Annual report

particular attention focused on the protection 
of its volunteers. Consequently, the IFRC took 
out insurance for more than 7,500 SARC vol-
unteers for 2022, under IFRC’s global accident 
insurance programme.
160
Annual Report 
2022

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SPOTLIGHT
OCAC
The IFRC’s commitment to National Society 
Development included the development, in 
2011, of its Organizational Capacity Assessment 
and Certification process, known as OCAC. 
This process was designed to enable National 
Societies to assess their capacities, performance, 
and relevance to determine opportunities for 
self-development, and to ensure all National 
Societies commit to and comply with a set of 
organizational standards.
In 2013, following feedback from National 
Societies on the need for targeted support to 
develop their Branches, the IFRC introduced 
the Branch Organizational Capacity Assessment 
(BOCA), allowing capacities to be measured at 
local level where so much Red Cross and Red 
Crescent work is carried out.
By the end of 2022, some 130 National Societies 
– more than two-thirds – had undergone at least 
one OCAC assessment, with some undergoing 
multiple assessments to monitor their progress. 
This information was also used by donors and 
partners to support a National Society’s devel-
opment based on its identified priorities.
For example, in October 2022, the Honduras 
Red Cross achieved OCAC Certification after a 
ten-year journey of sustained National Society 
Development work enabled it to progress from 
meeting 38 per cent of OCAC attributes in 
2013, to 63 per cent in 2016 and 99 per cent in 
2019. The National Society was able to attract 
many more volunteers and expand its services, 
leading to greater recognition and trust from its 
government and donors.
The Mongolian Red Cross Society conducted its 
first OCAC assessment in 2014, and followed this 
up with a National Society Plan that improved its 
work in policy development, monitoring systems 
and digitalization, with strong improvements 
noted in its next OCAC two years later. Branch 
Organizational Capacity Assessments were also 
carried out. The National Society received its 
OCAC certification in 2019 following an external 
peer review.
Some ten years after OCAC was launched, an 
independent evaluation of the service was 
carried out in tandem with National Society 
feedback, and two main issues were identified.
The independent evaluation recognized the 
importance of OCAC to National Societies’ 
self-development and recommended that the 
standards and methodology be updated and 
systematically include a review of programmes 
and services. It also recommended that the cer-
tification process be rethought, and the sharing 
of OCAC results be less restricted.
To address these recommendations, the IFRC 
decided in 2022 to de-link the Organizational 
Capacity Assessment (OCA) from the Certification 
process; revise and update the OCA process and 
methodology process, and establish a new IFRC 
Certification process that would be issued by an 
independent certification body.
To ensure the process is effective, the new 
IFRC Certification standards will be measurable, 
verifiable, applicable, and thorough. They will 
cover six areas essential to National Society 
operations, including legal base and leadership; 
community engagement and accountability; 
safeguarding and duty of care; financial account-
ability; monitoring, evaluation and reporting, and 
environment.