Through its public events in 2021, CDAC Network explored digital communication and accountability – in particular, asking how technology could offer a tipping point in shifting the power in aid.
This policy brief outlines our key takeaways from a year of thought-provoking discussions:
- Technology and digital platforms present an important opportunity to include more people in dialogue and communicate more effectively.
- The use of digital platforms is accompanied by risks that humanitarian actors must fully reflect in their planning.
- People use many communication channels to learn from and participate in information and dialogue – the most trusted of these are personally or locally driven.
- The growth of digital access is far from homogeneous – investment in sustainable solutions must build on context analysis, include infrastructure and prioritise digital literacy.
- The humanitarian sector is behind when it comes to technology and is over-incentivised by the need to innovate. This has contributed to a mismatch between the demand and supply of humanitarian technology solutions.
- Poor capacity, risk aversion and data colonisation act as barriers to positive advancement in power-sharing and accountability through technology.