About the Alliance of Development Practitioners

Who we are

The Alliance of Development Practitioners (ADP) is an independent, non-profit professional association dedicated to developing competencies, building knowledge, and enhancing professional practices across the international development sector. We empower individuals and organisations in the development field through professional certifications and knowledge-based resources grounded in practical expertise.

We are committed to adopting global best practices and international standards, working in partnership with organisations and professional communities worldwide. Our approach is free, transparent, and fair — and the standards we develop are co-created through open, global networks of practitioners and subject-matter experts.

ADP develops the standards and accredits the trainers. Examinations are delivered independently by certN, our exam partner. Training is delivered by ADP-accredited trainers in their region and language. Independence between these three roles is structural — not promised.

Our vision

A world led by professional development practices grounded in an open, global knowledge ecosystem — built from practice, enriched by multicultural knowledge contributions, and translated into sustainable development impact.

Our mission

We empower development practitioners and institutions worldwide through specialised knowledge, professional certification, and clear development pathways. We cultivate expert communities that advance development practice and contribute to sustainable impact through an open, global knowledge ecosystem.

Our philosophy

Meaningful development starts with specialisation, grows through partnership, and is achieved through excellence.

Our values

Collaborative Knowledge and Professional Integration. Standards are developed by working groups of practitioners, openly and iteratively. No single firm, donor, or country owns the body of knowledge. Feedback channels are public; contributions are credited.

Development-Focused Specialisation and Innovation. ADP is for people working in international development, humanitarian response, social innovation, and adjacent fields. Standards are written for the contexts our members actually work in — fragile states, multi-stakeholder programmes, donor-funded delivery — and they evolve as practice evolves.

Global, Multicultural Knowledge Contribution. Practitioners from every region shape the standards. The site is published in English, French, and Arabic at launch, with a volunteer translation pathway to add more. Examples and case studies reflect global practice, not one country’s playbook.

Open Access and Knowledge Freedom. The Practice Guide is free to download. Standards are licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0. Trainer accreditation criteria are public. Examination is independent and proctored. Where we charge fees, it is for accreditation services that sustain the institution — never for access to the body of knowledge itself.

How we work

ADP operates a three-role model that keeps standards, training, and examination independent of one another.

This separation is deliberate. The body that writes the standard should not also be selling the training that prepares for it, nor administering the exam that tests it. Each role has its own accountability, and the credential is stronger for it.

What we do

Across the three-role model, ADP’s work breaks into four connected activities:

• Professional Studies — researching and codifying what good practice looks like across development specialisations.
• Professional Certification Design — translating that body of knowledge into rigorous credentials, examined independently.
• Trainer Accreditation — qualifying the trainers who prepare candidates for certification, across four tiers and every major language.
• Professional Community Empowerment — convening the practitioner community that contributes to, debates, and improves the standards over time.

Underpinning all four: Knowledge Production under open licences, so the field can build on what ADP publishes without restriction.

Our approach to knowledge

Three principles guide what we publish, what we restrict, and what we examine independently.

The body of knowledge is open. The Social Innovation Practice Guide — the foundation of SIPC — is published under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0. Anyone can read it, translate it, teach from it, or build on it. There is no paywall, no email gate, no commercial restriction. The standard rises when the source is shared.

Training material is restricted to accredited trainers. Detailed teaching materials, case banks, and assessment preparation resources are licensed only to ADP-accredited trainers. Not because the knowledge is secret — because the value of accreditation depends on consistent, high-quality delivery, and that requires a defined corpus and trainer obligations.

Examination is independent. Exams are designed by ADP-appointed subject-matter experts, blind-reviewed, and administered by certN under proctored conditions. ADP staff do not write or mark the exams. Candidates can be confident the credential reflects competence, not relationships.

Where to next

• Governance — how ADP is structured, how decisions are made, and how independence is maintained.
• Partners — the organisations we work with, including certN and the trainer community.
• Contact — questions, partnerships, press, and accreditation enquiries.