Sphere Project Phase III: NARRATIVE REPORT # 4
Period: 1 May 2002 31 October 2002
As
noted in the cover letter, all the project objectives are being met. We are
deep in the midst of managing and maintaining a three-language secretariat, of
conducting a far-reaching handbook revision consultation process, and
continuing piloting activities focusing on three countries, rather than
globally.
Report
against proposal objectives:
1.
Training
programme
Develop a
training module placing Sphere within the context of the Code of Conduct. This
module would draw on the knowledge and experience of the Red Cross /Red
Crescent movement and the NGOs who developed the code. While hundreds of
agencies subscribe to the code, many staff are not aware of the extent to which
it provides an ethical framework for the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and
Minimum Standards. This module would
contribute to increased understanding of the context provided by some of these
core principles that guide humanitarian work. It would also provide case
studies that highlight and describe these principles as well as illuminate the
dilemmas that may accompany them as they relate to t
1.1 Based on experience and feedback, continue to
update and refine the current training modules.
The
four Sphere training modules are complete and available on the Sphere website.
The experience of translating the original English versions into French and
Spanish was remarkably time-consuming and difficult. The effort was required
because of the chronic misunderstandings certain English-language words
generate (e.g. accountability, advocacy, etc.). The experience has allowed us to develop a glossary that will be
useful for future project translations including the revised handbook.
Hopefully, this effort will assist in an increased global understanding of the
formation and of the use of the Sphere project and its handbook.
1.2 Conduct a Training of Trainers
No
Training of Trainers (ToT) was conducted during this period but the follow-on
activity from previous ToT workshops has been significant. See annex 1 for
information on the consequences of our six Training of Trainers. (NB: A ToT is planned for January
2003.)
1.3 Facilitate 15 inter-agency workshops worldwide.
As
noted in previous reports, the project has fulfilled this commitment and no
interagency workshops took place in the reporting period.
2. Outreach
2.1 Pro-actively engage with the humanitarian community
with a particular emphasis on Southern/Eastern situations and voices.
The
Jordanian Red Crescent developed an Arabic-language version of the Sphere
introductory video and is promoting the Arabic edition of the handbook.
Additional Southern/Eastern-based agency engagement is taking place through the
handbook revision consultations and pilot work.
2.2 Facilitate incorporation and ratification by UN
operational agencies with a focus on co-ordination with implementing partners.
Sphere staff
participated in the UNHCR PreExCom and continues to meet bilaterally with
UNICEF, OCHA, WHO and WFP. The 2003 workplan of the IASC reference group on
Human Rights - Humanitarian Action flags the Sphere revision as an opportunity
for the UN/international agencies that are part of the reference group
(including OHCHR, UNHCR, UNICEF, ICRC) to submit comments or suggest changes.
2.3 Develop generic work plans and support packages
adaptable to country-based consortia wishing to create Sphere focal points. See point 3 below.
2.4 Review, update and maintain website.
This
work continues in three languages, and the website is visited 150,000 times per
month from 60 countries.
2.5 Produce a 60-minute video based in real-time disaster situations that will graphically illustrate the
practical application of the Sphere handbook in field use.
UNHCR,
UNICEF, Reuters, Mercy Corps and other international agencies have provided
film footage. Interviews have been filmed with key spokespersons and the video
is scheduled for launch in May 2003. This film will be available in VHS and DVD
for a modest cost through Oxfam Publishing (the handbook distributors).
2.6 Prepare, in consultation with the academic
community, suggested scenarios for use of handbook in academic curricula, with
particular emphasis on universities based in the Southern Hemisphere.
A
listing of academic institutions using Sphere will be included in the next
interim report.
2.7 Continue distribution of the newsletter and other
informational material.
The email newsletter distribution list has been
refined into three separate lists by language. This allows for targeted
mailings and ease of use (before, Spanish and French readers could only access
their language versions of the newsletter via the Sphere website).
3. Agency incorporation (the Pilot programme)
After more than two years of piloting the use of the Sphere Humanitarian
Charter and Minimum Standards in twenty different organizations worldwide, the
project staff and pilot organizations took stock of progress in order to set
the direction for the institutionalization of Sphere in the future.
The
attached report Institutionalising
Sphere, a great start, next steps
aims to represent the experiences and perceptions of key
actors in the Sphere process: pilot agencies at headquarter and field levels,
the Sphere team and Sphere trainers, and the Management Committee. The findings are based on a series of visits to 102
pilot agency field offices in Central America, East Africa and South Asia
conducted in late 2001, together with the views of participants who attended
Sphere training workshops over the last two years.
In response to the
recommendations expressed by the Sphere Pilot agencies in their last meeting
(May 2002), the Sphere secretariat is focusing on the work of pilot agencies in
three countries rather than globally. The programme is designed to use our
resources in order to gather lessons learned and documented case studies on the
application of the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in these
countries. The programme supports both institutionalisation and Sphere training
in the selected countries. The objective of this focus is to expand our
understanding of the application of the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum
Standards by country pilot agencies, through the collection of evidence of its
application.
This work will include:
-
Documenting detailed
experiences of Sphere implementation in disaster response;
-
Documenting detailed
experiences of Sphere implementation in disaster preparedness;
-
Participation of Southern
agencies in order to:
i) Understand relationships with
northern partners and how effective these could be in extending the knowledge
and understanding of Sphere
ii) Analysing the experience of working with
umbrella and networking bodies in helping to broaden awareness of Sphere at
country level.
