Webinar agenda Online/Offline: How Technology Can Empower Local Refugee Communities 1. Presentation by Alan Vernon, Project Lead, Connectivity for Refugees, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (Washington DC) 2. Interview by Josephine Goube, Chief Executive Officer of Techfugees (London) in conversation with Alan Vernon, UNHCR 3. Q&A moderated by Kim Turner , Cities of Migration, Global Diversity Exchange (Toronto) Webinar recording will be available on the website: www.citiesofmigration.ca
Connecting Refugees Cities of Migration Webinar Alan Vernon, Project Lead, Connectivity for Refugees UNHCR 23 November 2016 2
Our Connected world Connectivity : • The state of being connected or interconnected • The ability to link and communicate with other electronic devices, computer systems, software, or the internet. – Mobile phones (smart, feature, basic) – Tablets , laptops, computers. • The capacity to make use of technology to connect in order to receive and share information and communicate 3
Connectivity for Refugees • Introduction • Key Takeaways • Research Findings: How well are refugees connected? • UNHCR’s Strategy for Connecting Refugees • Discussion 4
Key Takeaways • Vast majority of refugees are not reliably connected to the Internet and struggle to maintain mobile phone use • While networks are lacking in some cases, the primary barrier is affordability • The private sector is ready to work with the Humanitarian Community • Connecting refugees holds the potential to dramatically improve their well-being and transform humanitarian action 5
UNHCR Connectivity for Refugees Vision UNHCR aims, through creative partnerships and smart investments, to ensure that all refugees, and the communities that host them, have access to an available, affordable and usable mobile and internet connectivity in order to leverage these technologies for protection, communications, education, health, self‐reliance, community empowerment and durable solutions. 6
Research & Assessment Methodology 76 Countries for Coverage Analysis 94 Countries for Data Analysis 96 Survey Responses 20 Focus Groups 4 Assessment Missions (from 44 countries) (in 10 countries) (Tanzania, Kenya, Jordan, Greece) Map shows countries with survey responses and/or focus group participation 7
What do we know about how connected refugees are? Major Refugee Locations (2014) Globally, 7% of refugees live in areas without any coverage 52% of refugees live in areas without 3G broadband mobile internet coverage Refugees are 50% less likely than the general population to have an internet-enabled phone, and 29% of refugee households have no phone at all. 8
Key Findings (1) Affordability constraints – the most Refugees have similar access to mobile 1 2 networks as the global population significant hurdle to overcome in connecting refugees 9
Key Findings (2) As the global 3 population, refugees experience differences in network coverage and device ownership in urban and rural areas 10
Key Findings (4) Connectivity is critical for refugees in Refugees, just as the rest of us, use 5 6 communicating with friends and family, Social medias extensively. in both their home and host country. 11
Key Findings (6) Refugees, UNHCR staff and NGO partners see connectivity as critical to the 7 protection of refugees. “The problem is that in my community, getting timely access to first aid is hard, so it’ll really help, if an app can teach basic first aid, or warn of disease outbreak ” - Urban refugee in Kenya. “Due to the precarious protection situation, a mobile phone is considered a protection tool, for example to call friends if arrested, to alert friends of raids, or to use applications like Waze to navigate safely” - Urban Refugee in Malaysia . ““A safety app would be very useful to warn us about which part of community/city we should avoid dangerous areas” - Urban Refugee in Kenya. . 12
Our Vision UNHCR aims, through creative partnerships and smart investments, to ensure that all refugees have access to an available, affordable and usable mobile and internet connectivity in order to leverage these technologies for protection, communications, self ‐ reliance, education, health, community empowerment and durable solutions. 13
Refugee Connectivity Framework To enable connectivity for refugees, networks must be available, devices and plans must be affordable, and the devices and applications offered must be usable. AVAILABILITY Mobile and broadband networks must be available in locations where refugees live AFFORDABILITY Devices and internet service plans must be offered at prices that refugees can afford USABILITY Refugees must be digitally literate and able to use digital programs offered by UNHCR and its partners 14
UNHCR Strategy on Connectivity UNHCR will deploy a mix of ten strategic interventions that address refugees’ availability, affordability, and usability challenges. During the pilot phase, country specific analysis will identify which interventions are relevant based on country specific contexts. 15
Implementation Approach - PARTNERSHIP UNHCR cannot connect the refugee population by itself. Rather, it will proactively build multi-faceted partnerships with a broad range of stakeholders to provide sustainable connectivity for refugees and identify the required resources to lead the planning, execution, and monitoring of implementation. The approach will be customized for each target country. 16
In Greece, we partnered with Vodafone foundation & TSF to provide Free WIFI stations and charging solutions to refugees. + Coordinating NGO’s in connecting over 70 sites with WIFI. 17
In Tanzania, we are working with telecom providers & technology companies to improve 3G and WiFi networks for over 200’000 refugees and the host communities. New 3G VODACOM Tower in the Nyarugusu refugee camp, Kasulu Tanzania 18
In Jordan, we are working with telecom providers, NGO’s & technology companies to connect community centers, provide charging solutions & distribute Skype vouchers enabling refugees to stay in touch with their loved ones. 19
More about Connectivity for Refugees • http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/innovation.html 20
Thank you www.data.unhcr.org 21
Josephine Goube Chief Executive Officer, Techfugees Techfugees is a social enterprise coordinating the international tech community’s response to the needs of Refugees www.techfugees.com
Acknowledgments Online/Offline: How Technology Can Empower Local Refugee Communities • Alan Vernon, Project Lead, Connectivity for Refugees, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (Washington DC) • Josephine Goube, Chief Executive Officer of Techfugees (London, United Kingdom) • Kim Turner, Cities of Migration, Global Diversity Exchange (Toronto, Canada) www.citiesofmigration.org
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