Presenting the new IASC Operational Guidance on Data Responsibility in Humanitarian Action

Data responsibility in humanitarian action is the safe, ethical and effective management of personal and non-personal data for operational response. It is a critical issue for the humanitarian system to address and the stakes are high. In February 2021, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) published new Operational Guidance on Data Responsibility in Humanitarian Action. The Operational Guidance, which is a first, will ensure concrete steps for data responsibility in all phases of humanitarian action. It is intended to help humanitarian staff, organizations, and their partners practice data responsibility in different response contexts. It is the result of an inclusive and consultative process involving more than 250 stakeholders from the humanitarian sector and co-led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Centre for Humanitarian Data.

In this Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) briefing session, representatives from the Danish Refugee Council, IOM, OCHA, and UNHCR will present the Operational Guidance and share examples of how it is already being adopted in different response contexts. The goal of the session is to raise awareness of the Operational Guidance and offer concrete recommendations for its use by a wide range of actors to advance data responsibility.