The Sphere project exists to:
- improve quality and accountability of disaster response
- help people in disasters achieve rights
In response to the need for change in the humanitarian community, the Sphere project was created as an open and collaborative initiative to improve the quality and accountability of disaster response. It aims to help people in disasters to achieve their rights in an effective and accountable way.
Since Sphere’s initial consultation in 1997, the Sphere project has focused on involving practitioners; never before has there been such extensive and broad-based consultation in the humanitarian community.
The people who participated in writing the Sphere handbook came from national and international NGOs, UN agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent and academic institutions. Thousands of individuals from over 400 organisations representing 80 countries participated in various aspects of the Sphere project, from developing the handbook through to piloting and training.