Sphere Project Launches Disaster Response Guidelines

Last week the Sphere Project, a SHARE partner, took the exciting step of launching its new manual related to respecting human rights while responding to disasters. The manual establishes minimum standards to be upheld during the response to natural disasters or armed conflict.

The manual was unveiled on Wednesday, July 27 at a crowded event in San Salvador. Over 115 invited participants attended and they represented a wide range of both pubic and private institutions. Attending groups included the Ministry of Health, the police force, both international and domestic NGOs, human rights attorneys, and members of the Salvadoran legislature.

The program included word of welcome from Isabel Hernández, who is both the Director of SHARE’s Field Office in El Salvador and a member of Sphere’s Coordinating Committee. On behalf of the Committee, Isabel thanked everyone in attendance for their assistance and encouraged everyone to begin using the manual. She was followed by Xenia Marroquin from ASPRODE who introduced the manual in more detail and the Director of Plan International who emphasized the importance of using the manual to help victims of emergencies. He gave special emphasis to the rights of children, senior citizens and adolescents, groups that are often the most marginalized in an emergency situation.

Overall, the event was a huge success. The participants were very interested to know the contents of the new manual and participate in the different activities organized by Sphere to share information about the manual and train staff from different humanitarian institutions on the manual’s application. As the season for hurricanes and heavy rains begins in El Salvador, SHARE finds it especially important to recognize the importance of our work with Sphere in preparing for future disasters.