The Sphere Handbook Revision: Update on the process

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• The Sphere Handbook Revision Update on the
  process
• and how to get involved
• www.sphereproject.org

2
Sphere Project Example of Humanitarian
Partnership

• To improve the quality of assistance provided
  to people affected by disasters,
• and improve the accountability of states and
  humanitarian agencies to their constituents,
  their donors and their beneficiaries
• European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid
• Art.40-1 The EU subscribes fully to these sets
  of principles, standards

3
Rationale for revision

• Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in
  Humanitarian Response
• A living document regularly updated
• Continued popularity/use of the Handbook
• Respond to/reflect changes in the context
• Improve accessibility of the Handbook

4
The Sphere Handbook
"The single largest volume seller for Oxfam
Publishing in the last 6 years"
42 increase in the value of sales of the
Handbook in English, French, Spanish and Russian
between 2006 and 2007
5
Translations initiated and managed locally
AZERI DARI MALAYALAM TAMIL BAHASA FARSI VIETNAMES
E TELEGU CHINESE JAPANESE NEPALI URDU CROATIAN K
OREAN SINHALA MARATHI PASHTU
In Progress
BANGLA, HINDI, SOMALI , TURKISH, GUJARATI,
ROMANIAN Expressed interest for Hebrew, Italian,
Portuguese
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Changing context What will be revised?

• Substantial new work
• What is Sphere? (Humanitarian Reform)
• The Humanitarian Charter
• Minimum Standards Common to All Sectors (HAP
  International)
• Strengthening
• Environment/Climate change/Disaster Risk
  Reduction
• Protection
• Psychosocial support
• Minimal updating
• Technical chapters
• Cross-referencing
• Sphere Companion Standards INEE Minimum
  Standards for Education in Emergencies
• Tools for improved Quality and Accountability
  (eg People in Aid Code, Quality Compas, Synergie
  Qualité, ECB, ALNAP)

7
The revision process

• People affected by disasters field based
• Ownership/commitment in-kind contributions from
  Board member and other organisations
• Collaboration other initiatives, clusters,
  regional/national networks, other languages

8
The finished product

• Accompanying tools compliance, elearning
  (DVD), other how to tools
• Launch of five languages at once
• Accessibility
• Booklet to accompany 2004 edition
• Low cost printing/reprinting
• Community-friendly versions?

9
Timeline

• 21 month contract Handbook Revision Coordinator
• 3 months preparation
• 12 months process
• 6 months translation and production
• AIM to start April/May 2009

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Budget

• Process CHF 400,000
• Production CHF 500,000
• Staffing CHF 700,000
• TOTAL (including service overheads)
• CHF 1.8 million
• in-kind contributions CHF500,000
• (23)

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• www.sphereproject.org
• alison.joyner_at_ifrc.org