Sphere Bangladesh launched

In August 2011, heavy monsoon rains have caused several major rivers in Bangladesh to burst their banks, displacing thousands and affecting nearly a million people. Photo © IRIN

The Sphere Bangladesh Community is formed by a dozen humanitarian organizations which promote Sphere principles and standards. The platform is open to all humanitarian actors committed to the Sphere Project.

The member organizations of the Sphere Bangladesh Community plan to offer Sphere training to a total of some 250 humanitarian workers during the first half of 2012.

A Bangla version of the Sphere Handbook 2011 edition is being produced by platform members. Its launch will coincide with (Bangla) Mother Language Day on 21 February 2012.

The platform’s other immediate plans include creating a common pool of trainers and facilitators and developing guidelines and materials for education, information and communication.

The newly created platform is expected to devote considerable efforts to raising a common voice advocating for adherence to standards in humanitarian response.

The Sphere Bangladesh Community secretariat will be assumed on a rotating basis with each member undertaking this responsibility for a one-year period. The member in charge of the secretariat will also be the country organizational focal point and, as such, will coordinate Sphere-related activities. The first member to play this role is the country delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The Sphere Bangladesh Community was created at a meeting in the country’s capital city, Dhaka, on 1 December 2011. The meeting was hosted by the national Red Crescent Society and the IFRC Bangladesh delegation.