Technologies in Humanitarian Settings: Digital Upskilling of Humanitarian Actors

 There is a growing gap between the complexity of digital technologies being adopted and the necessary skill level of staff to implement them in many humanitarian organisations. This gap can delay the rollout of any given technology and affect it from being used safely, sustainably, and effectively.

Basic digital literacy should be achieved by all frontline humanitarians, even if they are not the intended end-user of an adopted technology at that moment.

While an increasing number of humanitarian organisations are taking steps to support and advance the digital literacy of their frontline staff and partners, there are no sector-wide regulations and standards on digital literacy.

Organisational digital strategies and action plans are critical for framing and prioritising digital needs within an organization and its organisational partners. Action plans need strong involvement from frontline staff to ensure actions are compatible with needs and constraints.