An illustration of five people. A child to the left is reading a book. A person to the right is showing the two adults in the middle a picture of traditional scales which represent justice. One of the adults is referring to some documents and the other is holding a baby.

Humanitarian Standards Partnership

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Foundations

A key strength of the Humanitarian Standards Partnership (HSP) is consistency of approach, structure and foundations across handbooks.

Rights-based approach

All HSP standards are based on international legal instruments relating to human rights, refugees and humanitarian action. Each standard is an expression of a human right, defining a minimum condition for life with dignity.

The Sphere Handbook includes an annotated list of the legal instruments most relevant to Sphere: Annex 1: Legal Foundation to Sphere.

The structure of a standard

Standards are presented in a similar format across all handbooks.

An illustration of three people. An adult, probably female, is cooking while a child pulls at her robe. Behind a curtain, a person, probably male, lies in bed reading a book. There is a teddy bear on the top bunk. This illustration is supposed to represent Sphere Shelter and settlement standard 3: Living Space.

The standard itself is qualitative and states a minimum condition for life with dignity. It is based on human rights and applies in every context.

Sphere Shelter and settlement
standard 3: Living Space

People have access to living spaces that are safe and adequate, enabling essential household and livelihoods activities to be undertaken with dignity.

Actions outline practical steps to attain the standard. These are suggestions and may not be applicable in all contexts. The practitioner should select those most relevant for the situation.

Ensure that each affected household has adequate living space to perform basic domestic activities.

Indicators are suggested metrics for measuring progress towards achievement of the standard. The practitioner should select a set of indicators for each programme.

Percentage of the affected population who have adequate living space in and immediately around their shelters to carry out daily activities.

Some indicators include quantitative
descriptions of what is “adequate”. While these must be considered in context, this should be done with care. Such numerical values may be referred to as targets.

Minimum 3.5 square metres of living space per person, excluding cooking space, bathing area and sanitation facility

Guidance notes provide additional information to support the key actions.

Respect existing practices and customs and how these affect the need for internal subdivisions (curtains, walls).

It is important not to confuse standards with targets. In the example above, it is not appropriate to simply pursue a target of 3.5 square metres of living space per person as this is to assume that everyone has equal needs.

Always pursue the standard itself – of providing everyone with safe and adequate living spaces – because every person has equal rights. Recognise that what is adequate for one person may not be the same as what is adequate for their neighbour.

The Standards vs. Targets activity supports an interactive activity for workshops or courses which can easily be adapted for in-person or online learning. The learning objective is that learners fully understand the difference between standards and targets.

The Standards vs. Targets activity supports an interactive activity for workshops or courses which can easily be adapted for in-person or online learning. The learning objective is that learners fully understand the difference between standards and targets.

Common foundation chapters

HSP Handbooks created or revised since 2015 – when the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) was first released – are firmly based on the Humanitarian Charter, the Protection Principles and the CHS. These chapters appear only in the Sphere Handbook but form the common foundation of all HSP handbooks.

The Humanitarian Charter

Drafted by practitioners in 1997 and updated in 2011, The Charter expresses a commitment to humanitarian action and provides an ethical and legal framework for it

  • Humanitarian Charter icon (purple)

Read the Humanitarian Charter online via the Interactive Handbook.

An illustration of a humanitarian worker handing out giant pink bunny rabbit costumes to people who are looking cold and miserable. The humanitarian worker is saying “C’mon, it’s better than nothing isn’t it?”.

Read more about the Charter and download the series of cartoons (in poster or postcard formats).

Protection Principles

Four Protection Principles apply to all humanitarian action and all humanitarian actors:

Principle 1) Enhance the safety, dignity and rights of people, and avoid exposing them to harm.

Principle 2) Ensure people’s access to assistance according to need and without discrimination.

Principle 3) Assist people to recover from the physical and psychological effects of threatened or actual violence, coercion or deliberate deprivation.

Principle 4) Help people claim their rights

Read the Protection Principles online via the Interactive Handbook.

Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS)

The Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS) sets out nine Commitments that organisations and individuals involved in humanitarian response can use to improve the quality and effectiveness of the assistance they provide. It also facilitates greater accountability to communities and people affected by crisis, staff, donors, governments and other stakeholders.

  • Core Humanitarian Standard icon (purple)

Read the CHS online via the Interactive Handbook.

  • A diagram known as the “CHS Flower” depicting the nine commitments forming petals around a circle with the text “Communities and people affected by crisis”. The nine commitments are

Discover more about the CHS via the dedicated website.

  • Sphere logo
  • CHS Alliance logo
  • Groupe URD logo

Learn more about the three custodians of the CHS: Sphere, CHS Alliance and Groupe URD.