Humanitarian Consortium to Release Revamped Industry Standards

GENEVA, April 13, 2011 - The Sphere Project, a broad humanitarian consortium promoting quality and
accountability in the sector, will release a new version of its standards for
humanitarian aid on 14 April 2011.

The Sphere Handbook "Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in
Humanitarian Response" is the most widely known and internationally
recognized set of standards for humanitarian aid. Its two previous editions
have been translated into more than 40 languages.

The launch of the Sphere Handbook 2011 edition will take place in
Afghanistan, Australia, Belgium, Haiti, India, Ireland, Kenya, Pakistan,
South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. (See a
list of venues: bit.ly/SphereVenues)

The Sphere Handbook establishes shared principles and a set of universal
minimum standards in core areas of humanitarian response: water, food,
shelter and health.

The 2011 edition incorporates a new chapter - Protection Principles -
which considers the protection and safety of populations affected by disaster
or conflict as an integral part of humanitarian response. It also includes
emerging issues like climate change, disaster risk reduction, early recovery
of services and livelihoods, cash transfers and civil-military relations.

The extensive revision that led to the 2011 edition involved more than
650 experts from some 300 organizations in about 20 countries. All the
relevant UN agencies participated in the process.

The Sphere Project was created in 1997 by a group of humanitarian NGOs
and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Today, its Board
is made up of 16 global networks of humanitarian agencies, including some of
the biggest and oldest in this sector (see a list:
bit.ly/SphereFactsFigures).

The Sphere Project aims to improve the quality of humanitarian response
to disasters and armed conflicts and the accountability of humanitarian
agencies and states to their constituents, donors and affected populations.

Additional information: www.SphereProject.org/press

Global media contact: Juan Michel, +41-76-307-5877, juan.michel@ifrc.org

For specific regional contacts please refer to:
bit.ly/SphereContacts

Global media contact: Juan Michel, +41-76-307-5877, juan.michel at ifrc.org