Date:27/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/27/stories/2007102763340300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Handbook on disaster response released

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Sphere Project Geneva, in association with Books For Change, released the 2004 revised edition of the handbook ‘Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response’ here on Friday. The low-cost edition is an effort to make the handbook widely available, specially for developing countries.

Veronica Foubert, board member of Sphere Project, said that the book was also being translated into local languages such as Hindi, Gujarati, Oriya, Malayalam and likewise for other countries.

Unnikrishnan P.V., member of Action Aid, said the purpose of the handbook was to facilitate appropriate assistance for appropriate people at the appropriate time and to create better disaster response worldwide as well as to acquaint those affected with the kind of humanitarian assistance to expect.

The various disasters worldwideprompted several NGOs and voluntary organisations to come together and form the Sphere Project in 1997. The book was released by Sphere Project board member Linda Poteat and the first copy was handed over to Alex Tucksano, member of Praxis, a voluntary organisation.