First steps agreed to develop a new humanitarian standards architecture

The Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP), People In Aid and the Sphere Project have now moved into the action phase to develop a new humanitarian standards architecture.

In a meeting in Geneva on 16 May 2013, the three Boards jointly committed to the following:

1. The three initiatives will deliver a verifiable Common Core Standard by the end of 2013. This Common Core Standard will be based on humanitarian principles, will promote coherence and improved usability and access for aid workers and agencies, and will put the voices of affected populations at the heart of humanitarian action.

2. HAP, People In Aid and the Sphere Project will, through their global reach, provide joint awareness-raising and support activities around the Standard, aimed at aid workers and humanitarian agencies.

3. The three initiatives will collaborate with other humanitarian actors to develop a new standards architecture. This architecture will enable aid workers and agencies around the world to easily navigate and put humanitarian principles, the Common Core Standard and technical standards into practice.

The three boards are confident that these commitments, which are the result of a broad consultative process coordinated by the Joint Standards Initiative, will improve the quality and accountability of humanitarian action.

HAP, People In Aid, and the Sphere Project will launch these activities together with a road map for their implementation at the Humanitarian Standards Forum, a gathering of the international humanitarian community to be held in Geneva on 27 June 2013.

The Joint Meeting of the Boards at the end of a successful day in Geneva on 16th May 2013