A new article by the Signal Program on Human Security and Technology at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative explores what constitutes ‘humanitarian communications space’, and the challenges to agreeing a common definition of ‘humanitarian communication’ and its protection under international law.
It is time for the humanitarian community to revisit and revise the definitions of what constitutes ‘humanitarian’ aid in a networked world. As a result, we will be able to begin the long and iterative process of developing standards based on these definitions to protect technology’s promise and help mitigate its perils.
What is ‘Humanitarian Communication’? Towards Standard Definitions and Protections for the Humanitarian Use of ICTs. al Achkar, Z., Card, B. and Raymond, N.