Shelter Centre
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| Shelter Centre | |
|---|---|
| Name | Shelter Centre |
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Area served | Global |
| Focus | Humanitarian shelter, emergency response, transitional settlements |
Shelter Centre is an international non-profit focused on shelter solutions for humanitarian crises, displacement, and disaster recovery. It works at the intersection of emergency response, preparedness, and humanitarian coordination with a focus on technical standards, training, and operational guidance. The organization engages with a wide range of partners from humanitarian agencies, multilateral institutions, donors, and research bodies to influence practice in shelter provision and settlement planning.
History
Shelter Centre emerged in the late 2000s amid increased attention to humanitarian cluster coordination following major crises such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, and subsequent responses in Haiti and the Horn of Africa. Early formative events that shaped the field included the establishment of the Cluster approach under the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons policy debates and the consolidation of humanitarian architecture related to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Inter-Agency Standing Committee. Influential initiatives and actors in the sector—such as Médecins Sans Frontières, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Children's Fund, World Food Programme and World Health Organization—created an ecosystem in which specialized shelter expertise became critical. Responses to emergencies like the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake, and the 2015 Nepal earthquake highlighted gaps in standards, coordination, and innovation that underpinned Shelter Centre’s founding rationale. Over time, Shelter Centre developed tools and guidance in dialogue with entities such as International Organization for Migration, United Nations Development Programme, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, Norwegian Refugee Council, and academic centers like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, and London School of Economics.
Mission and Activities
Shelter Centre’s mission centers on improving the quality, timeliness, and environmental appropriateness of shelter and settlements assistance in crises. It produces technical guidance, emergency toolkits, and training curricula used by practitioners from organizations such as Save the Children, Oxfam, CARE International, Action Against Hunger, Plan International, and Christian Aid. The organization contributes to policy dialogue with institutions like European Commission bodies, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and donor agencies including United States Agency for International Development, Department for International Development (UK), and Global Affairs Canada. Shelter Centre blends operational support with advocacy on issues linked to humanitarian standards promulgated by the Sphere Project, disaster risk reduction efforts aligned with United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and settlement design influenced by urban actors such as UN-Habitat and the World Bank.
Programs and Projects
Shelter Centre develops sector-specific programs including technical standards, shelter cluster support, training modules, and research partnerships. Notable thematic projects address transitional shelter, cash programming, and host community responses in contexts like the Syrian civil war, displacement crises associated with Rohingya refugee crisis, and internal displacement from events such as Typhoon Haiyan and the South Sudanese Civil War. Program collaborations have involved agencies such as International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Danish Refugee Council, and HelpAge International and have engaged research partners like Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, and Columbia University. Projects often intersect with global policy frameworks exemplified by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the humanitarian reform processes led by UN OCHA.
Partnerships and Funding
Shelter Centre’s work is funded through a mix of bilateral donors, multilateral grants, charitable foundations, and institutional partnerships. Major funders and partners have included national development agencies such as Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and philanthropic institutions like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and regional bodies including the European Union. Operational partnerships extend to international organizations—UNHCR, IOM, WHO, WFP—and international NGOs such as Red Cross Society, CARE International, and Oxfam International. The organization participates in consortia with research institutions like Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University for applied studies and collaborates with private sector actors engaging in logistics and construction, including multinational firms and suppliers active in humanitarian procurement.
Impact and Evaluations
Shelter Centre’s outputs—guidelines, training, and tools—are cited across humanitarian practice and incorporated into cluster-level preparedness and response plans. Evaluations and peer reviews by actors such as Humanitarian Outcomes, ALNAP, and independent consultants often assess its contributions to capacity building, technical quality, and coordination effectiveness. Field impact has been visible in improved shelter response metrics in operations overseen by IASC cluster leads, and in case studies from responses in Nepal, Philippines, Lebanon, and Kenya. Academic assessments appearing in journals and conferences hosted by institutions like International Institute for Environment and Development and Overseas Development Institute analyze Shelter Centre’s role in promoting standards-adoption, innovation diffusion, and sector learning.
Organizational Structure and Governance
Shelter Centre operates with a small central team of technical specialists and an advisory network of experts drawn from humanitarian NGOs, UN agencies, academia, private sector, and donor institutions. Governance mechanisms reflect nonprofit best practice with boards or advisors including representatives from entities such as OCHA, UNHCR, national disaster management authorities, and major NGO partners like Norwegian Refugee Council and Mercy Corps. Collaboration platforms and steering groups often include stakeholders from World Bank programs, regional bodies such as African Union delegations, and bilateral partners like United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. The organization maintains accountability practices aligned with sector standards promoted by Sphere Project and transparency expectations common to international development actors.