HUMANITARIAN CHARTER and MINIMUM STANDARDS IN

Launch of Sphere Handbook 2011 edition
HUMANITARIAN CHARTER
and
MINIMUM STANDARDS IN HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
14th April, 2011
(New Delhi, India)
Sphere India Secretariat
Building # 3, Flat # 401, Sona Apartments,
Kaushilya Park, Hauz Khas, New Delhi
Inauguration and launch of Sphere handbook 2011 edition:
Ms. Jaya Jha, Focal Point, Inter-Agency Collaborative Advocacy, welcomed the audience and
shared that the Sphere handbook 2011 edition: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards
in Disaster Response is being launched at 15 locations internationally, including New Delhi on
14th April, 2011. Simultaneously, the handbook is being launched at 14 different states in India,
thus making India the only country with so many launch events. She shared that the launch
event is an opportunity for all of us to discuss on the emerging challenges and increasing
complexities in the humanitarian sector in India, to identify the key learning and advocacy
issues pertaining to disaster management framework in India and to collect recommendations
and way forward for us.
Mr. Vikrant Mahajan, Chief Operating Officer, Sphere
India welcomed the Chief Guest Major Gen. J. K. Bansal,
Hon’ble Member, NDMA, Govt. of India. He also welcomed
Mr. N. M. Prusty, Chairperson, Sphere India and Mr. Ray
Kancharla, Vice-Chair, Sphere India, on the dais. He also
welcomed the members of the governing body of Sphere
India, representatives from Govt. of India, the UN agencies,
I/NGOs, representatives from state inter-agency groups,
corporate, civil societies, academia and other guests in the
event.
Picture 1: Mr. Vikrant Mahajan, COO, Sphere
India, giving welcome address
Mr. N. M. Prusty, in his keynote address, shared the
background and origin of Sphere process in the postRwanda crisis and that how the handbook evolved with a
process of consultation and incorporation of experiences &
learning over a period of time. The current version is the
third version of the handbook being launched globally. He
shared that the revision didn’t only consult the civil
societies but also a large number of state players, Picture 2: Mr. N. M. Prusty, Chairperson, Sphere
government actors, communities, and other key India delivering keynote address
stakeholders. He explained Sphere process by emphasizing
on the fact “today on this occasion, the humanitarian aid workers all over the world are engaged
to reaffirm, recommit to the humanitarian charter, the rights principles, in right process to
protect the rights of people to ensure life with dignity for
“Today on this occasion, the
those affected in humanitarian crisis”.
humanitarian aid workers
all over the world are
engaged to reaffirm,
recommit to the
humanitarian charter, the
rights principles, in right
process to protect the rights
of people to ensure life with
dignity for those affected in
humanitarian crisis”
He elaborated that the scope of humanitarian crisis not
only includes the natural disasters but also the human
induced, technology induced, development induced
disasters; and that the humanitarian community need to
strategize for all kind of humanitarian crisis situations.
Mr. Vikrant Mahajan readout the letter of appreciation
received from The Sphere Project for Sphere India. (Letter
enclosed)
Chief Guest Major Gen. J. K. Bansal, Hon’ble Member,
NDMA, Government of India appreciated the efforts of
Sphere India for not only promoting the Sphere Handbook
but also bringing together all the stakeholders on a
common platform for enhanced collaboration and
coordination. He also acknowledged the support of Sphere
India in the development of National guidelines on
Minimum Standards being prepared by NDMA. He also Picture 4: Major Gen. J. K. Bansal, Hon'ble
emphasized that the humanitarian assistance should Member, NDMA, Govt. of India, giving the
inaugural address
expand its scope to all kinds of crisis including conflicts. He
discussed on the importance of all the key sectors during disaster response including water
supply, sanitation & hygiene, food, nutrition, health services, medical cover, shelter provisions
etc. He specially mentioned that the vulnerable groups need extra care and attention and all the
humanitarian players need to prioritize them in the response plan. He added that National
Disaster Response Force (NDRF) setup by Govt. of India is
specialized in rescue and
Sphere India has not only
evacuation
operations
promoted the Sphere
during disasters and have
Handbook but also
played a commendable role
brought together all the
in the last few disasters. He
stakeholders on a
suggested that the civil
common platform for
societies need to commit a
enhanced collaboration
minimum response in their Picture 3: Major Gen. J. K. Bansal, Hon'ble
and coordination
particular sectoral expertise Member, NDMA, launching the revised Sphere
handbook
and they should extend
their support to the administration in managing the disasters. He added that mechanisms
should be created to avoid duplication and gaps in humanitarian response. He also suggested
Sphere India that there should be team of experts ready at National level who may be deployed
in case of disasters and can manage & take charge of situation instantly.
He shared the technical aspects of CBRN disasters (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear
disasters) and said that dealing with CBRN disasters needs additional skills and equipments
such as exposure training and minimum protection equipments. He also added that such kind of
trainings can be planned for selected set of participants with an objective of creating a pool of
trained people on CBRN disasters. He shared that such complex disasters need more
preparedness and planning.
