PRINCIPLED INNOVATION

Who are we innovating for? 
The Red Cross and Red Crescent believes that improved humanitarian systems, structure and operational practices cannot be the guiding objective for innovation. We must begin the systematic improvement of the humanitarian sector by asking individuals and communities what they need, what they want from humanitarians and what role they want to play in humanitarian action and then align our systems and structures to those dimensions. To espouse a human-centered design approach for interventions, we must include the people who will be impacted by the reinvention of humanitarian aid in this transformative process as well.

To sustain these improvements and changes and to effectively support local leadership, we will need additional support from other disciplines and industries. Thus, the Red Cross and Red Crescent encourages:

• Humanitarian, development and civil society organizations to actively seek collaboration across disciplines and industries, as well as among humanitarians at the global and local levels. This includes sharing information on innovation processes, funding, results, best practices and failures to mitigate duplication and other unnecessary setbacks.

• Donors, including private foundations and public institutions, to offer flexible funding mechanisms that adequately support innovation through all of its phases, encourage intelligent risks, accept the possibility of failure, and promote co-creation at the community level through an iterative process.

• Governments to establish responsible policies that attract and incentivize innovative pursuits, impose ethical regulations on technology advancement that protect the most vulnerable, open data for humanitarian decision making, and provide citizens with education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics as well as other creative disciplines.

• Social entrepreneurs and private businesses to consider the Red Cross and Red Crescent Criteria for Resilience-Strengthening Solutions when developing or investing in market-based solutions for vulnerable populations.
• Universities and think tanks to explore new areas of research that add to our collective understanding of humanitarian problems, societal and economic dynamics, and emerging trends and solutions. 

With diverse perspectives and partnerships, we can co-design not only improved humanitarian products, processes and programs, but the very best position and paradigm from which to operate in the future.

Photo: IFRC

Photo: IFRC via Insider Images/ Stuart Ramson for UN Foundation