SPHERE Humanitarian Accountability Project 2023

The strategic priorities for 2021-2025 are:

1)    Sphere standards: Promote increased awareness, understanding, uptake, accessibility, localisation, ownership and review of Sphere standards across diverse contexts globally.

2)    Sphere community: Enhance the ownership and application of Sphere standards by expanding, diversifying and strengthening the global Sphere community of purpose and practice, and deepening engagement across the Sphere network.

3)    Humanitarian standards: Promote and facilitate collaboration and best practice across humanitarian standards to ensure quality and accountability in the sector and better respond to the needs of users and communities. Influence the inclusion of humanitarian standards in national, global and donor policies, to enhance economies of scale and promote institutionalisation.

4)    Accountability, evidence, impact and learning: Encourage accountability and learning, and better understand and articulate the evidence for and impact of Sphere standards.

Principaux résultats attendus:  

a.    Integration of Sphere standards into more regional, national and sub national disaster management and Civil Protection policies and guidelines.

b.    Strengthened CHS with improved clarity and accessibility, addressing critical gaps.

c.    Review Sphere’s work in the context of the mid-term strategy review and update workplan accordingly for 2024-2025, including establishing the groundwork for a regional operating model (Europe, Africa, LAC, MENA, Asia).

d.    Better structure the engagement of the Sphere network – members, focal points, trainers – to build on insights and ownership from national and local organisations.

e.    Continues support of locally led initiatives on standards dissemination, uptake and contextualisation.

f.    Deliver Sphere MOOC in Spanish.

g.    Organise a ToT programme for Francophone Africa, building on success and momentum of 2022 MOOC in French.

Principaux résultats antérieurs:  

-    Translations: Sphere Handbook translations were completed in Lingala, Congo Swahili, Tshiluba, Hungarian, Traditional Chinese and Dari. The 2018 handbook is available in 21 languages.

-    Sphere for local authorities: Sphere worked with its network to leverage their expertise and insights on embedding standards in national and local government policies. Sphere standards are reflected in national policies of 11 countries (incl. Ecuador, Chile, Indonesia, Pakistan, Guatemala).

-    Humanitarian Standards Partnership (HSP): The first HSP website was launched. The SEADS Project became new HSP member, with their standards for supporting crop-related livelihoods in emergencies.

Sphere has 45 members (international / national NGOs) and network organisations.

Sphere’s key partners are the Humanitarian Standards Partnership (HSP), the CHS Alliance, Groupe URD, ICVA and H2H.

Phase 12 01.01.2023 - 31.12.2023   (Completed)