Feedback and Concerns

At People in Need (PIN), we are committed to transparency, accountability, and integrity in everything we do. We value feedback, concerns, and complaints from everyone we work with – including participants in our activities, community members, partners, suppliers, and other stakeholders.

Your feedback helps us improve our work and ensure that our programmes are delivered ethically, respectfully, and effectively.

PIN’s Community Feedback and Response Mechanism (CFRM) operates at two levels:

Country Programme CFRM: established in every country where PIN operates, this is the primary mechanism for submitting feedback or complaints related to our projects and activities. Each Country Programme manages its own CFRM through its MEAL Unit or dedicated CFRM Officer, ensuring that local context and languages are respected.

Institutional CFRM: this is PIN’s top-level grievance redress mechanism, established at the Headquarters level. It is managed independently of Country Programmes by the Integrity and Investigations Lead, under the supervision of the Relief and Development Department Director.

The Institutional CFRM is available for:

Submitting environmental and social complaints directly to PIN Headquarters. This includes concerns related to labour and working conditions, community health and safety, safeguarding and protection, human rights, gender equality and social inclusion, environmental impacts, biodiversity, environmental and social risk management, and project design and implementation.
Raising concerns about PIN's overall integrity, compliance, or adherence to its environmental and social commitments.
Submitting appeals if you believe a complaint handled at Country Programme level was not managed correctly or fairly.
Submitting other complaints or feedback directly to PIN Headquarters, including from people or organisations who are not part of our programmes.

How to Contact Us

You can reach the Institutional CFRM via email at: whistleblowing@pinf.cz

Having trouble with the email link? Simply copy and paste the email address into your email application.

Your message will be received by the Integrity and Investigations Lead, supported by the MEAL Lead, the Programme Quality Lead, Protection, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Advisor, Safeguarding Advisor, Environmental Mainstreaming Advisor and Whistleblowing Focal Points. All reports will be handled confidentially and with full respect for your rights.

What to Include in Your Message

When sending your feedback or complaint, please include as minimum the following information to help us understand and address your concern effectively:

Your contact details – only if you wish to receive a reply. (Anonymous messages are also accepted.)
Whether this is an appeal of a decision previously made regarding your complaint in the country where PIN operates. (If so, please indicate this by writing “Appeal” in the subject line of your email.)
A clear description of your concern or feedback – what happened, where, and when.
Who was involved – names or roles of people or organisations, if known.
Any supporting information or evidence – such as documents, photos, or messages.
Your preferred outcome – what you hope will happen as a result of raising this concern.

Providing these details will help us review your message promptly and fairly.

What Will Happen Next

The Institutional CFRM team will:

Acknowledge receipt of your feedback or complaint within 7 calendar days,
Review and investigate your case,
Consult relevant the MEAL Lead, the Programme Quality Lead, Protection, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Advisor, Safeguarding Advisor, Environmental Mainstreaming Advisor and technical experts, as appropriate, and
Provide a written decision within 30 calendar days of acknowledging your feedback or complaint.

Handling and addressing of Environmental and Social Complaints

Environmental and social complaints submitted through the Institutional CFRM are coordinated by the Investigation and Integrity Lead, who is responsible for receiving, registering, assessing, and coordinating the complaint handling process, maintaining communication with complainants, and ensuring compliance with the Institutional CFRM procedures. The assessment and resolution of environmental and social complaints are carried out in consultation with the Programme Quality Lead (responsible for oversight of PIN’s Environmental and Social Management System) and her team of Global Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) and Environmental Mainstreaming Advisors, who, alongside subject matter technical experts, support investigations and identify appropriate corrective actions.

At the Country Programme (CP) level, environmental and social complaints are coordinated by the MEAL Focal Point, with oversight and support from the Country Director and relevant technical programme staff. Depending on the nature of the complaint, Headquarters advisors may be involved to assess the issues raised, identify appropriate corrective actions, and ensure that the complaint is addressed in line with PIN's Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) and CFRM procedures.

Legal Redress

PIN recognises and respects the right of all complainants to seek legal redress. We will not interfere with, obstruct, or discourage access to legal or judicial processes. Our internal complaint mechanisms are designed to complement – not replace – external legal actions.

Confidentiality and Protection

We take all complaints seriously and handle them with the utmost discretion. PIN will not tolerate retaliation against anyone who submits a complaint or raises a concern in good faith.

CFRM Capacity and Effectiveness Assessment

PIN assesses the capacity and effectiveness of its Complaint and Feedback Response Mechanism (CFRM) to identify strengths, address gaps, and continuously improve the system. An overview of the 2023–2024 CFRM Capacity Assessment results is shown below.

As PIN transitions the global management of the CFRM to the ActivityInfo platform during 2026, a follow-up assessment will be conducted in 2027 to evaluate the functionality, effectiveness, and user experience of the new system and identify opportunities for further improvement.

Main Contacts – Country Programmes

Nepal: nepal.peopleinneed.net/en/contact

Ethiopia: peopleinneed.net/how-we-engage-with-community-feedback-11599gp

Armenia: armenia.peopleinneed.net/en/contact

The Philippines: philippines.peopleinneed.net/en/contact

Cambodia: cambodia.peopleinneed.net/en/contact

Moldova: moldova.peopleinneed.net/en/contact

Mongolia: mongolia.peopleinneed.net/en/contact

Ukraine: ukraine.peopleinneed.net/en/contact

Western Balkans: westernbalkans.peopleinneed.net/en/contact

Zambia: peopleinneed.net/contacts/relief-and-development-department-8/regions-and-countries-82/zambia-103

Angola: peopleinneed.net/contacts/relief-and-development-department-8/regions-and-countries-82/angola-100