While humanitarian principles and standards guide the work of individuals and organizations, the Principles of Partnership are the foundation of collaborative humanitarian action. The Principles of Partnership, adopted at the Global Humanitarian Platform (GHP) in 2007, provide a framework for all actors in the humanitarian response – including governments, UN agencies, NGOs the private sector and affected populations – for engaging on a more equal, constructive and transparent basis. They also aim to ensure that local and national non-governmental humanitarian agencies are broadly and adequately represented.

The five Principles of Partnership, to which all cluster members should commit, are:

1. Equality: meaning respect between members, without bias in relation to size or power.
2. Transparency: meaning open communication on an equal basis between members, with an aim of building trust.
3. Results-oriented approach:  to coordination and to humanitarian action based on capability and capacity.
4. Responsibility: meaning the ethical obligation of partners to one another to fulfil their tasks with integrity and in a relevant and appropriate way.
5. Complementarity: meaning building on comparative advantages between all partners, with explicit efforts to engage with and build on local capacity.