Sphere Companionship
Linking the Sphere Revision and INEE Minimum Standards Update
The update of the INEE Minimum Standards Handbook and the revision of the Sphere Project’s Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response have occurred concurrently. In line with the INEE-Sphere Companionship Agreement, we have sought to ensure as many linkages as possible between the update and revision processes. Specific activities include mutual representation in the respective revision structures and processes in order to mainstream education and the INEE Minimum Standards throughout the Sphere Handbook and to strengthen inter-sectoral linkages and references to the Sphere Handbook in the INEE Minimum Standards Handbook. In addition, reference will also be made in both publications to the Companion Agreement and complementarity between the Sphere Standards and INEE Minimum Standards.
A Partnership to Promote Quality and Accountability in Humanitarian Response
On 22 October 2008, the INEE Secretariat and the Sphere Project announced a Companionship Agreement whereby Sphere acknowledges the quality of the INEE Minimum Standards and the broad consultative process that led to their development. As such, the Sphere Project recommends that the INEE Minimum Standards be used as companion and complementing standards to the Sphere Handbook, Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response. For more information, please see the 1 Year Anniversary Flyer and the original Companionship Flyer.
About the Sphere and INEE Companionship
To read the about the Sphere and INEE Companionship and what companionship entails, visit the About the Sphere and INEE Companionship page.
The Sphere and INEE Secretariat jointly produced a paper titled: Integrating Quality Education With Humanitarian Response For Humanitarian Accountability: The Sphere-INEE Companionship" in September 2009. The paper describes the history and implications of the Companionship Agreement.
In its capacity as Focal Point for Education in the Sphere Handbook Revision Process, the INEE Secretariat developed an online survey to gather information regarding how education is currently represented in the Sphere Minimum Standards for Disaster Response and how it should be represented in the 2010 edition of the Sphere Handbook. The survey was open for a period of 12 days, from 19 August – 31 August 2009 and was filled out by 109 respondents in 43 countries and 47 different organizations. Read the survey report here.
INEE has developed a matrix showing the linkages between the INEE Minimum Standards and the Sphere Standards. Download in English and Francais.
Submit a Case Study
In July 2009, INEE Issued a listserv message titled "Moving Forward the Sphere and INEE Companionship: Call for Case Studies on Inter-sectoral Approaches to Education." As part of the operationalization of the Sphere-INEE Companionship agreement, this initiative aims to build an evidence base which all members can use to inform policy, advocacy, tools, training and best practices. Click here to read and participate in call.
Quality and Accountability Initiatives
In recent years, several Quality and Accountability (Q&A) initiatives have developed tools and training materials but there is a lack of materials presenting this work in a clear and integrated manner. Therefore, the Sphere Project hired a team of consultants to develop a paper on "Exploring ways to understand different Quality and Accountability Initiatives for enhanced humanitarian assistance" aimed at field practitioners and policy-makers. To learn more about Quality and Accountability Initiatives, visit the Quality and Accountability page.
