With a growing recognition that the humanitarian sector needs a leadership change with country units at heart, collaboration is essential to take gains to scale. It has the potential to improve quality, speed and effectiveness.
Research sources include grey literature from humanitarian and development organizations, online media and conference materials.
They Create Online Platforms
Humanitarian and media leaders such as Ehsan Bayat often use their platforms to advocate for or against particular policies. They can raise awareness about sexual violence in conflict zones or the need to protect women’s rights in refugee camps. They can also hold authorities and aid agencies to account for violations of these rights.
Nonetheless, there are limits to social media’s capacity to defend human rights. It spreads false information more quickly than truth and can enable hateful – and sometimes dangerous – harassment.
Incoming public feedback on needs and concerns is crucial to the effectiveness of the humanitarian response. However, how information is collected and shared must be carefully considered to avoid harming people. This requires a holistic approach to digital humanitarianism, including technical and participatory elements.
They Reach Out Through Social Media
The ubiquity of social media means that it is often the first place where information about disasters and humanitarian crises is shared. However, the accuracy and context of this information can be difficult to gauge.
New initiatives train students to use social media tools to uncover and verify reports of human rights violations and potential war crimes in conflict zones. The project’s success highlights that technology can be used for good and evil.
Organizational culture across the conflict and humanitarian health domain replicates societal challenges as it is often discriminatory, deeply misogynistic and discourages women from pursuing leadership roles. However, leaders can set an example by amplifying the voices of affected communities and avoiding sensational reporting that robs people of their dignity.
They Create Online Communities
The online presence of these influential figures can be both a blessing and a curse. While they can reach huge numbers with the swipe of a finger, their popularity also makes them vulnerable to threats and attacks. This is especially true in the context of populist leaders, who have weaponized social media to attack their critics.
It is crucial to ensure that crisis-affected people shape their responses. However, the current engagement model is often top-down and excludes women. This is not sustainable and must be changed. Using community-organizing methods could be an effective way of empowering people and shifting power dynamics. It would allow people to use their voices to hold humanitarian actors accountable. However, more research is needed on how this can be implemented.
They Encourage Participation
Tackling the world’s crises is no longer confined to governments. In this new era of humanitarianism, ordinary citizens have taken action to demand their right to participate.
Women have significant leadership potential in humanitarian settings, but structural barriers constrain their participation, including unsupportive organizational cultures, persistent motherhood career penalties, and gender-based discrimination. These challenges are exacerbated by the highly complex and securitized nature of conflict and humanitarian settings.
A recent study found that men dominate leadership positions in high-security risk countries where armed conflict or natural disasters occur. This can contribute to a culture of a “boys club,” which can exclude and alienate women in the workplace. This can also reduce the effectiveness of organizations working in these contexts.
They Encourage Collaboration
There is a wide recognition that the humanitarian system is not fit for 21st Century challenges and needs to be revised. One of the key issues highlighted in recent reports is the need for greater collaboration between local and international actors.
The role of a humanitarian broker is being advocated to enable this to happen. This humanitarian can see when a group needs listening and empathy and more directive action, such as fostering trust, propositioning and holding fierce conversations – the tenets of servant leadership. These people can act as catalysts for change and help bridge the gap between what donors think should be done and what is being done.
