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Published: October 23, 2014

New project on communications technology goes live!

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The objective of GISF’s new project on communications technology and security risk management is to begin an important conversation towards a better understanding of the specific nature of the security threats created by the digital revolution, and the implications for the security risk management of humanitarian staff and programmes.

 

Photo: Mary Kiperus, community health worker, uses a mobile phone for reporting to the local nurse. Leparua village, Isiolo County, Kenya. February, 2014. Christian Aid/Elizabeth Dalziel.
Photo: Mary Kiperus, community health worker, uses a mobile phone for reporting to the local nurse. Leparua village, Isiolo County, Kenya. February, 2014. Christian Aid/Elizabeth Dalziel.

The first publication of this project, Communications Technology and Humanitarian Delivery: Challenges and Opportunities for Security Risk Management, brings together 17 authors who analyse in 11 articles how communications technology is changing the operational environment, the ways in which communications technology is creating new opportunities for humanitarian agencies to respond to emergencies, and the impact that new programmes have on how we manage security.

The articles contained in this publication are dispatches from a new frontline in humanitarian action: the digital frontier. All are written by those observing, experiencing and attempting to respond to the challenges created by the digital revolution and the very real threats it is creating for humanitarian operations, and exploring the potential of new tools to create a safer, more responsive operational environment for aid workers.

This project aims to begin a conversation and to engage the humanitarian community in a debate about the opportunities and challenges that communications technology brings for the security risk management of staff and programmes. Your participation is very important, and we are seeking contributions for future articles. We would love to hear your ideas!

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