Published: March 29, 2011
New Study Highlights Vital Role of Information Technology in Disaster Relief
A new United Nations study today highlighted the vital role of new information technology in responding rapidly to sudden onset emergencies.
The study also identified best practice and lessons learned from last year's devastating Haitian earthquake.
"The challenge is to improve coordination between the structured humanitarian system and the relatively loosely organized volunteer and technical communities."- UN Under-Secretary-General Valerie Amos
According to Ms. Amos that the new report illustrates a potential way forward. Without direct collaboration with humanitarian organizations, volunteer and technical communities run the risk of mapping needs without being able to make sure that these needs can be met, she added.
The study, Disaster Relief 2.0: The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies, launched at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference 2011, analyzes how the humanitarian and emerging volunteer and technical communities collaborated in the aftermath of the Haitian quake that killed more than 200,000 people and made 1.3 million more homeless, and recommends ways to improve coordination in future emergencies.
Source: United Nations
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