Paper details

Paper authors	Steve Hansch
In panel on	Political Economy and Politics of Humanitarianism: Is the Past Prologue?
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

Hundreds of implementation agencies have debated and worked together in crafting standards in SPHERE, starting in 1996 and through four distinct, different editions. Nonprofits around the world agreed on firm obligations about what every human being is entitled to, breaking new ground. Nothing comparable in the history of the world has even been seen. There are interesting lessons in how each revision of SPHERE changes the paradigm of what the problems are in emergencies, how the paradigm of our work has changed from "refugee camps" to IDPs to large natural disasters to a broad vision today where SPHERE standards seem to be about everything. Meanwhile, SPHERE-like spinoff standards have grown to complement SPHERE to set standards for basic education, livestock/livelihoods, and economic recovery. This defines our history.

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