Humanitarian Standards

What are Humanitarian Standards?

People affected by disaster or conflict have the right to receive protection and assistance and to ensure the basic conditions for life with dignity. Humanitarian standards are statements which describe the sets of actions needed so that crisis-affected people can enjoy this right.

Humanitarian standards are developed by humanitarian practitioners with specific areas of expertise and are formulated based on evidence, experience, and learning. The standards are developed by consensus and reflect accumulated best practice at a global level. They are revised regularly to incorporate developments across the sector.

Humanitarian standards are a useful resource for practitioners to plan, implement, and evaluate humanitarian response. They provide a strong basis to advocate for the rights of crisis-affected communities. By applying them in preparedness and response operations, humanitarian agencies and practitioners make a commitment to quality and make themselves accountable to the populations they serve.

Humanitarian Standards Partnership (HSP)

The Humanitarian Standards Partnership is a collaboration between the world’s leading standards setting initiatives which aims to improve the quality and accountability of humanitarian action through the increased application of humanitarian standards.

The Partnership is designed to enhance the linkage between standards, eliminating the duplications, advocating collaboratively, and improving the accountability to the people affected by the emergencies.

Current initiatives in the HSP include:

• Sphere
• Age and Disability Capacity Programme (ADCAP) 
• Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (the Alliance)
• Cash and Learning Partnership (CALP) Network
• Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster
• Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) Alliance
• Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)
• Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS)
• Standards for Supporting Crop-related Livelihoods in Emergencies (SEADS)
• Minimum Economic Recovery Standards (MERS)

What role does INEE play in the HSP?

The use of the INEE Minimum Standards as part of the HSP will help to ensure crucial linkages are made at the outset of an emergency - through multi-sectoral needs assessments, followed by joint planning, and a holistic response. Used together, INEE and other agencies under the HSP will improve the quality of assistance provided to people affected by crisis and enhance the accountability of disaster preparedness and response. For an effective education response, close collaboration between education and other sectors is essential - such as water supply and sanitation, food security and nutrition, shelter and settlements, health action, education, child protection, livestock management, economic recovery, and market analysis.

For more detailed information on the background of the Humanitarian Standards Partnership, visit here.