ABSTRACT
This chapter takes a broad and personal view of humanitarian response, discussing how humanitarian standards can contribute to the effective functioning of the “humanitarian machine” through a common language to coordinate and collaborate among humanitarian actors. The most significant contribution of Sphere, over 20 years ago in the wake of the Rwanda genocide, was not only to develop technical standards for life-saving sectors, but to anchor these standards in people’s rights under existing international laws and declarations. These rights are spelled out in the Humanitarian Charter. The combination of rights and best practice is what continues to make Sphere relevant and important.
