From 15 to 18 July 2008, in Tahuna H.Iskandar Leman facilitated an emergency response training for 27 participants (6 among them female) consisted of pre-dominantly local government personnel, Red Cross, local NGOs and a representative of local Christian church. The Sphere Project Humanitarian Charter, Code of Conduct and the Common Standards was introduced to participants. The organizing committee was the local NGO, Perkumpulan Kelola and financially supported by Oxfam GB.
For further information, please contact H.Iskandar Leman at
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Two Sphere graduates Lessons Learned Workshops were conducted by CWS P/A in Islamabad, Pakistan on 24th June 2008 and in Kabul, Afghanistan on 26th June 2008 to explore and document the CWS Sphere Focal Point Project beneficiaries’ lessons learned and best practices based on their experiences.
The CWS P/A’s Sphere Focal Point Project (SFP) has been operating in Pakistan since shortly after the devastating earthquake of October 2005. The project aimed to give all relevant agencies the opportunity to build their awareness and practice in relation to Sphere standards, so that their work is representative of recognized best practice in humanitarian work. Over 600 training participants have benefitted from the Sphere Focal Point Project from 2005 to present.
The volunteers from the Mexican chapter of Disaster Resource Network completed their Sphere training through a three day long workshop session that took place from the 2nd to the 4th of July 2008. Conducted by Juan Sáenz (ToT), the 36 architects and engineers were deeply committed and motivated to understand the Humanitarian Charter and the Minimum Standards.
A three day Disaster Management training took place in Kuwait from the 1st to the 3rd of April 2008. The training had 16 participants from Kuwait and Qatar representing a wide spectrum of NGOs based in the Middle East and working overseas. The training was particularly focused on the International Humanitarian Standards in delivering relief aid and included an introduction to the Sphere Minimum Standards. The lead trainer was Moustafa Osman.
In March of 2008, the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) presented their graduate students with an intensive two-day short course on the Sphere approach and its application in disaster assessment and response. The course included components from the InterWorks resource of training materials available from the Sphere website as well as a condensed overview and hands-on illustrations of the technical standards and indicators.
UN OCHA and UN IRIN organized a one-day training course on humanitarian reporting for UAE based reporters. The training was hosted by the Dubai Press Club and the International Humanitarian City. During the day 36 from 25 journalists were introduced to subjects such as the international humanitarian system, Sphere, technicalities of humanitarian journalisitic reporting, challenges faced by responders in the field. It is hoped that similar events will be organized in other countries to strengthen cooperation between humanitarian agencies and the media.
