What is Sphere? The Sphere Project was launched in 1997 by a group of humanitarian NGOs and the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement in an effort to improve the quality of assistance provided to people affected by disaster and to enhance the accountability of the humanitarian system in disaster response.
Sphere is based on two core beliefs: first, that all possible steps should be taken to alleviate human suffering arising out of calamity and conflict, and second, that those affected by disaster have a right to life with dignity and therefore a right to assistance.
Sphere is three things: a handbook, a broad process of collaboration and an expression of commitment to quality and accountability. The project has developed several tools, the key one being the handbook. Visit the sections below for more information!
Where did Sphere originate? Thousands of individuals from over 400 organisations representing 80 countries have participated in various aspects of the Sphere Project from developing the handbook through to piloting and training. Agencies and personnel from Africa, Asia and South America commented on the drafts of the handbook. Eight out of twenty pilot agencies are from countries affected by disasters which receive humanitarian assistance and personnel from local organizations always participate in inter-agency workshops.
The Sphere Country Pilot Programme was a continuation of the institutionalization of the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards, focusing on the work of pilot agencies in specific countries. This initiative responded to the recommendations expressed by the Sphere Pilot agencies in their last meeting (May 2002). The overall objective is to improve the performance of agencies involved in disaster response through the continued learning and institutionalization of the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in three regions around the world (El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua in Central America, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo).
The Sphere Project is designed to be process that is inclusive, transparent, and globally representative. Agencies are making important contributions to thinking about how Sphere is applied, particularly at community level.
What does 'Sphere' stand for? Sphere is not an acronym and therefore should not be written in capitals. The word 'Sphere' was chosen to convey a sense of universality.
Is the UN involved with the Sphere Project? Many UN technical staff participated in the development of the Minimum Standards and many of the references for each chapter are from UN Agencies such as WHO, WFP, UNICEF, UNHCR and OCHA. Additionally, the UN’s Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) has endorsed the handbook and called upon all its members (the operational UN agencies) to use the handbook. Sphere standards and indicators are also used in the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) and in the new needs assessment framework.
How does Sphere relate to other Quality & Accountability initiatives? During the past decade the humanitarian community has initiated a number of inter-agency initiatives to improve accountability, quality and performance in humanitarian action. Four of the most widely known initiatives are the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in humanitarian action (ALNAP); the Humanitarian Accountability Project (HAP-I); People In Aid; and the Sphere Project. These groups and representatives of other inter-agency initiatives concerned with promoting quality and accountability in humanitarian action meet together on a regular basis in order to share common issues and harmonise activities where possible.
The Sphere Project had also made contact with French NGOs addressing quality and accountability, notably Coordination Sud hosting the Synergie Qualité project, and the Groupe Urgence Réhabilitation Développement (URD) leading the Projet Qualité.
How many signatories are there to Sphere and the Humanitarian Charter? There are no signatories to the Sphere Project or to its Humanitarian Charter (unlike, for example, the Red Cross Code of Conduct). Adherence to the Charter is voluntary. This was decided largely on the basis that Sphere has no means for following up on implementation. Thus the initiative is effectively "self-regulatory".
What is the future of the Sphere Project? The Sphere Management Committee members have decided that the Sphere Project should continue in a new form from 2005. They agreed that a new governance structure should be put in place - to be called the Sphere Board - and that core costs for a minimum of one staff member and an office should be met by contributions from Board members. Donor funding would be sought for key activities led by the Sphere office.
Hosting the Sphere Project The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is willing to continue hosting the Sphere Project, which was the preference expressed by the Management Committee.
The new Sphere Board In discussing the goal of the new Board, several principles were agreed. The new Board should: • Have broad geographical representation • Enable a sustainable core Sphere office through financial and in-kind contributions • Be transparent and accountable in its operation • Have a ‘multiplier effect’ through the broad constituencies of members • Consider seriously the establishment of ‘advisory group/s’, which is a strong recommendation of the current Management Committee to the new Board.
Sphere office As indicated above, the ‘core’ of the Sphere Project Office will in future be funded by contributions from Board members. The ‘core’ will comprise the position of Sphere manager and an office at the International Federation. Support for other activities and the staff required to implement them will be sought from donors.
