SCHR – Working together to improve humanitarian action
The Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) is a group of nine of the world’s leading humanitarian organisations. They come together to learn from each other, share experience, and improve how aid is delivered to people affected by crises.
By working across many countries and emergencies, SCHR members have a unique view of what works - and what doesn’t - in humanitarian response. Through this collaboration, SCHR helps identify practical ways to make aid more effective, more accountable, and more focused on the needs of people facing crisis.
Founded in 1972, SCHR brings decades of experience in supporting better humanitarian action. Its work focuses on three main areas - click on ‘Our Work’ above to find out more.
Our Membership
SCHR currently has nine members who deliver around a quarter to a third of all internationally funded humanitarian assistance worldwide. They delivered over $15bn of aid in 2025, down from $16.7bn in 2024, of which around $7.3bn was humanitarian.
Our vision
We believe in a world where communities, National and International civil society, governments, and regional organisations respond effectively to humanitarian emergencies, guided by shared humanitarian principles.
Our mission
As international humanitarian organisations, we put people affected by disasters at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to save lives, reduce suffering, and protect human dignity.
How SCHR works
SCHR is a small, flexible alliance that brings organisations together without taking away their independence.
The leaders (CEOs) of member organisations—known as the Principals—set the overall direction and meet regularly as the Steering Committee.
A Working Group of senior humanitarian and policy experts helps guide discussions and share expertise.
A small secretariat in Geneva supports the day-to-day work.
SCHR does not speak with one voice or require members to take joint policy positions. Instead, it provides a safe space for analysis, frank discussion and shared learning, which we then use to influence and improve the wider humanitarian ecosystem—a term that describes the collective efforts of everyone who shares our mission, from community volunteers and local NGOs to international NGOs, UN agencies, and governments. By utilising our members’ knowledge and experience, complemented by the lived experience of the affected people we interact with on a daily basis, SCHR helps drive improvements across the humanitarian sector as a whole.