NAIROBI — The world is facing an unprecedented number of crises. Politics, natural disasters, and climate change are fueling crises at a faster rate than the humanitarian sector is able to mobilize and respond. Now, funding is spread thinly and humanitarians are expected to do more with less. Because of this, the sector often looks to new data and information communication technology innovations to help humanitarian responses, such as implementing the use of drones, biometrics, and mobile technology.
But not everybody agrees with how technology has been integrated into humanitarian approaches. These innovations often raise ethical questions about whether the rights and security of beneficiary populations have been properly accounted for in the rollouts of these new programs.
Devex spoke with Nathaniel Raymond, director of the Signal Program on Human Security and Technology at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, about some of these concerns. The Signal Program on Human Security and Technology, which was founded in 2012, works to create best practice in the field of humanitarian use of ICT and digital data. Rather than creating more pilot programs, humanitarians should work to create minimum technical standards for technological innovations, Raymond said.