THEMATIC AREA
Standards, good practices and dilemmas in humanitarian action
Providing humanitarian assistance is not enough: it has to be done well. This section brings together the main normative frameworks, quality standards and ethical dilemmas of the humanitarian system. From the Core Humanitarian Standard to the Sphere standards, including commitments to localization and community participation.
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Humanitarian organisations continuously face ethical dilemmas of all kinds, from operational decisions to more strategic considerations. How do you fairly distribute scarce resources when there is not enough for everyone affected?
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Among the globally accepted norms and standards for humanitarian action is the Core Humanitarian Standard: a set of people-centred commitments designed to improve equity, community participation and accountability.
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Minimum humanitarian standards define essential quality levels for effective, safe and dignified humanitarian action for people affected by crises. The best-known reference is the Sphere Project.
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Historically, the humanitarian system has excluded and marginalised local actors, who hold few leadership and decision-making positions and receive only a small fraction of humanitarian funding. Change is needed; what some call localization.
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Community participation is a subject the humanitarian system has been failing year after year since the beginning of time, due to a lack of political will on all sides, despite occasional well-intentioned efforts.
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