Enhancing digital literacy: Identifying the opportunities and limitations of digitalisation
The digital information and communication revolution over the last two decades poses enormous opportunities and challenges for humanitarian actors and the sector’s digital transformation. On the one hand, digital technologies might increase the efficiency of humanitarian assistance, reduce costs, shape innovation and create new ways of participation for and accountability to people affected by crisis. On the other hand, people’s dignity, safety and security might be at risk when data isn’t properly handled and privacy protected from digital harm or power imbalances and stereotypes enforced.
In light of German as well as European data protection standards and data rights discussions like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), Digital Services or the AI Acts, this debate appears to be particularly relevant for German humanitarian actors. Yet, the complexity and challenges often seem to further hinder digitalisation or the sector’s digital transformation process, in which many German actors are only involved in to a limited extent anyway. Valuable opportunities for more efficient and effective, not to speak about accountable humanitarian assistance are often pursued insufficiently or unsustainably, and the transformative aspect not systematically considered.
With several workshops, papers, and an international conference in 2023, the project contributes to the national and international discussion of the humanitarian sector’s digital transformation process. The first project component analyses the current capabilities and practices of German stakeholders alongside selected international actors. The second project component addresses the role of technologies to strengthening participation of and accountability to affected populations by looking at digital technologies, complex challenges and potential solutions to enable people to hold humanitarian actors to account when it comes to the use of digital technologies and their data. The component includes a study that is based on a literature review and key informant interviews to reflect different perspectives, insights and experience, followed by a number of events to be organised in 2023.
Contact: Andrea Düchting
Enhancing digital literacy: Identifying the opportunities and limitations of digitalisation is part of the project “Strengthening the Programme and Policy Relevant Capabilities of Humanitarian Actors in Germany” (SPreAD), funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.
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Andrea Düchting at AidEx 2024
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The digital capacity of German humanitarian action
18.12.2023
CHA Conference 2024
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Ralf Südhoff on humanitarian trends of the future
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Andrea Düchting at the Weizenbaum Conference
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#CHA23 Conference Review
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Webinar: Digital accountability in cash and voucher assistance
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Andrea Düchting at the Humanitarian Futures Conference
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CHA Conference 2023: Tackling power imbalances in humanitarian action
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Digital Accountability
23.02.2023
Is trust the key denominator to digitally transform the humanitarian sector?!
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Online Workshop: Digital accountability & data portability
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CHAtroom #11: Humanitarian Digital Divide
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CHA Annual Conference 2022: Where is the Humanitarian Turning Point?
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Doing No (Digital) Harm by Design in Humanitarian Technology Interventions
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Online Workshop: Digital Accountability
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Humanitarian Digital Panorama: A Roadmap beyond 2022
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CHAtroom #7: Mapping in Humanitarian Action
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Online Round Table: Digitalisation
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