Following our would like to share an update as they continue to progress their pioneering collaborative work towards joint standards for the humanitarian community.
Much groundwork has been done to move the process towards establishing a single standard and a single organisation to ensure effective implementation of that standard. As such the Sphere Project, HAP and People In Aid are very pleased to announce the following developments:
The exciting new website, JointStandards.org, is to launch next week. The site will provide access to the key standards in over 15 languages, as well as the opportunity to search for resources across the HAP, Sphere Project and People In Aid websites.
This is a major step forward in bringing about greater coherence amongst standards and strengthening aid workers’ ability to put these standards into practice around the world.
Plans are moving forward for the recruitment of a full-time co-ordinator for the Joint Standards process. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in developing options for the establishment of a single standard and single body to administer the standard.
Fundamental to their work will be consultation with a wide range and number of stakeholders to the three initiatives, many of whom have been instrumental in informing the progress made thus far.
The terms of reference for the co-ordinator post will be available on our websites shortly, with the recruitment process envisaged to be completed by the end of April 2012, pending finalisation of funding.
A working group to establish a single standard and single organisation will soon be constituted. The focus of this group will be to examine the standards themselves and the challenges and opportunities in bringing the three organisations together. The findings from their work will be considered at a forum for the humanitarian community scheduled for winter 2012.
The group will be made up of board members from the Sphere Project, HAP and People In Aid boards and senior humanitarian specialists from a representative range of humanitarian agencies. In addition to the board members, a number of respected ‘independent representatives’ will be approached to join the working group.
Working with external organisational development specialists the group, will consider the wide range of options for the configuration of a single standard and single organisation.
A meeting of the respective Boards of HAP, the Sphere Project and People In Aid, will take place on 25 April 2012. This is an historic step, as it will be the first time that the boards of these three initiatives will have met together, and will begin to pave the way for the establishment of a joint board.
This meeting is a symbolic step, signifying the commitment each organisation has to developing a single humanitarian standard.