Outputs of the core Sphere office • Active links with regional and national networks supporting the use of Sphere, and other key stakeholders including donors, academic institutions and other quality and accountability initiatives. This should contribute to a more comprehensive overview of the use of Sphere globally, and whether it is meeting its objectives. • Active promotion of the effective use of Sphere • Maintenance of the Sphere project website
Donor funded activities o Training o Interactive website o Production of Sphere materials including translations
How will Sphere be known? It was agreed that Sphere will continue to be known as the ‘Sphere Project’, on the understanding that from 1 April 2005 the project takes a new form.
How was the handbook written? It was a significant process - never before has there been such extensive and broad-based consultation in the formation of one disaster response text. The people who participated in writing the handbook came from national and international NGOs, UN agencies, and academic institutions. The 2000 Ed. of the handbook contains a list of all contributors. Acknowledgements for the 2004 Ed. are available for the online version of the handbook only.
What is meant by Sphere’s reference to dignity? The principle of the right to life with dignity in the Humanitarian Charter is drawn from the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Every person has a different perception of what dignity means. Life with dignity implies a certain level beyond provision of life-saving assistance, and is a powerful and important principle for the humanitarian system. Consequently, participation is essential for people to define a programme that helps them achieve their right to life with dignity. The importance of participation of the women and men from the disaster-affected population is reflected throughout the 2004 Ed. handbook.
Are the standards universal? Yes - the Minimum Standards are an attempt to describe the level of disaster assistance to which all people have a right - regardless of political, ethnic or geographical specificity. The standards define the requirements for life with dignity in relatively general terms, while the indicators attach either qualitative or quantitative values to associated standards. Together the standards and indicators may usefully inform any aspect of humanitarian action, from assessment to evaluation.
What is the difference between standards and indicators? The standards are based on the principle that populations affected by disaster have the right to life with dignity. They are qualitative in nature, and are meant to be universal and applicable in any operating environment. The key indicators, as measures to the standards, can be qualitative or quantitative in nature. They function as tools to measure the impact of processes used and programmes implemented. Without them, the standards would be little more than statements of good intent, difficult to put into practice.
Why focus on standards when grave issues, such as lack of access to affected populations or gross violations of protection persist?... The Sphere project was initiated for the specific purpose of improving the quality and accountability of humanitarian response. (Contributors have never imagined that Sphere would address other problems in humanitarian response). Dedication to enhanced quality does not amount to a panacea and to attempt to protect people’s right to life with dignity through the use of standards alone is insufficient and erroneous. Sphere’s scope and limitations must be acknowledged and understood for it to be used to best effect. However, standards are a key component of an accountability framework. Although Sphere was never intended to address problems of access, for example to populations subject to political restrictions, it does provide a tool to raise awareness that all populations are entitled to the same services if they are affected by conflict or calamity.
What if the Sphere standards are higher than those of the local population?... In countries where the vulnerability to disasters is high and/or where there is widespread poverty, humanitarian aid providers may find that local populations live below the Minimum Standards everyday. However, the disaster-affected population may initially need more resources to survive as their coping strategies have been severely diminished and their health may be weakened through trauma and a lack of sufficient food or clean water.
As the guidance notes in the 2004 Ed. highlight, programmes must be designed with local conditions in mind. Additionally, the Sphere Minimum Standards can usefully demonstrate the minimum level that should be available for all people all of the time.
We are just a small organization, what if we can only reach 50% of the standards?... Standards require a mix of indicators (quantitative and qualitative) in order to be accurately measured. Some indicators may not be attainable in a given context. This does not necessarily mean that the organization is inefficient or irresponsible; however, the organization should be able to explain the gap between the indicators listed in the handbook and the ones reached in actual practice. One aspect of accountability entails explaining this gap; working towards reaching the minimum standards implies working towards better quality in the programmes a humanitarian actor is conducting.
Is Sphere useful if my organization has limited funds?... Yes - Sphere is useful in two ways for organizations with a limited budget. First, many aspects of the Standards define good practice without requiring additional expense. For example, many of the process standards covering assessments, analysis and participation do not require additional expenditure, rather a better understanding of good quality humanitarian work. Second, the Humanitarian Charter, together with the Standards, can be used to lobby for funding. They help to quantify what is needed to work towards life with dignity, making them a powerful advocacy tool.
