After exploring possibilities, in 2013 the ICRC started its Innovation Initiative to build on and encourage a culture of innovative thinking and practice within the organization. While the ICRC and its employees have always innovated, and have been compelled to do so, a more intentional and streamlined approach to innovation was needed to facilitate the work of the ICRC and its employees. More specifically, it was fundamental changes in the environment in which the ICRC operates that forced it to be more deliberate in the way it faced these realities. Challenges include – threatened acceptance and access, new expectations from beneficiaries and stakeholders, changes in the nature and conduct of conflict, new technologies in the hands of everyone, an increasingly diverse humanitarian space. The goal of the Innovation Initiative is to promote methodologies, approaches and technologies that address these issues and that can ensure that the ICRC continues to have an effective impact on the protection and assistance needs of its beneficiaries.
