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)

HSP LogoThe 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:

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.

1 January 2014 Manual/Handbook/Guide
Sphere Project
CHS Alliance, Group URD

Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability

The CHS sets out Nine Commitments that organisations can – and should – make to people affected by crises or situations of vulnerability to deliver quality, effective and accountable support and assistance. As a core standard, the CHS describes the essential elements of principled, accountable and high-quality support and assistance.

1 January 2021 Manual/Handbook/Guide
Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster

Minimum Standards for Camp Management

The MSCM handbook describes the minimum actions needed to support meaningful engagement within a site as well as planning and coordination between sectors and agencies. The handbook aims to clarify the role of any site management agency working on a daily basis in humanitarian settings and to set out minimum levels of quality for that work.

1 January 2018 Manual/Handbook/Guide
Cash Learning Partnership

Minimum Standards for Market Analysis

The objective of the Minimum Standard for Market Analysis (MISMA) is to guide the work of humanitarian practitioners across sectors and to ensure that, irrespective of the tool used, the key standard of market analysis is being met. By supporting high-quality market analysis, the MISMA intends to contribute to improving response analysis and programme implementation.

3 December 2010 Manual/Handbook/Guide Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)

INEE Minimum Standards for Education: Preparedness, Response, Recovery

The INEE Minimum Standards for Education: Preparedness, Response, Recovery is the only global tool that articulates the minimum level of educational quality and access in emergencies through to recovery.