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"The Sphere Project was born out of
the conviction that people affected by disaster or conflict have rights and
that those rights need to be at the centre of all humanitarian
endeavours," says Krishnan. "We believe Sphere 2020 will enable
us to continue honouring that foundational insight and carry it over into the
new realities of the humanitarian landscape."
The
Sphere Project is a voluntary initiative that brings a wide range of humanitarian agencies together
around a common aim - to improve the quality of humanitarian assistance and the
accountability of humanitarian actors to their constituents, donors and
affected populations. The Sphere Handbook, Humanitarian
Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response, is one of
the most widely known and internationally recognized sets of common principles
and universal minimum standards in life-saving areas of humanitarian response.
Direct Link to Full 8-Page Publication: http://www.sphereproject.org/silo/files/sphere-2020-english.pdf
Sphere 2020,
plan defines an ambitious agenda for Sphere to continue fulfilling its unique
role within the humanitarian sector as a leading standards-setting initiative.
“The new strategy," says Sphere Board
Chair Unni Krishnan, "will enable the worldwide community of Sphere
practitioners to rise to today's humanitarian challenges through its new focus
on network and innovation, as well as its renewed emphasis on learning,
advocacy and standards coherence."
Building on nearly two decades of organic
growth, Sphere 2020 sets about to transform Sphere into a vigorous,
deeply connected network of practitioners and organisations which will act as a
global catalyst for humanitarian quality and accountability.
Four strategic priorities will enable this
ambitious goal:
Priority 1: The
establishment of a robust, inclusive network of Sphere practitioners will allow
humanitarian actors and first responders to develop greater capacity to put
humanitarian principles and standards into practice.
Priority 2: The
collective ability of the Sphere network to carry out training and advocacy
will be strengthened, targeting first responders, traditional and new
humanitarian actors, international systems as well as local and national authorities.
Priority 3: A
revision of the Sphere Handbook will offer the opportunity to sharpen the
relevance and usability of Sphere standards by consolidating the evidence base
and aligning them with innovative best practice in the sector as well as new technologies.
Priority 4: The
progressive formalisation of a global standards alliance will improve
coordinated action, allowing humanitarian standards to better influence
humanitarian response, building greater ownership by individuals, communities
and organisations.
In support of its strategic priorities, Sphere 2020 makes a point of developing dynamic communications and fundraising strategies.