High-Level Event on Data Responsibility in Humanitarian Action

The OCHA Centre for Humanitarian Data, in partnership with the European Commission Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), are pleased to convene this high-level event on Data Responsibility in Humanitarian Action.

Data responsibility — the safe, ethical, and effective management of data — is a critical issue for humanitarians. The stakes are high: data can enable more effective and efficient humanitarian response, but as organizations process increasingly large volumes of data, they face more complex challenges. Ensuring we ‘do no harm’ while maximizing the benefits of data requires collective action that extends across the humanitarian system. This is especially relevant in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated existing humanitarian emergencies around the world and increased the sector’s reliance on digital technologies and data.

Over the last two years, OCHA and ECHO have partnered to increase trust and cooperation within the humanitarian data ecosystem. We are now organizing a high-level virtual event to share lessons learned and examine the systemic challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for collective action on data responsibility. The discussion will feature experts from OCHA, ECHO, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and REACH.