CHSCM 3.0 - Unit 1 - SCM in the Humanitarian World

other measures of performance that are more demanding. These measures are more like targets,
unique to individual operations.
Usually standards are imposed and are common to all operations. In other words, they represent
what must be achieved at a minimum level.
Standards are of fundamental importance in all operations and at all stages of the programming
process. Prior to the actual design of a program, the application of standards in the assessment
process provides the means for determining the core problems that must be addressed and the
gap between current and desired conditions. In the design phase, standards are the means for
establishing the appropriate level of quality to be achieved through the provision of assistance, and
thus are an integral part of the objective-setting process. Standards play a crucial role in the
monitoring process, since the monitoring of progress against standards determines whether
progress is being achieved in terms of the right quality, at the right time, and for the right cost.
Similarly, in the evaluation phase of an operation when impact is assessed, the impact of an
operation is identified and judged to be positive or negative largely in relation to standards.
Despite the importance of standards, they are often a neglected feature of operations. Not only are
standards often absent from program and project documentation, but the relevant standards for
operations are not consistently discussed and agreed upon among partners prior to
implementation, and revisited as implementation proceeds.
A promising development in terms of agreeing upon minimal standards for humanitarian assistance
among the range of humanitarian actors working is the Sphere Project. The Sphere Project has
established minimum standards in disaster response, including humanitarian disasters, by involving
NGOs, UN agencies, government agencies, and academic institutions in a joint enterprise to agree
upon minimum standards and indicators for humanitarian assistance.
The preliminary results of the Sphere Project have been recently published and are available at the
Sphere Project website (www.sphereproject.org).
The Sphere handbook is designed for use in disaster response, and may also be useful in disaster
preparedness and humanitarian advocacy. It is applicable in a range of situations where relief is
required, including natural disasters as well as armed conflict. It is designed to be used in both
slow- and rapid-onset situations, in both rural and urban environments, in developing and
developed countries, anywhere in the world. The emphasis is on meeting the urgent survival needs
of people affected by disaster, while asserting their basic human right to life with dignity.
Despite this focus, the information contained in the handbook is not rigid. It can be applied flexibly
to other situations, such as disaster preparedness and the transition out of disaster relief. It is not
designed for use in response to technological disasters, such as those involving transport, industrial,
chemical, biological or nuclear catastrophe. However, while not addressing these types of disaster
specifically, it is relevant to situations where population movements, or other consequences
triggered by such an event, create a need for humanitarian assistance.