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The Sphere Project was launched in 1997 by a group of humanitarian NGOs and the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement. Sphere is based on two core beliefs: first, that all possible steps should be taken to alleviate human suffering arising out of calamity and conflict, and second, that those affected by disaster have a right to life with dignity and therefore a right to assistance. In 2007, Sphere Project is celebrating its decadal journey to address the human sufferings of millions around worldwide.There is a need therefore to document and to capture the experiences from various organizations and in different contexts about how Sphere did make a difference. But given that the Humanitarian work is complex and sometimes messy, it is critical that the way we document it reflects this complexity and critically challenges it, situates the work in the broader political, social and economic context, and provokes humanitarian workers into a deeper understanding of the nature and difficulties of good and accountable humanitarian action. Keeping in view, Sphere Geneva has decided to document and capture the field experiences for wider sharing among various stakeholders. In this context Inter Agency Group (IAG), Orissa, India has made an attempt to document the case studies and mini stories on Sphere initiatives in Orissa. This anthology of case studies is the outcome of the series of consultation with seven organizations UNDP, UNICEF Action Aid, Catholic Relief Services, Concern Worldwide, Indian Red Cross, Lutheran World services, and World Vision. We hope this document of field stories about SPHERE would be useful to many humanitarian organizations as well as to the much wider community to promote Sphere in field.This document capture the experiences of the (Inter Agency Group's) IAG Orissa, India - IAG collective achievements during 2008 and was drafted highlighting the commitments to the Humanitarian challenges by various organizations in Orissa, India. SPHERE Geneva support and encouragement helped to make this fruitful exercise to to produce the document. We hope this document would help a lot to us transmit the experiences of the Commitment to humanitarian Challenges effectively to a wider community.
Dr. Antony GnanamuthuSPHERE Geneva - Focal Point
Dr. Antony SR Gnanamuthu (former MEMBER Expert Appraisal Committee - INDUSTRIES, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Government of India) is a highly experienced humanitarian and disaster management expert with over 25 years of global experience across Asia, Africa, and Europe. His expertise spans nonprofit leadership, community engagement, capacity building, disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and risk reduction, working notably with International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) organizations. He pioneered community-based disaster risk reduction strategies, including the development of the Village Disaster Management Plan (VDMP), significantly improving community resilience. His leadership of the Odisha Disaster Mitigation Program (ODMP) from 1996 to 2009 yielded substantial reductions in disaster casualties. Academically, he holds multiple degrees, including a Ph.D in Public Management from the University of Potsdam, and has authored numerous manuals on community empowerment and disaster preparedness. His credentials include managing diverse projects such as cyclone, earthquake, flood, drought, and climate change adaptation programs funded by prominent donors like KfW, EU, ECHO, Google, and German MoFA, Netherlands MoFA while working in various countries. Currently, he serves as the Ambassador (Country Head) for India with IADM (Sweden based INGO) and has received the 2025 Global Recognition Award (GRA) for his contributions towards "Community Based Disaster Management". He has also served on high-level advisory bodies for environmental and industrial assessments in India, demonstrating his leadership and influence in global disaster risk reduction and environmental governance.
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