Roundtables

 

We’re very pleased to announce the chosen topics for this year’s roundtables!

During the GeOnG forum, the roundtables are a perfect opportunity to discuss current or future stakes in the sector. The focus is on cross-cutting issues related to new technologies that impact the humanitarian and development fields, building upon the main theme selected for the event and allowing interactions between panel members, and between panel members and the audience during Q&A.

In 2020, we covered the following 10 topics - to read the full abstract and discover the recording of each session, see right below:

Monday 02/11 from 11:15am to 12:45pm (CET - French time) - Series 1

• Topic 1 - Data algorithms and inclusiveness: a myth or an achievable goal?
• Topic 2 - From beneficiaries to participants: mapping as an engagement tool for communities
• Topic 3 - How can you truly manage informed consent in practice?

Tuesday 03/11 from 10:00am - 11:30am (CET - French time) - Series 2

• Topic 4 - Aren't all aid workers "data people"? How to promote the right level of data literacy amongst your staff
• Topic 5 - Mapping as support for remote monitoring in crisis areas: opportunities & constraints
• Topic 6 - Promoting inclusiveness throughout the data cycle

Tuesday 03/11 from 4:00pm to 5:30pm (CET - French time) - Series 3

• Topic 7 - Data Protection laws in context: how can they be at the service of vulnerable people's rights?
• Topic 8 - The more granular and local the data, the more useful? Privacy vs. accuracy in GIS data visualizations
• Topic 9 - The role of language for data-driven humanitarian action
• Topic 10 - What should aid actors focus on to make data collection processes and tools more child-friendly?

 

Monday 02/11 from 11:15am to 12:45pm (CET - French time) - Series 1

Topic n°1 - Data algorithms and inclusiveness: a myth or an achievable goal?
In the past decade, we have witnessed a growing use of data algorithms in the humanitarian and development sectors ranging from predictive analytics to beneficiary selection - a change with implications for field operations and when it comes to accountability, and which also raises a few ethical questions. This roundtable will aim to address the following aspects:

• Can this increasing use of data algorithms drive us away from the original purpose of providing assistance to people in need?
• Can they truly be inclusive? Can they be used in fast-changing environments?
• How can the use of data algorithms be communicated about to NGO staff that are involved in projects using them? And explain to people of concern that are impacted by their usage?
• What safeguards, if any, should be put in place?

​​Panelists will introduce examples as well as the key lessons they have drawn from their own experience of dealing with data algorithms, outlining positive impacts and potential drawbacks, as well as sharing recommendations with the audience on when and how best to use them.

​With the participation of Claire Bénard on behalf of DataKind, Elizabeth Hendry from the CAMEALEON Consortium, Sofia Kyriazi from UNHCR and FanMan Tsang from the CDAC Network. This session will be facilitated by Lisa Daoud from Groupe URD.

 

Watch (again) the recording of this roundtable by clicking on the image.

Topic n°2 - From beneficiaries to participants: mapping as an engagement tool for communities
Participatory mapping is now commonly used by many humanitarian and development actors, who use it to gather data they could not get otherwise, get feedback from the beneficiaries of their projects, or complete their assessments with a different perspective. However, participatory mapping is no longer “just” an additional data collection method: it can be a tool to get communities involved on projects, reinforce the capacities of the entire local ecosystem (NGOs, community organizations, local governments, etc.) and contribute globally to citizen engagement. New approaches are emerging that are complementary to existing and now widely used tools, such as OpenStreetMap. How can we ensure these tools and methods join the toolbox of aid organizations to encourage beneficiary participation in their projects?

With the participation of Bea Varnai from UrbaMonde, Vanessa Gautier from F3E, Geoffrey Kateregga from the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and Sayouba Tiemtore from Yaam Solidarités. This session will be facilitated by Martin Noblecourt from CartONG.

TO READ - You may also check out the article that was written by F3E following their participation to this roundtable (in French).

 

Watch (again) the recording of this roundtable by clicking on the image.

Topic n°3 - How can you truly manage informed consent in practice?
Informed consent is the most widely used legal basis for data collection in the sector. However, it is difficult to obtain an “actual” informed consent in the field when people are placed in incredibly vulnerable situations, may be illiterate and/or digitally illiterate and when we know that language barriers (both in the linguistic and technical sense) are a real challenge.

• What do beneficiaries truly understand when we ask for their informed consent?
• If vulnerable people feel uncomfortable with data collection when receiving assistance, do they always have the option to actually refuse to give their consent or do they have to give up on upholding their rights?
• How close can we get to informed consent in practice, while respecting humanitarian principles? And how has the recent covid-19 crisis impacted our ability to obtain an informed consent from beneficiaries?
• What level of granularity should we aim for when it comes to informed consent?
• Which alternatives to consent are there and when should they be used?

​With the participation of Stuart Campo from the Centre for Humanitarian Data (OCHA), Amos Doornbos from World Vision International, Frédéric Gibaudan from the CAMEALEON Consortium and Victorien Hanché from ICRC. This session will be facilitated by Paola Verhaert from The Engine Room.

