Key Stakeholders In
Humanitarian Assistance
• Humanitarian Assistance refers the
assistance given to a group of people
during/affected by calamity or disaster.
• Emergencies have become more complex
and therefore skills to respond have also
become more complex.
Key Stakeholders cont..
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Major Humanitarian agencies:
ICRC
IFRC
MSF
Oxfam
Save the Children
Tearfund and many others in recent years
Key Stakeholders cont..
• Responsibilities of Humanitarian Agencies
is to provide:
• Shelter
• Food
• Water
• Health services
• Psychological/emotional needs
Key Stakeholders cont..
• The Humanitarian Charter governs the
Roles and responsibilities of Humanitarian
Assistance. The Charter is based on the
principles and provisions.
• The Humanitarian Charter governs the
Roles and responsibilities of Humanitarian
Assistance.
Key Stakeholders cont..
• The Charter is based on the principles and
provisions of:
• The International Humanitarian Law
• Refugee Law
• The code of conduct for the ICRC and the
Red Crescent Movement and the NGOs in
Disaster Relief
Key Stakeholders cont..
• The Charter describes the core principles that
govern humanitarian action and asserts the right to
populations to protection and assistance.
• It defines the legal responsibilities of states and
parties to guarantee the right to assistance and
protection
• When states are unable to respond, they are
obliged to allow interventions of humanitarian
organizations.
Key Stakeholders cont..
• Minimum Standards (SPHERE PROJECT)
• Provide guidelines on how to respond to the
needs of the affected in order to achieve
impact.
• Limitations of the Humanitarian Charter
and Minimum Standards:
• Political and security factors outside the
control of the humanitarian agencies
Key Stakeholders cont..
• The extent to which the agencies have access to
the affected population
• The availability of sufficient financial, human and
material resources is essential
• The cooperation of the authorities in charge, and
whether they can operate in conditions of
reasonable security.
• The Charter is a set of general principles and do
not attempt to deal with the whole spectrum
humanitarian concerns.
Principles of the humanitarian
Charter
1. The right of life with dignity reflected in:
• The right to an adequate standard of living
• Freedom from cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment
• Not with holding or frustrating the provision
of life-saving assistance
Principles of the humanitarian
Charter
2. Non-combatants are entitled to immunity from
attack.
3. The principle of re-foulement. No refugee shall be
sent back to a country which is or his life or
freedom would be threatened
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
 Those affected are entitled to protection and
assistance
 Recognition and support the protection and
assistance mandates of the ICRC and UNHCR
under the control of the human agencies.
The SPHERE Project
• The minimum standards are based on
agencies experiences of providing
humanitarian assistance
• The achievement of the standards depends
on a large range of factors, many which
may be outside the control of the agencies.
The Sphere Project
• Started in 1997, born out of the of the
inconsistencies in disaster response and lack of
accountability
• Developed by the Steering Committee for Human
Response and InterAction. Red Crescent Networks
represent many hundreds of agencies committed to
improving in quality and accountability of
disaster response.
• SPHERE minimum standards have been
universally tested in various set ups.
The Sphere Project cont..
• Sphere is a consolidation of standards to enable
the agencies undertake their work in a more
professional, responsible and and accountable
manner
• Based on the Humanitarian Charter
• It covers:
_ water supply and sanitation,
- nutrition
– Food Aid, shelter and site planning
– Health services
The Sphere Project cont..
• The project is:
1. A Process: It gives guidelines on how to
implement assistance.
 It gives the minimum levels to be attained in
each area of assistance
 The key indicators that show that standards have
been attained.
2. Handbook: it provides guidance notes to include
practical guidance
3. Commitment: Reflects a legal and moral
commitment to adhere the standards
Minimum Standards in Nutrition
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Initial Assessment of nutritional situation
Response based on the causes of malnutrition
Monitoring and Evaluation
Community participation
General nutritional support for the population
Nutritional support to those suffering from
malnutrition
• Human resource capacity building and training
• Competence of staff
• Use of local capacity and skills