Sphere Project Background

The Sphere Project was initiated in 1997 by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) and InterAction to develop a Humanitarian Charter and an associated set of Minimum Standards in Disaster Response. Throughout 1997 and 1998, the Charter and Minimum Standards were developed and the Project worked on gaining broad acceptance for these. In December 1998, this first phase of the Project was concluded and Phase II was launched. During 1999, the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards will be tested in a variety of emergency settings. By the end of 1999, the final Charter and Standards are to be published.

Following the Great Lakes crisis in 1994 and the donor and NGO evaluations that were critical of the responses and actions of many NGOs (especially on the issue of accountability) several NGOs felt that a minimum set of operating standards might avoid similar situations in the future.

The SCHR, an alliance for voluntary response, is comprised of Care International, Caritas Internationalis, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, International Save the Children Alliance, the Lutheran World Federation, Medecins sans Frontieres International, Oxfam International, and the World Council of Churches. InterAction is a coalition of over 150 US-based non-profits working in 165 countries to promote human dignity and development. In addition to these two bodies that form the Project Management committee, there are three non-voting members of the Committee: VOICE (Voluntary Organisations in Co-operation in Europe), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA).

The stated goal of the Sphere Project is "To improve the quality of humanitarian assistance and the accountability of humanitarian agencies to their beneficiaries, their members and their sponsors." The Project aimed to consolidate existing ideas and reach agreement on these so that the resulting Charter and standards would "apply to any situation where people's normal means of support for life with dignity have failed, whether as a result of a natural or man-made disaster, in any country, on any continent." While the Project is designed primarily for humanitarian agencies and their staff, it is also hoped to be useful for those affected by disasters and other stakeholders, such as donors.

The Humanitarian Charter expresses the commitment of the agencies that sign on to it to principles based on international humanitarian law, refugee law, and human rights conventions. It commits participating NGOs to act in accordance with the principles of humanity and impartiality and with the principles set out in the "Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief" (1994). Article 9 of the this Code of Conduct commits signatories to be "accountable to both those we seek to assist and those from whom we accept resources." Since the launch of the Code of Conduct in 1994, almost 150 agencies have signed the Red Cross Code.

The Humanitarian Charter commits signatories to a rights-based approach in humanitarian assistance. It highlights the importance of three principles in particular:

• the right to life with dignity,
• the distinction between combatants and non-combatants, and
• the principle of non-refoulement.

It reinforces that NGOs provide humanitarian assistance when those with the primary responsibility (i.e. the state) are not able or willing to perform their role. The Charter commits NGOs to developing systems for accountability to the minimum standards.

The Minimum Standards in Disaster Response are based on 5 sectors:

1. Health Services;
2. Shelter and Site Planning;
3. Food Aid;
4. Nutrition; and
5. Water Supply and Sanitation.

By setting out minimum standards in each of these areas, it is thought that NGOs signing on to the standards will improve their accountability and the overall quality of humanitarian response to those affected by disasters.

The Sphere Project, while rooted in an effort to improve the quality of humanitarian assistance that is provided, has raised many questions that humanitarian agencies must address. Not debating these issues at this stage in the Project could have far-reaching consequences for the future of humanitarian assistance, especially for those smaller, national, and/or Southern NGOs that did not play an active part in Phase I. Phase II allows for these NGOs and others to voice their opinions.