"Well, it was my post (and what a post it was!) but of course I have something add, because that's how I roll. I think that humanitarian principles matter, but that the discussion around those principles is stuck in the twentieth century, and…"

"It's definitely going to be a huge challenge, and that's what worries me the most. We're just not very good at challenges at the system level, because all our planning tools are linear."

"Deep breaths J, deep breaths.... Trayle - just to clarify, I am not claiming that hiring a qualified engineer guarantees a good sanitation project. I am merely pointing out that nobody in their right minds should hire somebody with no qualifications…"

"We do agree, and I'll write a reply later on. Right now it occurs to me that "a crappy proposal from a crappy donor that outlines a crappy project working for a crappy NGO in a crappy place" is a very accurate description of some…"

"If we don't get involved in shaping the development of professionalisation measures, then it will be reduced to a bureaucratic process, because it's the bureaucracies (specifically national governments, international organisations and…"

"The argument ad incompententio doesn't persuade me very much - while there may be incompetent doctors out there, I really wouldn't want to have been born before the medical sector professionalised. (That's not quite true - I…"

"Wait... what? You weren't a member? <Walks off, shaking head> "

"If I was designing a system, then field experience would be central to achieving higher levels of professional qualification, although not for entry-level positions. On the other hand, academic qualifications in generalist subject areas would…"

"The answer to the question of who will take the lead is already becoming clearer. SPHERE, HAP and People in Aid have already started the process of creating a potentially viable standard by pooling their efforts via the Joint Standards…"

"Certification is absolutely a management tool, but I disagree that the qualities that we want to manage are non-objective. What we should be aiming for is a) basic minimum levels of competence that b) relate closely to the designated and actual…"

"Apologies for including CaLP under livelihoods. To be fair, the table was built on the back of an envelope using half a biro. For me the question is not so much whether you need a certificate that shows you were in a training, but how you balance…"