The Standby Partnership Network
Standby Partnerships
and
the Standby Partnership Network
Standby Partnerships provides surge capacity support to United Nations (UN) Agencies through the deployment of expertise to emergencies. Standby Partners are a diverse group of NGOs, government agencies, donors, private sector organisations, foundations and intergovernmental bodies.
In more than 30 years of operation, Standby Partnerships have expanded considerably by gaining new participating UN Agencies, Funds, Offices and Programmes and Standby Partners. Standby Partnerships now respond to over 1,000 requests for technical experts yearly, and deploy in more than 100 countries. The contribution to UN emergency responses represents up to USD70 million in a given year.
The Standby Partnership (SBP) Network commenced in 2013 to coordinate between members and improve the quality of standby deployments. Today 16 UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes are supported by 38 deploying organisations. This diverse range of partners come together in the Standby Partnership Network to ensure that high quality technical expertise is available to be deployed to over 100 emergency contexts.
2025 Annual Report
During an exceptionally challenging year for the humanitarian sector, Standby Partnership Network members continued to demonstrate resilience, adaptability, and sustained operational impact. In 2025, the Network saw 1,109 deployments active in support of humanitarian operations worldwide, representing a total in-kind contribution of USD 72.5 million.
This year's report highlights the dedication and collaborative efforts of our members, reflected in the development of the Strategic Framework 2026–2028, new partnerships, strengthened measurement of results, enhanced PSEA measures, improved duty of care, and increased communications and visibility across the Network.
