In 2024, Oxfam Hong Kong and local partners held a “Sphere Handbook” training in Guangxi.
In addition to providing emergency relief to disaster-affected communities, Oxfam Hong Kong (OHK) actively promotes international humanitarian response standards and training. This initiative aims to improve the knowledge, capabilities and quality of disaster prevention and mitigation, and emergency response of communities and humanitarian organisations.
The "Sphere Handbook" is one of the most important international humanitarian response standards. OHK is one of three Sphere Focal Point in China. We have worked with partners to translate and revise the 2011 and 2018 editions of the "Sphere Handbook". Together, we also released the first edition of the "Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability", the Chinese version of the "Sphere Handbook" (2018 edition), and contributed to the formulation of the "Sphere Standards and the COVID-19 response".
China is a rapidly developing country, with many cities having the resources and capabilities to respond to disasters. However, remote areas and rural regions have poor infrastructure and a shortage of human resources. When faced with sudden disasters, external aids are often needed to ensure an effective response. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has encouraged civil society organisations to engage internationally, including in disaster relief. While these organisations are passionate about their work, they are often unfamiliar with development issues and international contexts. The professionalism of rescue work varies, and organisations frequently struggle with effective coordination and management, as well as the technical language and experience needed to align with international standards.
In light of this, the "Sphere Handbook" has become an important reference for humanitarian organisations in Mainland China. Over the past ten years, OHK has been committed to promoting the "Sphere Handbook" and related standards. By the end of December 2024, we had held 17 international humanitarian response standards training sessions centred on the "Sphere Handbook" in Mainland China, with over 700 participants from more than 300 humanitarian organisations. We also trained a group of professional Chinese trainers. Through learning the "Sphere Handbook", humanitarian organisations and relevant government departments in Mainland China can understand the best practices accumulated from rescue actions in different parts of the world, and learn how to plan, implement, and evaluate humanitarian actions to ensure that people affected by disasters or conflicts receive appropriate protection and assistance, and live with dignity.
Additionally, OHK promotes other international humanitarian response standards such as the "Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action", "Minimum Requirements for Market Analysis in Emergencies", "Humanitarian Inclusion Standards for Older People and People with Disabilities", and "Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards". In some disaster-prone communities, we also promote the "Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)" and supports the establishment of community response teams, aiming to enhance the disaster response capabilities of humanitarian organisations and various communities in Mainland China.
