Sphere is about upholding the dignity and rights of crisis-affected people through principled, accountable and quality humanitarian action.

Sphere was started in 1997 by impassioned aid workers who wanted to improve the level and approach of emergency response. With this goal in mind, they framed the Humanitarian Charter and identified a set of Minimum Standards to be applied contextually in all humanitarian crises.

Initially developed by non-governmental organisations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Sphere resources are primary reference tools for national and international NGOs, UN agencies, governments, donors, the private sector, volunteers, and many others. Today, Sphere is a global network bringing together and empowering practitioners to improve and sustain the quality and accountability of humanitarian assistance. Sphere hosts the Humanitarian Standards Partnership (HSP), the Minimum Economic Recovery Standards (MERS) and is joint copyright holder of the Core Humanitarian Standard.

Sphere’s flagship publication, the Sphere Handbook, is one of the most widely known and internationally recognised set of humanitarian principles and minimum standards.