Evidence
of Sphere application will be documented and disseminated as widely as
possible:
·
To encourage mutual
learning within and between country pilot agencies
·
To share concrete
examples of Sphere implementation which will enhance our understanding of the
use of the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards
·
To provide insights
which will assist the Management Committee in planning the responsible closure
of the project and envisaging the future.
See
annex 2 for the Pilot Institutionalisation at Country Level concept paper.
4. Sphere Handbook
Management
4.1 Identify,
second, and support
sector team-leaders
for review and revision of handbook in the third year of the project.
The first handbook revision meeting took place in
Geneva in June. Over the course of three days, six Focal Points for the Sphere
sectors and six Focal Points representing cross-cutting issues met and
discussed the feedback gathered to date and next steps. Since that meeting, the
Focal Points have held consultations with practitioners around the world.
Meetings have been held in Kenya, Ethiopia, USA, UK, Switzerland, Thailand,
DRC, Sierra Leone, Vietnam, Turkey, Bosnia, Macedonia, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Angola, Peru, El Salvador, Honduras, and India. Additional meetings are
scheduled for Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Philippines, Liberia, Sri Lanka,
India, Jordan and other countries in Latin America.
The sector Focal Points are organizing their
consultations in the following categories:
Regional Working Groups:
regional clusters of field practitioners and experts, who have relevant
sectoral experience in implementing the minimum standards.
Review Group:
a relatively smaller group of technical staff or advisers based within
headquarters or regional offices of the relevant Sphere pilot agencies,
international NGOs, UN agencies, donors and academic institutions. This
group has been asked to identify areas for revision at the start of the process
and comment on drafts emerging from the Regional Working Groups.
Email and Web based consultation group:
Other field practitioners and experts to comment and review the original
handbook, and the draft of the revision.
Additionally, the Focal
Points for the cross-cutting issues (protection, HIV-AIDS, children, disabled,
elderly, women and the environment) are also developing reference groups which
in turn will review the revised text.
The project sent out over
2000 flyers (English, French and Spanish versions) to agencies around the world
announcing the revision and also posted revision information on frequently
visited websites such as ReleifWeb and AlertNet.
4.2 Support and facilitate efforts world-wide to
produce local-language publications of the handbook following the successful
initiatives of Phase II.
Going
forward, the Sphere project is suggesting that agencies wait for the revised
edition of the handbook before undertaking translations. However, a group of
agencies working in Peru have printed their own edition of the Spanish handbook
(at a reduced cost) so as to be able to provide copies country-wide. 1000
copies have been printed so far, and due to high demand, it is expected that
more will be printed.
Also,
groups of agencies working in Pakistan and Afghanistan are working to translate
the Sphere handbook into Dari, Farsi and Pashto.
Annex
3 shows many of the different language productions of the Sphere handbook to
date.
4.3 Undertake specific language productions if not
produced during Phase II of Arabic, Chinese and/or KiSwahili.
The Arabic edition of the handbook is available and
orders for copies are strong. The Iranian Red Crescent used the handbook in its
recent preparedness exercise.
There have been many delays with the Swahili
edition but we are hoping to have a published edition by early 2003.
4.4 Liaise with, and encourage other humanitarian
consortia who are consolidating and producing Minimum Standards on other
sectors and promote the Sphere process of broad-based collaboration and sector
expertise and consensus.
The project
regularly responds to enquires from various agencies and groups of agencies
working on developing standards or following a broadly consultative process. It
is likely that the Sphere secretariat will make suggestions to a group (led by
the IFRC) on developing a Code of Practice for HIV/AIDS work.
4.5 Minimum
Standards and key indicators regarding food security in disasters and calamity could be incorporated into future
editions of the handbook if they have been developed through a broad, collaborative, evidence-based process.
A Focal Point for Food Security is
working with the Food Aid and Nutrition Focal Points. Their consultations and
analysis have led them to develop an integrated chapter called Food Security
and Nutrition for the second edition of the handbook.
4.6 Handbook general sale
Handbook
sales continue strong, though we anticipate a slowing of orders as word of the
revision gets around.
5.
Evaluation
The evaluation did not
formally begin until September 2003 but an initial meeting of the Advisory
Group took place in July 2002. Chaired by Mr. Niels Dabelstein of DANIDA, the
meeting addressed aspects of the evaluation such as transparancy versus
confidentiality, the case study country locations and the role of the Advisory
Group. This group will meet at least two more times over the course of the
evaluation to provide guidance on various issues such as methodology, analysis
of frameworks and to review progress reports.
6. Project management, staffing and
funding
Management Committee
During this period, the Sphere Management Committee
met in May and September 2002.
The MC agencies have agreed to an IFRC-sponsored
hosting agreement that outlines liability for the project. Additionally, the MC
agreed to an IFRC cost-recovery scheme based on a percentage of project
expenditures. Noting that the IFRC hosted the project for five years without
any cost recovery, the other members of the Management Committee agreed this
was reasonable.
Staffing
The two part-time consultants working with the pilot
agencies for the past two years closed their work with the writing of the
Institutionalising Sphere report.
In order to maximise efficiencies, we have
collapsed the full-time post in London and the part-time post in Geneva into a
full-time Senior Assistant post based in Geneva.
Funding
The project is basically on target with income and
expenses (actual and committed) but the Year 3 budget is approximately $100,000
higher because of the unanticipated costs of the IFRC hosting fee, the costs of
translations and maintaining the piloting and institutionalising work.
The
next interim report will cover 1st November 2002 30th
April 2003 and will be available in early June 2003.
END