“It’s the rights of people affected by disaster or conflict that bring us together”

Erik Johnson, Chair of the Sphere Project Board.

You have been Chair of the Sphere Project Board since June 2011. After almost one year at the helm, can you do some stock-taking of where the Project is and where it’s going?

The Sphere Project is in great shape, and starting an exciting new chapter. One year ago, we launched the third edition of the – better known as the Sphere Handbook – which has been warmly welcomed by the humanitarian community worldwide.

The number of are taking place all over the world.

These are very encouraging signs. But it’s the input of hundreds of organizations and individuals who have contributed to the new Handbook that we can be most proud of.

The new version of the Humanitarian Charter comes at a particularly important time in the history of humanitarianism, a time when the principles it stands for are needed more than ever.

At the same time, the institutional strength of the Sphere Project is reflected by the companionship agreements with humanitarian standards complementary to ours in the areas of .

Are there new developments? Anything new coming up?

Yes! The Sphere Project office is working on an e-learning course that will allow people to undertake an ambitious training programme on Sphere principles and standards in an autonomous manner.

This e-learning course is meant to be complementary to traditional training methods like workshops. It will allow humanitarian workers and volunteers to learn through interactive experience, with complex and challenging scenarios and dilemmas that field workers face.

We are very excited and anticipate a huge demand for this new learning tool that will be available on the Sphere Project website in English, French and Spanish by the end of the year.

As far as new technologies are concerned, the Sphere Handbook should be available soon both as a mini website and as an e-Book. We have also taken the first steps, together with five other humanitarian standards-setting organizations, to explore ways of making the standards available on smart-phones and handheld devices.

Last year, the Sphere Project together with People In Aid and the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) launched the (JSI). What is this initiative all about?

When the Sphere Project started 15 years ago, it emerged in a humanitarian landscape where there were almost no standards for quality and accountability. That has all changed now. The number and complexity of standards has led to a much higher level of professionalism amongst humanitarian actors.

Although standards alone can’t bring about quality and accountability, they are the foundation. Without them, an agreed-upon definition of what quality and accountability mean in humanitarian action isn’t possible.

The JSI has a simple goal: to make it easier for aid workers to learn about our standards and put them into practice, for the benefit of people affected by disaster or conflict. That’s what it’s all about.

We think that, together, we can achieve greater coherence amongst humanitarian standards. Since July 2011, when representatives of the three initiatives came together in order to strengthen our collaboration, we have engaged in a dialogue towards this simple but ambitious goal.

So far, we have deployed a joint team to support quality and accountability work being done in the Horn of Africa and launched a joint web portal (JointStandards.org) where humanitarian workers can find all of our standards in one place.

The three Boards in late April 2012 and we are finalizing the details of a process that includes a wide consultation of stakeholders. The results of this consultation and the proposals for achieving “greater coherence” will be presented at a Forum on Humanitarian Standards in the Spring of 2013.

What concrete form could this “greater coherence” take?

We can’t anticipate its concrete features or what changes will need to take place. A crucial element of the process consists in consulting with and listening to our key stakeholders, including humanitarian field workers. This builds on the principles that have made the strength of the Sphere Project: informed dialogue by a range of experts and an evidence-based approach.

We are convinced that coherent, easy-to-use and straightforward standards are more likely to be put into practice. And if they are used, they are more likely to make a difference in the lives of conflict- and disaster-affected people. That’s why we launched the JSI.

Why is this process taking place now?

I will never forget sitting in the training room of a Burmese NGO shortly after Cyclone Nargis in 2008, as dozens of new and therefore inexperienced aid workers, soaking wet with rain, participated for the first time in a workshop on humanitarian standards.

Afterward, when I asked one of the participants what he thought of the training, he said that the system was confusing and that he would rather have spent the day distributing food. I couldn’t help but feel that we had failed him.

The number of humanitarian standards has grown dramatically since the Sphere Project was launched. Many of them are now in their second or third revision, with each version informed by yet more experience and evidence, reflecting changes within the sector. As a result of this, the humanitarian system is more accountable and delivers a higher quality of assistance.

So, the need for standards and principles, and the need for dynamic and flexible approaches in order to meet emerging challenges are happening and demanding our attention all at once. This is the challenge we are addressing, convinced as we are that the world needs humanitarian standards – and the principles on which they stand – more than ever.

Are there potential implications for the Sphere Project in this process?

Without pre-empting the result of the process on which we, as the JSI, are embarked, I believe that the core elements that make for the success of the Sphere Project have a future, whatever form the “greater coherence” we seek may take.

The Humanitarian Charter has won a place of its own in the awareness of the humanitarian community. The minimum standards related to water, food, shelter and health reflect the collective wisdom of the whole humanitarian sector, as do the core standards related to processes and people and the protection principles. The consultative process and the evidence-based approach that are Sphere’s trademark have become a feature of pretty much all of the standards within the sector.

Beyond this, it would be premature to speculate about it.

The Joint Standards Initiative represents a variety of perspectives, but together we affirm that the goal of this process is to better fulfil the rights of people affected by disaster or conflict. According to the Humanitarian Charter, they have a right to life with dignity, a right to humanitarian assistance and a right to security and protection. This is what brings us together.

Are there new developments with regard to the Sphere Project office?

At its most recent meeting, which took place in Geneva at the end of April 2012, the Board affirmed the central role played by the Sphere Project office and expressed satisfaction with the work being done.

At the end of this year, the current hosting agreement between the Sphere Project and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) will come to an end. Therefore, the Sphere Project Board is exploring a new hosting arrangement with another Board organization in Geneva.

That means the status and location of the Sphere Project office will not change. The host organization will provide the legal umbrella as well as financial and other services needed for the office to function.

The IFRC has hosted the Sphere Project office over 15 years, for which all of the Board organizations are deeply grateful. The IFRC’s commitment to the Sphere Project remains unchanged, and we look forward to continuing our work together.