The lecture was delivered by Director for Quality Assurance of the humanitarian emergencies affairs group, Geneva, and Sphere Project board member Ton van Zutphen, along with other board members, Hani Eskandar, Linda Poteat, Dr Unnikrishnan and Professor and Chairperson of Jamsetji Tata Centre for Disaster Management Janki Andharia. The sphere project is an international initiative of a group of humanitarian agencies. It was launched by the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement in 1997 to formulate a set of universal minimum standards in core areas of human assistance. Its basic aim was to improve the quality of service provided to people affected by disasters.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent movement identified minimum standards to be attained in disaster assistance in five key areas: water supply and sanitation, nutrition, food aid, shelter and health services and also the Humanitarian Charter which is based on the principles of International human law, International human rights law, refugee law and the code of conduct for the international red cross and red crescent movement and NGOs.

These minimum standards and the Humanitarian Charter were later complied in a book form (Sphere handbook).

Ton van Zutphen focused on the need to identify vulnerable groups in disaster affected population like women, children, disabled people, HIV/AIDS patients and to treat them with special care.

Hani Eskandar, board member of Sphere Project said, “Dignity of people is at the centre of our humanitarian act. We do not look at people as victims but as survivors.” This is enshrined in one of the principles of the Humanitarian Charter: the right of every disaster affected person to life with dignity.

Linda Poteat, another board member, said “The needs of calamity affected people should be met by the state. But there are instances where the state has failed miserably to do this.” People in camps or refugee settlements are likely to contract diseases because of lack of hygiene.

“It is important to maintain a certain level of hygiene. Water and sanitation are critical elements of survival in the initial stages of a disaster,” said Linda.