This HNPW event will bring together humanitarian and development practitioners from private sector, international organizations, national and regional governmental entities to exchange lessons learned on how the power of digital technology can be leveraged for more efficient preparedness for response and recovery in an inclusive, accessible way.

The Dutch Disaster Risk Reduction and Surge Support under the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs works together with Floodtags that has designed an algorithm that filters the entire internet (social media, news, websites, more) to retrieve real-time flood related information at specific locations. This information can then be used to improve flood forecasts modelling information and detect floods at an early stage so that responsible authorities and emergency services can act earlier.

The Ministry of Interior (MOI) of the Kingdom of Bahrain has launched the National Civil Protection Platform, an integrated national platform aimed at enhancing public safety in the country. The platform allows citizens and residents to have access to information that concerns their safety and works to promote the culture of prevention by employing digital technologies.

The World Food Programme has developed the Digital Engine for Emergency Photo-analysis, or DEEP, to automate the analysis of drone and satellites images and help speed up the response time during emergencies. This tool has been first deployed in Mozambique in 2019, and the in Colombia, the Philippines and Lebanon in 2020 to assess damage to buildings.

A collaborative initiative involving FAO, WFP, and others, the Global Agricultural Monitoring Initiative (GEOGLAM) provides tech-driven services that leverage Earth observations (e.g. satellite and ground data) to provide agricultural conditions and outlooks at global, regional, and national levels. GEOGLAM supports early warning efforts by identifying crop production shortfalls in major food-producing countries and food-insecure regions worldwide. Technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are also integrated into GEOGLAM.

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation (M4H) Programme is a cutting-edge mobile digital technology initiative that addresses humanitarian challenges and accelerates the delivery and impact of digital humanitarian action, from mobile-based early warning messages to cutting edge child malnutrition detection. M4H achieves this by catalysing partnerships between mobile operators and the humanitarian sector and by developing and testing digital solutions that can be used in existing humanitarian crises.

Acknowledging that 2.5 billion people cross the world require some form of assistive technology, such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, prostheses, eyeglasses or digital services, The Global Partnership for Assistive Technology works towards increasing awareness and political will and encourage innovation and investment in assistive technology markets systems and services in low- and middle- income countries where only 10% of people have the assistive technology they need.

Objectives

• Present opportunities, challenges and solutions to leverage the power of digital technologies for preparedness
• Share best practices from private sector, research and development organizations, international, regional and national organizations that can inform and inspire the uptake of digital technological solutions for preparedness
• Showcase digital technological solutions that are inclusive of all in preparedness, including for persons with disabilities and other under-represented groups by advocating for accessible technology