GENEVA, April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sphere Project, a broad humanitarian consortium promoting quality and accountability in the sector, will release a new version of its standards for humanitarian aid on 14 April 2011.

The Sphere Handbook "Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response" is the most widely known and internationally recognized set of standards for humanitarian aid. Its two previous editions have been translated into more than 40 languages.

The launch of the Sphere Handbook 2011 edition will take place in Afghanistan, Australia, Belgium, Haiti, India, Ireland, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. (See a list of venues: http://bit.ly/SphereVenues)

The Sphere Handbook establishes shared principles and a set of universal minimum standards in core areas of humanitarian response: water, food, shelter and health.

The 2011 edition incorporates a new chapter - Protection Principles - which considers the protection and safety of populations affected by disaster or conflict as an integral part of humanitarian response. It also includes emerging issues like climate change, disaster risk reduction, early recovery of services and livelihoods, cash transfers and civil-military relations.

The extensive revision that led to the 2011 edition involved more than 650 experts from some 300 organizations in about 20 countries. All the relevant UN agencies participated in the process.

The Sphere Project was created in 1997 by a group of humanitarian NGOs and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Today, its Board is made up of 16 global networks of humanitarian agencies, including some of the biggest and oldest in this sector (see a list: http://bit.ly/SphereFactsFigures).

The Sphere Project aims to improve the quality of humanitarian response to disasters and armed conflicts and the accountability of humanitarian agencies and states to their constituents, donors and affected populations.

Additional information: http://www.SphereProject.org/press

For specific regional contacts please refer to: http://bit.ly/SphereContacts

SOURCE The Sphere Project