UNHCR Innovation & ICT

Overview January 2011Jenny Bredin (Consultant)

Terracotta mobile phones made by children in Darfur

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Innovation?

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?

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)

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Emergency Care & maintenance Durable solutions

Info by Web- Turkey, Syria

Info by SMS- Jordan, Syria

Call center- Jordan, Syria

Reporting/Aid request

- Ayiti SMS SOS

Distance learning- CTA 32 sites, 13 countries

ATM- UNHCR Kenya (Dadaab?)

mBanking- UNHCR, Jordan, Syria - M-

PESA

Social Network- Refugees United, Uganda

Mobile “Supply and demand”-Souktel (Job offers, Aid request) , Middle East-ITC Aragon (Business opportunities) , Benin

infoasaid

Information Sharing- VozMob, USA

UNHCR initiatives existExternal initiatives existNon implemented concept

Initiatives with a direct impact for PoCConclusions Next stepsStock-taking Findings

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Collaborative platforms- GeoPortal

-Health Information System- IDP Project Tracking Database ,Iraq

- Refugee Assistance Information System, Jordan

Mobile Data Collection

-Smartphone Needs Assessment, DRC

- Health Information System, DRC

-Mosquito Bed net, Kenya

Vehicle tracking systemHUMA-NAV pilot : Uganda, Chad, Sudan

Digital Radio communication

UNHCR initiatives existExternal initiatives existImplementation statusunknown

Mobile Data Collection-Open Data Kit

-RapidSMS-EpiSurveyor -Frontline SMS

-…

Collaborative platforms- Sahana- Ushahidi

Emergency Care & maintenance Durable solutions

Initiatives with an indirect impact for PoCConclusions Next stepsStock-taking Findings

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Innovation at UNICEF

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

Mobile data collection tools Track and trace applications for Supply Management Collaborative and communication tools Training and capacity building

Conclusions Next stepsStock-taking Findings

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Findings

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.

Conclusions Next stepsStock-taking Findings

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Challenges

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.

Conclusions Next stepsStock-taking Findings

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Recommendations

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.

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.

Conclusions Next stepsStock-taking Findings

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Recommendations

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: 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.

Conclusions Next stepsStock-taking Findings

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Proposed next steps

Define objectives Led by “operations support” with support from field

operations and other units

Formulate a strategy 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 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)

Conclusions Next stepsStock-taking Findings

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Proposed next steps

Put “Technology watch” (based on operational needs and not pushed by technology) in place. Continuous monitoring of UNHCR “innovative” field projects Continue external “technology and initiative watch”

Identify possible funding sources Partnerships

Participation in working groups and other networks ( UNICEF’s innovation Unit)

Establish balanced agreement with “technology partners”

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

Conclusions Next stepsStock-taking Findings