Sphere Project

Sphere Project
Name	Sphere Project
Formation	1997
Type	Consortium
Headquarters	Geneva
Region served	International

Sphere Project The Sphere Project is a humanitarian initiative established in 1997 to improve the quality of humanitarian assistance and accountability in disaster and conflict settings. It developed the Sphere Handbook, a set of minimum standards for humanitarian response adopted by NGOs, UN agencies, and donor institutions across crises such as the Great Lakes refugee crisis, Rwanda genocide, Kosovo War, Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and Syrian civil war. Founding partners included actors from the International Committee of the Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Médecins Sans Frontières, Oxfam, and national societies of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

History

Sphere emerged after humanitarian debates following events like the Ethiopian famine of 1983–85 and the Balkans conflict, when agencies such as Save the Children and CARE International sought common standards. The initiative convened humanitarian practitioners, policy-makers from the United Nations Development Programme, and academics affiliated with institutions like Harvard University and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to draft consensus benchmarks. Early consultations referenced humanitarian law instruments including the Geneva Conventions and policy frameworks from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Health Organization. Subsequent revisions were influenced by evaluations after operations in locations such as Darfur, Haiti, and Nepal.

Objectives and Principles

Sphere's principal objective is to promote accountability to affected populations and donors by setting minimum standards across sectors including water, sanitation, hygiene, nutrition, health, shelter, and protection. Its principles link to humanitarian norms espoused by entities like the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Criminal Court’s engagement on atrocity prevention, and advocacy by groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Sphere emphasizes humanitarian principles comparable to those in guidance from the Red Cross Movement, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, and regional bodies like the African Union. It frames interventions in light of legal obligations under treaties like the Convention on the Rights of the Child and standards promoted by the International Labour Organization and World Bank policies on post-disaster recovery.

Sphere Handbook and Minimum Standards

The Sphere Handbook codifies technical chapters with minimum standards, key indicators, and guidance notes. Chapters reference technical guidance from the World Health Organization, UNICEF, FAO, UNHCR, and specialist agencies such as UNFPA. Standards cover sectors reflected in operational manuals used by Doctors Without Borders, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, and national emergency agencies such as Federal Emergency Management Agency and civil protection authorities in the United Kingdom and France. The Handbook integrates methodologies from monitoring frameworks like the Humanitarian Response Plan and tools developed by research centers at Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University for needs assessment and impact evaluation.

Implementation and Use in Humanitarian Response

Humanitarian actors implemented Sphere standards during responses to disasters including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2015 Nepal earthquake, and complex emergencies like the Afghanistan conflict. Donor compliance mechanisms from institutions such as the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office and United States Agency for International Development have incorporated Sphere references into grant conditions alongside procurement rules from World Food Programme operations. Field actors use Sphere for project design, training by organizations like RedR and Humanitarian Leadership Academy, and for coordination within clusters led by UNICEF (water), WHO (health), and IASC-coordinated protection groups. Monitoring and evaluation frequently draw on indicators promoted by the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action and academic evaluations published through journals affiliated with Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press.

Governance and Organizational Structure

Sphere was governed by a board and secretariat model that engaged member NGOs, UN agencies, and academic partners. Its governance arrangements involved participation from national societies within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and partnerships with networks such as the Global Health Cluster and Shelter Cluster. Advisory inputs came from specialists associated with Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, LSHTM, and think tanks like the Overseas Development Institute and Chatham House. Funding and institutional support were provided by major donors including European Commission, bilateral donors such as United Kingdom Department for International Development, and philanthropic entities like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Criticisms and Revisions

Critiques of Sphere have focused on applicability in protracted crises exemplified by Somalia, the balance between humanitarian and development objectives in contexts like South Sudan, and tensions over localization advocated by networks such as the Start Network and Localisation Workstream. Academic critiques from scholars at University of Oxford and London School of Economics questioned measurement validity and cultural relevance, prompting revisions to integrate protection mainstreaming, gender analysis promoted by UN Women, and cash transfer approaches aligned with International Labour Organization and World Bank policy research. Revisions were informed by lessons from operations in locations including Gaza Strip, Yemen, and Mozambique and coordinated with standards initiatives like the Core Humanitarian Standard.

Category:Humanitarian aid