TO READ - Resource page on Data Protection of ICRC. In particular, we invite you to have a look at the 2nd edition of the Handbook on Data Protection in Humanitarian Action.

TO READ - We invite you to check out this short blog post by Amos Doornbos written following the roundtable.

 

Watch (again) the recording of this roundtable by clicking on the image.

 

Tuesday 03/11 from 10:00am - 11:30am (CET - French time) - Series 2

Topic n°4 - Aren't all aid workers "data people"? How to promote the right level of data literacy amongst your staff
Most practitioners of the humanitarian and development sector regularly work with data. Yet, they often do not consider themselves as “data people” that need to be trained and aware of the associated stakes. Organizations also struggle with assessing the right level of data literacy for their staff, given the diversity of backgrounds, profiles and responsibilities they have to deal with – from field workers to members of governing instances, and from non-technical teams to data officers. In this session, we will address how to promote the right level of data literacy among aid organizations from a policy, practical and change management perspective looking at some key questions:

• Why is data literacy important for an organization?
• What is data literacy in practice? And are there differences between existing needs at HQ and in the field?
• What are the challenges associated with drafting a comprehensive data literacy policy at an organizational level, and implementing it? What successful examples can serve as references for the sector? What best practices exist in terms of change management?
• How can an increased data literacy lead to better programming?

​With the participation of Gaetan Bailby from WFP, Stefania Giodini from The Netherlands Red Cross, Heather Leson from IFRC, Angeliki Nika from ACAPS and Katelyn Rogers from the Centre for Humanitarian Data (OCHA). This session will be facilitated by Jinal Foflia from Grab and active member of the OSM Foundation.

 

Watch (again) the recording of this roundtable by clicking on the image.

Topic n°5 - Mapping as support for remote monitoring in crisis areas: opportunities & constraints
Although remote mapping has been used successfully to improve the knowledge of humanitarian and development areas of intervention for years, the use of mapping for the actual monitoring of a situation is becoming crucial for NGOs and international organisations. This is caused by the fact that they are faced more and more with situations where they have little to no access to certain territories -due to security or sanitary constraints- and where therefore they often cannot even do field checks of the quality of data captured remotely. This roundtable will therefore explore different practical cases, focusing on what remote monitoring has to offer, how it can occur (through mapping, remote sensing or downgraded geolocated data collection for example), the type of sectors it works best for, as well as the necessary prerequisites for successful implementation.

​With the participation of Cédric Bernard and Erwann Fillol from Action Against Hunger, Clovis Grinand from Nitidae, Last Prosper Mufoya from MSF and Matthew Wencel from the IMPACT Initiatives. This session will be facilitated by Marie Beeckman from CartONG.

 

Watch (again) the recording of this roundtable by clicking on the image.

Topic n°6 - Promoting inclusiveness throughout the data cycle
Inclusiveness should not just be a general principle that looks nice on paper, but should be applied coherently in programs, which entails that it should be properly taken into account in associated data management practices. This requires looking carefully at all the different steps of the data cycle and for each, considering what could be the implications of being inclusive, such as:

• During the tool design phase: ensuring the contextual analysis prior to the data collection has an inclusivity angle;
• During the design of the project: considering using participatory methodologies, making sure that project indicators factors in the necessary inclusivity settings or disaggregation, or even that questions that will be asked during data collection are phrased and organized to avoid biases such as social desirability;
• During the actual data collection phase: trying to be as inclusive as possible in the choice of enumerators and in defining the sampling and data collection procedures;
• During the analysis: thinking through what inclusive representations need to be made and acted upon;
• And of course, during the sharing of the results: ensuring one implements accountable processes to discuss results with the communities with an inclusive panel of people.

The panelists will share their experiences and bring different perspectives to the table, also focusing on the difficulties of being inclusive as well as unexpected opportunities it can also make possible.

​With the participation of Marie Becue, Consultant on Gender and Protection in Crises, Daniel Burwood from Integrity Action, Rikke Fredberg from ECHO and Jerusha Govender from Data Innovator & Member of the South African Monitoring & Evaluation Association. This session will be facilitated by Florian Pujol from Humanity & Inclusion.

 

Watch (again) the recording of this roundtable by clicking on the image.

 

Tuesday 03/11 from 4:00pm to 5:30pm (CET - French time) - Series 3

Topic n°7 - Data Protection laws in context: how can they be at the service of vulnerable people's rights?
In light of the fact that we, as humanitarian and development actors, mostly deal with very vulnerable people, we should consider the difference between compliance and ethics. Various data protection legal frameworks have recently come out, most notably the European GDPR, but they are not thought out, designed or meant specifically for field environments and for the very vulnerable people we deal with in the sector. During this roundtable, the panelists will therefore cover the following questions:

• What is the relevance of these laws in the context of humanitarian action and when interacting with vulnerable data subjects?
• What have been the experiences of NGOs in the field since these laws came into effect, and in particular the GDPR? What challenges, and also potential failures have they faced?
• What challenges has the covid-19 crisis - and resulting social distancing measures - added to the implementation of such laws in the field?
• How can DPOs accompany field workers and advise them on how to deal with the realities they encounter? What solutions have been found and implemented so far?