Mr. Ray Kancharla, Vice-Chair, Sphere India extended
vote of thanks to the Chief Guest, the speakers, and the
attendees of the launch event. He shared that the presence
of the distinguished guests and the attendees in the
program has helped in strengthening the commitment
towards humanitarian actions and quality and
accountability.
Picture 5: Mr. Ray Kancharla, Vice-Chair, Sphere
India, giving the vote of thanks
Press briefing and open discussion:
Mr. Vikrant Mahajan shared a presentation explaining Sphere India, the core commitments and
the various programs Sphere India is implementing. It also included brief overview of the
revised Sphere handbook. With the presentation, the discussion was opened for media and
other participants for questions and interactions.
Mr. Ajay Mahajan, World Vision India, shared that WVI has plans to integrate Sphere processes
in all their programs, and they are wiling to have collaboration with Sphere India to take this
initiative ahead. This would include capacity building of the ADPs of WVI and their
communities.
It was shared that Sphere India has extended capacity building support to Tearfund for their
partners in India, Welthungerhilfe for their project in AILA affected areas and other few
agencies time to time, and that Sphere would be happy to extend support for Sphere processes,
coordination, capacity building, information & knowledge management and advocacy as and
where required.
The other key points discussed are:
There is a need to develop contextualized
operational manual for the handbook which will
act as a ready reference for the frontline workers.
There was debate on whether to have a summary
of the Sphere handbook for the non-disaster
professionals and for the people engaged in
disaster response. It was discussed that the Sphere
handbook is very precise and we need not go for Picture 6: Mr. N. M. Prusty, Prof. V. K. Sharma,
Mr. Sarbjit Singh, Mr. Ray Kancharla during
preparing another summary of a summary.
media briefing and discussions
Sphere India may develop “Do’s and Don’t’s” kind
of materials for different technical chapters of the
handbook. They would be helpful in understanding the key actions in in different sectors
in the time of disaster.
The handbook should reach more number of stakeholders. Corporate bodies, Govt.,
academia etc. should also be sensitized on the Sphere processes and the handbook.
Different agencies may develop training materials, modules etc. based on their sectoral
expertise and share them to Sphere India and other agencies for use.
There are companion standards to Sphere viz. LEGS, INEE, HAP etc. which should also be
adopted and used by different agencies.
Panel discussion: How prepared is India for complex disasters like Japan?
Prof. S. M. Ramasamy, Vice Chancellor, Gandhigram Rural Deemed University, shared about
the technological aspects of disaster management. He shared that there is a need to have a
mapping of seismic and micro-seismic zones in India for better preparedness and planning. The
recent earthquakes in the areas which were not supposed to be EQ prone have emphasized this
need. Use of GIS, remote sensing, and other technologies would definitely be a great help in
early warning and preparedness at different levels.
Prof. N.V.C. Menon, Former member, NDMA &
There is a high probability of a low
Founder member, Sphere India complemented
probability disaster happening
Sphere India for the launch of the revised Sphere
anytime anywhere.
handbook and emphasized on the need of translating
the handbook in vernacular Indian languages. Responding to the question “Is India prepared for
complex disasters?” he shared that we need to be brutally honest on this. There is a high
probability of a low probability disaster happening anytime anywhere. Every disaster situation
brings new challenges and opportunities for new modeling and innovations as well.
He shared that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is very capable in search and
rescue operations. India has largest network of Red Cross volunteers, approx. 21 million. The 53
billionaires of India contribute to 33% of national GDP. We have enough opportunities to be
explored and engaged in disaster management.
He also thrown light
institutional mechanisms,
infrastructures etc. and
appropriate relief should
affected people.
on the importance of
service delivery, critical
added that timely and
be right of the disaster
Timely and appropriate relief
should be right of the disaster
affected people
Shri. Satyabrata Pal, Honorable Member, National Human Rights Commission congratulated
Sphere India for the launch of the handbook and said that rights based perspective is very
important not only during disasters but also in peace time. He emphasized on the need of
coordination among different agencies to avoid duplication and gaps, avoid humanitarian
favoritism, and adherence to humanitarian ethics.
He emphasized on the basic rights of all to be able to live with dignity. He said that there should
be no discrimination in treatment with the disaster affected people.
Dr. Muzaffar Ahmed, Hon’ble Member, NDMA, Govt. of
India, emphasized on the need of community awareness
and preparedness and said that community level actions
are the key to saving lives and property. It is important to
train people in different disaster management skills. He
added that trauma care, basic life support care etc are few
of the themes where we should plan interventions. He
shared that IRCS is planning wide-scale trainings and they
aim to develop 300-500 certified first responders in each
district. In response to a query from Mr. Peniel (EHA) he
said that the volunteers trained by EHA can be linked to the
SDMA.
Picture 7: Prof. S. M. Ramasamy, Prof. N.V.C.
