The role of standards for evidence-based humanitarian response

28th ALNAP Annual MeetingWashington D.C., March 2013

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Standards vs. Indicators

• StandardQualitativeUniversal & applicable in any disaster situation

• IndicatorA ‘signal’ – has the standard been attained?Measurable

• All people have safe and equitable access to a sufficient quantity of water for drinking, cooking and personal and domestic hygiene . . (Water supply standard 1: access and water quantity (p.87))

• Average water use . . . is at least 15l/person/day• Maximum distance . . . to water point is 500m• Queueing time . . . no more than 30 minutes

Basis for Standards & Indicators

• Desk-top Exercise?Sphere office team pulling standards and indicators from the air

• Experience?Application of ‘common sense’

• Best Practice?Application of experience acceptable across the sector

• Evidence?Scientific and technical approaches

Technical standards, core standards & protection principles

• INEE, SEEP, Psychosocial, Child Protection, Gender, LEGS etc.

• HAP, People In Aid etc.

• Core standards and protection principles

And finally . . . .

• Standards provide benchmarks

• Skill to work with standards

• No single right way to apply standards

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