Our organization relies on government funding – will Sphere provide donors with a means of control?... In a context where all NGOs depend on funding and where donors increasingly base funding on evaluations of agencies’ performance, funding is fraught with political hazards. But the Sphere standards pose no greater opportunity for misuse by donors than any other funding criteria. Ideally the establishment of Sphere standards as a coherent and objective set of funding criteria would help displace idiosyncratic and/or politically motivated decisions. Additionally, agencies can use the Minimum Standards to advocate for increased funding.
What is new about the 2004 edition of the Sphere Handbook? This new edition of the handbook (2004) has been thoroughly revised and updated, taking into account recent developments in humanitarian practice in wat/san, food, shelter and health, together with feedback from practitioners in the field, research institutes and cross-cutting experts in protection, gender, children, older people, disabled people, HIV/AIDS and the environment. The revised handbook is the product of an extensive collaborative effort that reflects the collective will and shared experience of the humanitarian community, and its determination to improve on current knowledge in humanitarian assistance programmes.
The 2004 edition features revisions from focal groups of representatives from national an international NGOs, the Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement, UN agencies, academic institutions and donor and government ministries.
Key changes include: - addition of an entirely new section on food security (incorporated with nutrition and food aid) - incorporation of cross-cutting issues of gender, children, elderly, disabled, environment, HIV/AIDS, and protection - updated and refined qualitative an quantitative indicators - expanded introduction - development of common process standards - clearer cross-referencing an more concise user-friendly text
The 2004 edition is in the same handy A5 format and structure, with a free CD-ROM featuring the full searchable text.
In what languages is the Sphere Handbook available? Although the Sphere Handbook was compiled and written in English, contributions were provided from all over the world. In order (to acknowledge this) and to enable the use of Sphere globally, the Sphere Handbook has been translated into a number of different languages.
The Sphere Project Office has directly coordinated the translation and production of the 2004 Handbook in French and Spanish. It is currently coordinating translation and production in Arabic and Russian. The 2000 Edition was translated by the Sphere Project Office into Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swahili.
However, most of the translated versions of the Handbook were produced spontaneously in response to local demands. The 2000 edition was translated locally into over 20 languages in total, including Chinese, Indonesian, Turkish and Urdu; while the 2004 edition has already been translated into 4 languages (Farsi, Japanese, Oriya and Vietnamese), and is currently being further translated into other languages too.
How do I order a copy of the Handbook? Please note that the Sphere Project Office does not distribute the Sphere Handbook. To order copies of the Handbook in English and or French, please contact our distributors. Depending on where you are based, please contact the most appropriate among the following, whatever your language needs are:
Oxfam Publishing c/o BEBC Distribution PO Box 1496 Parkstone Poole Dorset BH12 3YD UK
Tel. +44 (0) 1202 712 933 Fax. +44 (0) 1202 712 930 Email:
Order Form
Stylus Publishing LLC 22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012 USA
Tel. +1 (0) 800 232 0223 Fax. +1 703 661 1547 Email:
Order Form
Intermón Oxfam Dpto. Editorial (Pedidos) Cl Roger de Llúria, 15 08010 - Barcelona
Fax: 93 482 07 07 Email:
Order Form
Alternatively, the English and Spanish versions of the Handbook have been reproduced locally in India and Central America respectively in order to make its distribution and acquisition more affordable.
From Oxfam Publishing: The Sphere Handbook costs £11.95. Postage/package must be added as follows: UK (England, Wales & Mainland Scotland) - £3.95 for 1-4 copies, £5.50 for 5-10 copies. UK (Scottish Islands & Northern Ireland) – £4.95 for 1-4 copies, £6.50 for 5-10 copies. Europe - £5.95 for one item, £2.95 for each additional item. Rest of the World - £8.95 for one item, £3.95 for each additional item.
From Stylus Publishing LLC The Sphere Handbook costs $19.00. Postage/package must be added as follows: $5.00 for the first book, $1.00 for each additional book.
