Transformation Through Humanitarian Innovation and Private Sector Engagement (transcript)

MIT D-Lab Founding Director Amy Smith on a CSIS panel, Transformation Through Humanitarian Innovation and Private Sector Engagement. Photo: Courtesy CSIS
MIT D-Lab Founding Director Amy Smith on a CSIS panel, Transformation Through Humanitarian Innovation and Private Sector Engagement. Photo: Courtesy CSIS

CSIS Humanitarian Innovation in Action Panel 1: Transformation Through Humanitarian Innovation and Private Sector Engagement

Overview

The Center for Strategic and International Studies Humanitarian Agenda hosted a full-day conference, Humanitarian Innovation in Action, on July 19, 2022. This conference will explore the complex challenges facing the global humanitarian community and the way in which innovations—in people, processes, and products—can improve humanitarian response and mitigate the impacts of future crises.

At least 274 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2022. To contend with the growing need, “humanitarian innovation” has emerged as a central theme in the humanitarian sector, with a goal to transform processes and products involved in emergency response. While humanitarian actors are constantly innovating, the rising needs and complexity of response calls for increased efforts toward exploring effective, innovative, and scalable solutions. These include increasing engagement with crisis-affected people and the private sector, transforming organizational structures, and integrating new and transformational technologies. This full day conference will focus on highlighting key challenges, identifying best practices, and exploring user-led innovations that can most effectively meet the challenges of today.

Panel 1 featuring MIT D-Lab Founding Director Amy Smith (at minute 30:23)

Transformation Through Humanitarian Innovation and Private Sector Engagement

  • Charlène Cabot: Manager, Response Innovation Lab (Uganda)
  • Zaid Hassan: Co-founder and CEO, 10-in-10
  • Amy Smith: Founding Director, MIT D-Lab
  • Ben Ramalingam: Executive Director, United Kingdom Humanitarian Innovation Hub
  • CSIS EXPERT: Jacob Kurtzer, Director and Senior Fellow, Humanitarian Agenda, CSIS

Transformation Through Humanitarian Innovation and Private Sector Engagement video here.


More information

Center for Strategic and International Studies

MIT D-Lab Humanitarian Innovation

Contact

MIT D-Lab Humanitarian Innovation