Panelists will introduce examples as well as the key lessons they have learned from their own experience of implementing such laws and related ethical standards, bringing different perspectives to the table.

​With the participation of Alexandre Baillat from MSF, Frédéric Gibaudan from the CAMEALEON Consortium, Victorien Hanché from ICRC and Twisha Mehta from Humanity United. This session will be facilitated by Olivia Williams PhD candidate at the American University of Washington DC.

TO READ - Resource page on Data Protection of ICRC. In particular, we invite you to have a look at the 2nd edition of the Handbook on Data Protection in Humanitarian Action.

 

Watch (again) the recording of this roundtable by clicking on the image.

Topic n°8 - The more granular and local the data, the more useful? Privacy vs. accuracy in GIS data visualizations
Within the domain of GIS and web map development, we should be careful not to accidentally release private or sensitive information about the populations of concern. For example, an innocent-looking point on a map may actually refer to an individual house, unintentionally revealing that the residents are irregular immigrants. Fortunately, with the broad GIS technologies available today, we are able to aggregate and anonymize our data. Ranging from restricted zoom levels to artificial catchment areas, we have a range of solutions to address this problem.

• How are the humanitarian organizations implementing GIS technologies for data anonymization?
• How are we preventing possible de-anonymization and re-identification of the data?
• What are the implications (both positive and negative) of these solutions on operational decision-making?

​​With the participation of Jean-Guy Audéoud from CartONG and on behalf of MSF, Yvon Orand from UNHCR, Wendi Peterson from GICHD, Yann Rebois from ICRC and Dr. Bernd Resch from the University of Salzburg. This session will be facilitated by Sylvie de Laborderie and Elsa Raunio from CartONG.

 

Watch (again) the recording of this roundtable by clicking on the image.

Topic n°9 - The role of language for data-driven humanitarian action
Language diversity, long underrated in humanitarian contexts, is emerging as an essential component of effective community engagement. Links between vulnerability, accountability, and language are increasingly recognized. Yet, data on the languages affected people speak and understand is largely unavailable to organizations to inform communication strategies. Language barriers further hamper organizations’ ability to understand people’s needs, capacities, and concerns and respond accordingly. Without accessible and reliable data, organizations default to potentially unsafe assumptions that hinder the effectiveness and reach of community engagement efforts.

• What is the learning from evidence and practice to date on the impact of the language data gap?
• What tangible actions and new partnerships can fill this critical data gap?
• How can this be done in line with good data collection and processing measures?

With the aim of answering such questions, this session will bring together a diverse panel of organizations to share good practices developed and learning acquired on multilingual data collection and language data use. Drawing on experiences in a range of responses, including the COVID-19 response, they will explore the relevance of language for better data-driven humanitarian action. Following a round of presentations, participants will be invited to contribute with experiences and questions for an interactive conversation.

​With the participation of Eric DeLuca from Translators without Borders, Nayana Das from IMPACT Initiatives, David Okutu from Mercy Corps Nigeria and Chloe Sydney from IDMC. This session will be facilitated by Mia Marzotto from Translators without Borders.

TO READ - Read this short blog post written by Translators without Borders following their participation at this roundtable.

 

Watch (again) the recording of this roundtable by clicking on the image.

 

Topic n°10 - What should aid actors focus on to make data collection processes and tools more child-friendly?
As humanitarian and development actors, we sometimes assume that because new generations better master new technologies, they are a good way to engage with children. Although it is true, they bring interesting opportunities to aid actors by offering other communication channels for children and teenagers to express their needs or give feedback on programs, reality is slightly more complicated than this. In fact, when implementing data processes, dealing with these age groups comes with its own challenges, and raises several concerns:

• What risks exist? And what safeguards should be implemented so new technologies can be used to their full potential?
• How should informed consent be adapted to different age groups? What role should parents play?
• Can a tool or process truly be child-centric and what does it entail? How should they be adapted to take into account the specific characteristics of children (shorter attention span, different understanding of stakes and questions than adults, etc.)?
• In what cases can it be relevant to let children self-administer a data collection tool?
• Has the recent covid-19 crisis highlighted any new issues that will have a lasting impact on making processes and tools more child-friendly?

Panelists will introduce examples as well as the key lessons they have learned from their own experience of using new technologies in programs for children, outlining positive impacts and potential drawbacks, as well as sharing recommendations with the audience on when and how best to use them.

​With the participation of Zaid Ghnimat from Save The Children Norway, Shraddha Kulkarni from Girl Effect India, Kristen Hope from Terre des hommes and Andrew Young from The GovLab. This session will be facilitated by Linda Raftree from the MERL Tech.

 

Watch (again) the recording of this roundtable by clicking on the image.

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We warmly thank all the humanitarian and development actors, and all technical experts and researchers who are joining this year's edition as roundtable panelists.