From Intermón Oxfam The Sphere Handbook costs €15.00. Postage/package must be added as follows: Spain - €3 for 1-4 copies, €5 for 5-10 copies, €7 for 11-20 copies Europe – €7.5 per every 2 copies. Latin America - €11 per every 2 copies.
Discounts and complimentary copies
Discounts on the Sphere Handbook are available on orders of 20 or more items (Handbook or other, independently from language) for humanitarian, non-profit organisations. The discount price per Handbook is £5 + postage/package.
Alternatively please check whether local reproductions of the Handbook are available in your region as these are usually cheaper. To find out more about these please visit the following page:
The Sphere Project Office holds a small stock of Handbooks reserved for the occasional distribution of complimentary copies to local humanitarian NGOs with very limited financial resources. If you think your organization falls into this category and would like to obtain a copy of the Handbook, please write to:
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Where does the money from Sphere Handbook sales go to? No profit is made from selling the Sphere Handbook. The money raised by the sales is used to pay our distributors and to cover reprint costs of all language versions produced by the Sphere Office.
What other Sphere materials are available? Over time Sphere has produced a range of different materials other than the Sphere Handbook that can be used alongside it for further dissemination and training:
- Sphere Brochure - Sphere Introductory Video - Sphere Orientation Film (DVD) - Sphere Training Pack - Sphere Newsletter
The Sphere Office is not the only producer of Sphere materials; Sphere users around the world produce their own, locally adapted, tools and materials. For more information on these, please consult our Sphere in Practice page: http://www.sphereproject.org/content/blogsection/7/83/
Can I translate, reproduce or adapt Sphere materials? Sphere encourages the translation, reproduction and adaptation of the Handbook and other Sphere materials where necessary, as this is seen as an important way of disseminating Sphere and of ensuring ownership at the local level.
What Sphere Training is available? Sphere training originally took the form 3-4 day inter-agency workshops. In 2002 a shift was made by the Project to focusing on 8-day Training of Trainers courses (ToTs), with a view to ToT “graduates” using their acquired skills to organise Sphere workshops or further ToTs. For a complete list of ToT graduates, click here
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What is the role of the Sphere Office in Geneva? The purpose of the Sphere Office in Geneva is to lead the implementation of the Sphere vision for improved quality and accountability in the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The Sphere Project Office Manager will seek to transform the strategic direction articulated by the Sphere Board into practice. This role will imply close and constructive interaction with the Board, and managing the Sphere office to support the effective application of Sphere around the world.
Core outputs of the Geneva office will be: • Active links with regional and national networks implementing Sphere, to support their work and contribute to a more comprehensive overview of the use of Sphere globally, and whether it is meeting its objectives. • Representation of Sphere to key stakeholders including NGOs, UN agencies, donors, academic institutions and other quality and accountability initiatives. • Active promotion of the effective use of Sphere and its contribution to improved quality and accountability, including maintenance of the existing Sphere Project website.
Additional activities building on above core activities:
There are clearly limitations to what a single position can achieve. Donor funding is therefore being sought for activities that would enhance the outputs of the core functions, building on the experience and achievements of the Sphere Project.
This would mean a small Sphere team (currently envisaged as up to 2.5 positions) to complement the ‘core’ position of the Project Manager.
Outputs of additional activities, depending on funding, would be: • Based on existing resources, development of an active resource of information about Sphere, presented in a database accessible through the website, and development of the website to include an interactive function. • High quality Sphere materials produced, translated, promoted, and revised as necessary. • Sphere training activities.
How can I work for Sphere? The Sphere Project Office consists of a very small team and therefore does not have the means to provide internships. Vacancies are rare and are advertised when they occur on the website.
Occasionally, the Sphere Office locally recruits interns to carry out specific tasks to support the office. Other specific tasks such as translation, research and training are carried out by external consultants.
However, the Sphere Office is not the only way of working with Sphere. A great variety of institutions work with Sphere throughout the world, from local NGOs to international organizations. Further information on Sphere focal points in a number of countries can be found under our Sphere in Practice page.
How can I keep abreast of Sphere news? A Sphere Newsletter is prepared four times a year; it is posted on our website at: You can subscribe to our Newsletter by signing on to our list serve. If you wish to do so please write to:
