On 6 February 2019, on the occasion of the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) in Geneva, the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (DG ECHO) hosted a panel discussion on Data Responsibility in Humanitarian Action, jointly with OCHA, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Widely attended, the event brought together senior leaders from the humanitarian community and academia to discuss concrete interventions to promote data responsibility in the humanitarian sector.

Androulla Kaminara, Director for Africa, Asia, Latin America, Caribbean and Pacific at DG ECHO, opened the event by highlighting the key milestones in data protection over the past year. In the EU, the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which entered into force in May 2018, became the most important and advanced data privacy regulation in the world. Since then, the EU has progressively stepped up its engagement in advocacy on humanitarian data responsibility. Director Kaminara introduced four action points as a collective 'to do list’, and namely:

1) raising awareness of the opportunities and risks in using humanitarian data;

2) updating International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in light of new realities spurred by the digital revolution, such as cyber-attacks affecting and targeting INGOs;

3) improving the minimum technical standards for humanitarian data collection and analysis;

4) peer-to-peer accountability on data breaches and the obligation to report such cases.

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The panel discussion then delved into the practical, ethical and technical aspects of data responsibility in humanitarian aid.

Nathaniel Raymond, Professor at Jackson Institute, Yale University, highlighted that data responsibility is first and foremost a question of rights. He stressed the need to collectively review where digital technologies and data fit in the cluster system and come to a shared definition of 'digital harm'. Sarah Telford, Lead of the OCHA Centre for Humanitarian Data, presented the work of the Centre since its inauguration in December 2017. Highlighting the sensitivity of personal and demographic data, she presented OCHA’s work on data responsibility, including tools to detect sensitive data and the upcoming Data Responsibility Guidelines. Massimo Marelli, Head of Data Protection Office at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), highlighted the particular risk of using data in conflict settings, as well as ICRC's current work on translating policies into programmes at field level. Christine Knudsen, Sphere Executive Director, particularly underscored the need for a transparent legal framework at country-level, to better inform both humanitarians and their beneficiaries on the mandatory reporting requirements towards local authorities.

In her closing remarks, Ursula Mueller, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, recalled the importance of responsible data to foster empowerment and dignity. Noting that technologies have evolved faster than policies and guidelines, she underlined the need to create trust among partners and beneficiaries.

The EU and OCHA are committed to promote collective effort to harness the opportunities and mitigate the challenges and risks of the digital age while increasing the safe use and effective impact of data in humanitarian response.

Find out more information on DG ECHO’s digitalisation in humanitarian aid thematic page.