Menon, Mr. Satyabrat Pal, and Dr. Muzaffar
Ahmad in the panel discussion
Mr. Vikrant Mahajan extended vote of thanks to the panelist and the attendees in the event and
added that the discussions have helped to analyze the situation and there are lots of learning
and issues for advocacy which would be taken up in subsequent consultations at appropriate
forums.
List of Attendees
Panelists
S.No
Name
Organization
1
Major Gen. J.K. Bansal
Hon’ble Member, NDMA, Govt. of India
2
Dr. Muzaffar Ahmed
Hon’ble Member, NDMA, Govt. of India
3
Prof. N.V.C. Menon
Former Member, NDMA
Founder Member, Sphere India
4.
Shri Satyabrata Pal
Hon’ble Memner, NHRC
5.
Prof. S. M. Ramasamy
Vice Chancellor, Gandhigram University
6.
Mr. N.M. Prusty
Chairperson, Sphere India
7.
Mr. Ray Kancharla
Vice Chairperson, Sphere India
8.
Mr. Vikrant Mahajan
COO, Sphere India
Participants
Name
S. No.
Organization
1
Abha Mishra
UNDP
2
Ajay Mahajan
World Vision
3
Akhil K. Chaudhary
PCI
4
Amrit Kumar
ARLDF
5
Anil K. Malik
D. C. D
6
Anuj Chheti
UNDP
7
Anuj Tiwari
GFDR
8
Avni Malhotra
Heifer International
9
Bipin
IGSSS
10
Cassie Dummett
CRS
11
D S Kapur
India Wash Forum
12
Dan Andrew
EFICOR
13
Danish Aziz
Islamic Relief India
14
Dr. A. K. Shinha
NDMA
15
Dr. Devashish Bhattachary
16
Dr. K. J. Anandha Kumar
NIDM
17
Dr. K. S. R. Sajbaba
JNU
18
Dr. Rajiv
ICRC
19
Dr. Rakesh Kumar Sharma
INMAR DRIOO
20
Faisel T. Illiyas
Institute of Land and Disaster Management
21
G. Padmanabhan
UNDP
22
Gurpreet Kaur
IFRC India
23
Harichandran
PCI
24
Harsh Jahli
VANI
25
Impuri
World Vision India
26
J. Willians
Save the children
27
Jai Parkash Yadav
Janta Sewa Samiti Basti
28
Jaya Jha
Sphere India
29
Jitendra Singh
Santhak
30
Joachim Schwarz
Welthunger Hilfe
31
Junila Paul
Junior Achievement India
32
Kamal Sahi
GFDR
33
Kastubh D. Kukde
IFRC-IO
34
Katherine
ACTED
35
Mani Kumar
DCA
36
Manish Jain
ACF
37
Manisha Kachhotiya
Volunteer, Sphere India
38
Manjunath
ILO
39
Manu Gupta
SEEDS
40
Margareta Tileva
UNICEF
41
Md. Ziauddin Ahamed
ASSART, Odisha
42
Mohammad Aftab
Save the children
43
Mudasser
Plan India
44
Murali Kunduru
Plan India
45
Naghma Firdaus
UNDMT Associate
46
Narender Jadav
CMS
47
Narendra Singh Kacchotiya
Sphere India
48
Naresh Kumar
Innovations Unlimited
49
Neha Agrawal
Sphere India
50
Nupur Arora
UNDP
51
Pardeep
REDR India
52
Parkash
CGD India
53
Peniel Malakar
EHA
54
Prasad Sevekari
Humanitarian Consultatnt
55
R. John Suresh Kumar
Christian Aid
56
Rajan
ADRA
57
Rajesh Narayan
GFDR, BIhar
58
Rajesh K. Kaushik
Govt. of Haryana
59
Rajesh Kumar. P
UNICEF
60
Raman Kumar
Sphere India
61
Raviraj Atrey
Sphere India
62
Rekha Shetty
C.R. S.
63
Romita Anand
Sphere India
64
S. Ambekar
Vishwa Yuva Kendra
65
Sanjeev Rai
Save the children
66
Santiswarup Sahoo
Phd Scholar, IIT Kanpur
67
Sarbjit Singh
UNICEF
68
Sebastian T. V.
Concern Worldwide
69
Shachi Grover
UNFPA
70
Shakeel
IGSSS
71
Sheena Arora
REDR INDIA
72
Sheila George
EFICOR
73
Suchitra Acharya
Welt Hunger Hilfe
74
Sunil Mammen
CARITAS
75
Suraj Bahadur
Sphere India
76
Sushil Kr. Argar
Helpage India
77
Wungmaya Lunghar
World Vision India
78
V.K. Sharma
IIPA, New Delhi
79
Vaishali M
Welthunger Hilfe
80
Venkat. Rv.
Plan India
81
Victoria
GFDR
82
Vinay Sadavarte
IFRC
83
Yudhisthira
Save the children and Bihar IAG
PRESS COVERAGE
On
Launch of SPHERE HANDBOOK (2011 Edition): MINIMUM
STANDARDS IN HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
14th April, 2011 (New Delhi, India)
15 April 2011
15 April 2011
15 April 2011
15 April 2011
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