Standards in Humanitarian action Flashcards
Why do we need minimum standards in humanitarian assistance?
Agreed standards represent an ethos of practice which - if clear and agreed by all actors and observers - will:
- help meet needs in an effective, transparent and fair way
- contribute to a decision-making framework
- help to establish trust between diverse actors
- facilitate accountability
- save time!
Why do we need standards specifically for humanitarian action?
if they are going to be universal standards, to consider:
* insecurity
* limited resources
* disrupted services
* previously established standards
* someone else’s beliefs and customs
* the former ‘normal’
* future sustainability
Where do they come from?
Why 1997 – what was the trigger?
The International Response to Conflict & Genocide:
Lessons from the Rwanda experience
-Following the 1994 exodus from Rwanda after the genocide there were epidemics of water-related diseases, principally cholera and dysentery. Within a month these led to the death of 6–10% of those arriving in Zaire (now DRC)
-The crude death rate of 20–35 per 10,000 population per day was 2–3 times higher than that previously reported in refugee populations
what is the Sphere Project and the Common Humanitarian Standard?
