Sphere Project - Global

Sphere is based on two core beliefs: first, that all possible steps should be taken to alleviate human suffering arising out of calamity and conflict, and second, that those affected by disaster have a right to life with dignity and therefore a right to assistance.

Participation is a key strategy for articulating and elaborating on these beliefs. As of this writing, over 400 organisations (national and international NGOs, UN agencies, and academic institutions) in 80 countries worldwide contributed to the development of a series of universal standards and indicators for disaster response. That is, they together helped produce the Sphere handbook, which is designed for use in disaster response, as well as in disaster preparedness and humanitarian advocacy. The handbook has 2 components - the Humanitarian Charter, which asserts the right to life with dignity, and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (technical guidelines for providing basic levels of assistance). The 2004 edition focusses on responses on the part of the following sectors: water supply and sanitation; nutrition; food security; food aid; shelter, settlement and non-food items; and healthservices. The handbook is meant to be applicable in a wide range of situations in which relief is required, including natural disasters and armed conflict, in both slow- and rapid-onset situations in a variety of environments worldwide. The emphasis throughout is on meeting the urgent survival needs of people affected by disaster, while asserting their basic human right to life with dignity. Available in English, French, and Spanish, the handbook is intended for humanitarian workers and relief organisations.

The Sphere Training Program has been developed to equip practitioners with concrete strategies for using the Sphere handbook in their work. The training page on the Sphere website is designed as a tool for those facilitating such training. It contains Sphere training materials (4 modules and a Trainers' Guide), details of Sphere workshops, and information on particular trainers.

Through this handbook and training programme, the Sphere Project works to facilitate the application of the Sphere handbook at field level. Organisers state that this work is important because many people around the world affected by disasters live far below the levels of the Minimum Standards. For this reason, since 2001 a group of 20 agencies around the world have been piloting theuse of Sphere. More recently, this piloting work has focussed on 5 countries: DRC, El Salvador, Honduras, India and Nicaragua. In each of these countries, a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sphere Project has been signed with a committee of NGOs, government, and other agencies in that country who are committed to working toward improved humanitarian work through the use of Sphere. One of the agencies in the consortium of NGOs in India working on Sphere (Disaster Mitigation Institute) has created a Sphere in India web page. Further details are available by clicking here.

Consistent with its stated commitment to the sharing of experience and information, Sphere launched a consultation on the future of the project, post-2004. In an effort to include as many of those people impacted by Sphere as possible, the organisation urged and/or conducted inter-agency meetings (at national, regional, or community levels - with disaster-affected populations where appropriate), interviews by telephone or face-to-face with key people who have had a close involvement with Sphere, and web-based discussions in French, Spanish, and English in collaboration with Aid Workers Network (AWN). Articles were sent out via the AWN and Sphere listserves, an interactive web page was hosted by AWN, and feedback on the draft of results of consultations was posted on the Sphere website. The Sphere team hoped to stimulate debate amongst a wide range of people who have used Sphere and/or been affected by it, as well as members of the broader development community.

The Sphere Project Management Committee met in early June 2004 and it was agreed, based on the consultation process, that the work of Sphere must continue beyond December 2004 to meet the needs of Sphere users. According to organisers, this is not an extension or continuation of the old project, but a reformulation of the Sphere Project and initiation of new focus and structure to meet new needs. The Management Committee met again in September 2004 and decided that a light structure, consisting of a small coordinating office, would be maintained and would link to regional and national networks. A modified governance structure was also agreed on; organisers say it allows for better representation of "southern" NGOs at the governance level. The aim is to have a new board in place by March 2005.

Disaster, Rights.

In the March 10 2004 issue of the online AWN newsletter (Aid Workers Exchange, Erik Johnson of Oxfam recounted his experiences with Sphere as part of the launch of the consultation on the project's future (see above). He describes the close link between the Sphere project and communication goals when he indicates that, "In some locations, Sphere has actually been used as the basis for defining appropriate local standards and involving beneficiary communities in the decisions that affect their lives. In Rwanda, African Humanitarian Action used the same watsan standards and indicators as the basis of a sensitisation campaign. Committees of camp residents participated in assessing gaps between the standards and what was happening on the ground, helping to raise awareness in public health as well as identifying resource shortages....Once we had identified the SphereHandbook as the basis for our advocacy work, the Minimum Standards provided an internationally-recognised common framework for NGOs and the national government to fulfil their obligations to those beneficiaries. And, most importantly, the rights of the displaced people themselves were at the centre of these discussions." (This newsletter may be accessed in French by clicking here, or in English by clicking here).