UNHCR Innovation & ICT
Overview January 2011
Jenny Bredin (Consultant)
Terracotta mobile phones made by children in Darfur
Innovation?
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 Innovation ≠ Invention (Innovation convert ideas into resources, while
invention convert resources into ideas)
 Invention or discovery is the introduction of something new.
 Innovation is the process that renews something that exists.
 Innovations can be seen as effective, useful applications of discoveries or
inventions.
 Innovation is about allowing transgression! Standards help the
organization to be efficient but they also prevent it from change:
 How encouraging experimentation without compromising consistency?
 How experimentation can be capitalized at the organization level?
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 Innovation is about management. In terms of ICT, innovation is very linked
with the development dilemma: “standardized and integrated solutions”
versus “Best-of-breed specific applications”.
 Innovation management is mitigating initiatives and ideas with the need of an
organization-wide consistency
 Innovation must be focused on goals (meeting needs) and not on means
(technology)
Stock-taking
Findings
Conclusions
Next steps
Initiatives with a direct impact for PoC
Emergency
Care & maintenance
Durable solutions
Mobile “Supply and demand”
Communication:
PoC & the World
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-Souktel (Job offers, Aid request) , Middle East
-ITC Aragon (Business opportunities) , Benin
Information Sharing
- VozMob, USA
Social Network
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Improving the life
of PoC
Communication:
PoC and UNHCR
- Refugees United, Uganda
Reporting/Aid request
Call center
- Ayiti SMS SOS
- Jordan, Syria
infoasaid
Info by Web
- Turkey, Syria
Info by SMS
- Jordan, Syria
Distance learning
- CTA 32 sites, 13 countries
mBanking
- UNHCR, Jordan, Syria - M-PESA
ATM
- UNHCR Kenya (Dadaab?)
UNHCR initiatives exist
External initiatives exist
Non implemented concept
Stock-taking
Findings
Conclusions
Next steps
Initiatives with an indirect impact for PoC
Emergency
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Care & maintenance
Durable solutions
Oth
er
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Information Management
Data Collection
Mobile Data Collection
-Smartphone Needs Assessment, DRC
- Health Information System, DRC
-Mosquito Bed net, Kenya
Mobile Data Collection
-Open Data Kit
-RapidSMS
-EpiSurveyor
-Frontline SMS
-…
Collaborative platforms
- GeoPortal
-Health Information System
- IDP Project Tracking Database ,Iraq
- Refugee Assistance Information System, Jordan
Collaborative platforms
- Sahana
- Ushahidi
Vehicle tracking system
HUMA-NAV pilot : Uganda, Chad, Sudan
Digital Radio communication
UNHCR initiatives exist
External initiatives exist
Implementation status
unknown
Stock-taking
Findings
Conclusions
Next steps
Innovation at UNICEF
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 UNICEF uses innovation & ICT in multiple sectors:
Education, Health, Protection, Supply Management etc.
 UNICEF has an “Innovation Unit” (that started its first
activities four years ago) and two field based “innovation
labs”
 UNICEF collaborates with private sector and academia
 Example of activities/tools
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Mobile data collection tools
Track and trace applications for Supply Management
Collaborative and communication tools
Training and capacity building
Stock-taking
Findings
Conclusions
Next steps
Findings
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 ICT and innovation is not only a “gadget” within humanitarian
operations, but widely used and at the point to be
mainstreamed (that the United Nations Foundation has a
solution “mobile technology” speaks for itself!).
 ICT is constantly evolving and its role in the humanitarian
space is rapidly changing!
 UNHCR is quite behind some other humanitarian actors in
using ICT. The stock-taking is not organizational wide
(bureaus, to BO, to FO). The current focal point organization
with current constraints could not assure this.
 Many recent ICT initiatives have been triggered more by a
provider pushing for a certain solution rather than UNHCR
proactively having identified a clear need. Instead of being
handled as a "contractor deal", those initiatives have been
processed as donors’ grants.
Stock-taking
Findings
Conclusions
Next steps
Challenges
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Some of the main challenges for an organization like UNHCR
when implementing “innovative solutions” are to:
 Assure that solutions correspond to needs identified by
PoC’s and/or “the field”;
 Assure that field initiatives/experiments are capitalized at
HQ level ; the goal being to support future implementations
in similar contexts having similar needs;
 Avoid that HQ standards or technology push becomes an
obstructive factor when implementing “innovative
solutions”; the overall goal, meeting identified needs, but
also data models and open formats are more important than
technological standards.
Stock-taking
Findings
Conclusions
Next steps
Recommendations
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 Define a strategy:
 ICT should be integrated with and not isolated from the overall development
strategy and policy.
 ICT should be used and supported as a tool to achieve the objectives for
different focal areas and cross-cutting themes and not as a priority sector in
itself.
 A UNHCR strategy for the use of innovative technology should be developed.
 Innovation being a field of constant development implies that a strategy
should include adaptation mechanism to constantly include new technologies
and applications.
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 Future design and implementation:
 High level and functional definition of ICT applications should be done by
“Operations Support” with a close link to the operations needing them.
 Design and implementation should be done by “functional” and “technical”
experts in cooperation.
 The term “innovation” is quite “hype”; a more neutral and all-encompassing
term like “new technologies” could be used.
Stock-taking
Findings
Conclusions
Next steps
Recommendations
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 UNHCR should be the driving force for its own innovative solutions.
In parallel with defining (or as a part of) an Innovation strategy:
 UNHCR needs to take the lead in proposing innovative solutions based on
PoCs’ and operational needs.
 UNHCR should review the current relationships with external ICT partners; a
change from seeing these partners as donors to consider them as technology
partners is necessary.
 Adding a group “Technology partners” to currently existing groups Donors, IPs
and OPs would develop a better balance in the relationships between UNHCR
and these actors in the field of ICT.
 Activities supporting implementation of “innovative” solutions:
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 Constant monitoring of emerging technologies and new projects necessary!
 UNHCR should participate actively in “innovation and ICT” forums.
 UNHCR would benefit from cooperation with other UN agencies and other
humanitarian actors to rapidly get up to speed.
 Having resources working on “Innovation” would be beneficiary.
Stock-taking
Findings
Conclusions
Next steps
Proposed next steps
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 Define objectives
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Led by “operations support” with support from field operations and
other units
 Formulate a strategy
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Embracing the evaluative nature of innovation
Clarifying how innovation will help the organization
Identifying how the organization needs to adapt to make sure the
use of innovative solutions will be successful.
 Define priorities
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Chose a few projects with high impact
Based on already existing and implemented solutions
Underline the importance of resolving already identified needs
Initiatives with a direct impact for PoC
Use mobile phone based technologies (SMS for PoC & Smartphone
for Operations)
Stock-taking
Findings
Conclusions
Next steps
Proposed next steps
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 Put “Technology watch” (based on operational needs and not
pushed by technology) in place.
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Continuous monitoring of UNHCR “innovative” field projects
Continue external “technology and initiative watch”
 Identify possible funding sources
 Partnerships
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Participation in working groups and other networks ( UNICEF’s
innovation Unit)
Establish balanced agreement with “technology partners”
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 Network: find “innovation champions” to establish Focal
Points for new technologies in every major operations
 Support: HQ may specifically identify field projects proposal
with potential for deployment of new technologies