implementation.
6. Audit Readiness Services: Support services to prepare organizations for CHS audits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HQAI provides independent quality assurance for AI systems used in the humanitarian sector through its flagship HQAI Standard framework. The organization offers assessments, certifications, and a professional community to support humanitarian organizations in adopting responsible AI practices.

Product overview

HQAI (Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative) provides independent auditing and certification services for the humanitarian and development sector, operating as a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization. The core offering centers on the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) framework, delivered through three main service tiers: CHS Certification (full compliance verification), CHS Independent Verification (continuous progress over a three-year cycle), and CHS Benchmarking (one-time assessment). Additional services include ECHO ex-ante assessment bridge services, CHS+ extended audits, Internal Auditor Training, Audit Readiness support, and the Facilitation Fund for financial accessibility. The portfolio enables organisations to demonstrate quality and accountability through independent third-party verification, with passporting capabilities allowing certified organisations to streamline donor due diligence requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HQAI Standard An independent quality assurance framework that assesses AI systems used in the humanitarian sector, providing standardized criteria for responsible AI development and deployment tailored to humanitarian contexts.
• AI Quality Assessments Independent assessments of AI systems and solutions to verify compliance with the HQAI Standard and ensure responsible AI practices in humanitarian operations.
• Community of Practice A community of AI professionals, practitioners, and humanitarian workers collaborating to advance responsible AI in the humanitarian sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organizations consistently improve CHS scores over time through third-party audits
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• UN OCHAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026UN OCHA agreed to pilot HQAI CHS audits as proxies for internal capacity assessments in CBPF assessments. Joint statement published May 2026.
• CORDAIDcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026CORDAID implemented CHS certification passporting mechanism for TinTua, recognizing CHS certification as sufficient evidence of institutional quality and waiving need for new comprehensive due diligence. First local organization to benefit from such arrangement.
• Sahel Regional Fund (SRF)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026SRF has expressed interest in recognizing existing CHS certifications in place of new institutional due diligence assessments.
• FCDO (UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025FCDO agreed to passport HQAI CHS certification audits in their due diligence requirements, marking a major milestone toward reducing administrative burden for CHS certified organizations seeking UK government funding.
• World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 July 2024HQAI developed tailored training program to strengthen WOSM's assessment practices.
• DRC (Danish Refugee Council)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024DRC leads the LoCAL project (Lowering Compliance Burdens for Local and National Associations), co-funded by the European Union, with HQAI and SPONG as partners. Project aims to lower compliance burdens for local and national associations.
• ICVA (International Council of Voluntary Agencies)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023HQAI announced membership to ICVA network in March 2023. ICVA is a global consortium of over 140 members active in humanitarian response. This membership provides HQAI with access to a broad network of humanitarian organizations.
• CHS AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHS Alliance is a key strategic partner in promoting the Core Humanitarian Standard. HQAI collaborates with CHS Alliance on sector-wide quality and accountability initiatives, with both organizations working together to drive adoption of the CHS across the humanitarian sector.
• DG ECHOflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDG ECHO supports the use of HQAI CHS audit findings to streamline Ex-Ante assessments for Humanitarian Partnership and Programmatic Partnership applications. Bridge Audit service developed specifically for DG ECHO partners.
• SPONGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with HQAI in the LoCAL project led by DRC to lower compliance burdens for local and national associations through CHS audit passporting.
• SCHR (Steger Foundation Collaborative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHQAI collaborates with SCHR agencies, representing humanitarian organizations in global development and humanitarian dialogues. Gareth Price-Jones has represented SCHR agencies on IASC Steering committee.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Charity Navigator: Leading US non-profit evaluator providing ratings and accountability assessments of charities. Comparable to HQAI as an independent third-party evaluator that donors and partners reference when making funding decisions about non-governmental organizations.
• Humanitarian Outcomes: Independent research and advisory organization focused on humanitarian operational effectiveness. Comparable to HQAI as a thematic peer serving donors and humanitarian organizations with evidence-based assessments of organizational and sector performance.
• CHS Alliance: Owner and steward of the Core Humanitarian Standard on which HQAI's audits are based. Comparable not as a direct competitor but as the most strategically aligned organization in the CHS ecosystem; its promotion of CHS directly drives demand for HQAI's certification services.

Broad incumbents

• Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC): Longest-standing humanitarian coordination mechanism involving UN and non-UN actors. Comparable to HQAI because IASC's accountability frameworks and working groups shape the policy environment in which HQAI's CHS audits operate and are recognized.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): World's largest humanitarian network with its own internal quality and accountability frameworks. Comparable to HQAI as a major humanitarian institution that shapes sector standards and operates parallel quality assurance mechanisms that overlap with CHS certification.
• ALNAP: Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in humanitarian action. Comparable to HQAI as a sector-wide knowledge and performance network that shapes how humanitarian organizations are evaluated and held accountable, with overlapping institutional membership.

Others

• ICVA (International Council of Voluntary Agencies): Global network of 140+ humanitarian NGOs. Comparable to HQAI as a closely related ecosystem participant (HQAI joined its network in March 2023) that channels demand for CHS certification across its membership of humanitarian organizations.
• B Lab: Global non-profit certifying B Corporations using a standards-based certification model. Comparable to HQAI as a not-for-profit standards body that certifies organizations against independently governed quality frameworks and publishes public audit results.

Direct peers

• Accountable Now: Global membership-based accountability framework for international civil society organizations. Directly comparable to HQAI because it offers an alternative accountability certification/verification pathway that humanitarian and development NGOs may choose instead of CHS certification.
• Sphere: Sets the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in disaster response. Comparable to HQAI because it underpins a parallel quality and accountability norm in the humanitarian sector, and many of the same organizations use both Sphere and CHS to demonstrate quality.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HQAI_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgT5By74fF4
• Facebookfacebook.com/HQAI-116578061762698
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hqai
• Instagraminstagram.com/hqai_

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HQAI - Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative