EUROPEAN REFUGEE CRISIS

EUROPEAN REFUGEE CRISIS DATA, TECHNOLOGY & COORDINATION BRIEFING NOTE On Nvember 4, 2015, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) brught tgether representatives f a range f rganizatins wrking t address the needs f refugees arriving in Eurpe, t take stck f the current status f data cllectin and crdinatin amng key actrs, t discuss critical areas f imprvement in the cllectin and use f data, and t identify cncrete next steps t be taken bth by the meeting s participants and t be recmmended t plicy-makers dealing with the crisis. This briefing nte highlights three key questins addressed during the meeting: wh are the decisin-makers, what are their infrmatin needs, and what challenges are hindering the effective cllectin and use f data in the crisis? DEC. 17. 2015 PHAM PN COMES M VAN DE WALLE B WAGNER A ARKWRIGHT C GIBBONS N VINCK P Decisin-makers, infrmatin needs and challenges The refugee crisis invlves a number f stakehlders and decisin-makers: Eurpean Unin (EU) institutins, natinal plitical leaders in individual cuntries, natinal and lcal authrities including health and scial services, the large numbers f vlunteers giving their time t assist refugees, prfessinal humanitarian actrs including United Natins (UN) agencies, and the migrating peple themselves. Each f these grups has different infrmatin needs. EU institutins and natinal plitical leaders need infrmatin n which t base their decisins, but infrmatin is nt the nly factr: plitical cncerns and perceptins f ppular sentiment tward the crisis are equally relevant. Fr natinal and lcal authrities, the mst imprtant questin is hw many peple will reach the cuntry, and when they are expected t arrive s they can adequately plan t accmmdate them. Natinal and lcal authrities als need t be aware f the lng term scial utlk fr migrants in terms f educatin, basic services, and the impact n hst cmmunities. It can be hard fr them t cnvince plitical decisin makers f the imprtance f lnger-term planning. Prfessinal humanitarian rganizatins and vlunteers need infrmatin n their immediate surrundings s that they can quickly adapt their peratins t evlving situatin. There is als a need fr infrmatin that allws fr crdinatin f peratins amng vlunteers, prfessinal humanitarian rganizatins, and lcal r natinal authrities. Vlunteers have a further need fr infrmatin systems t permit crdinatin amng themselves, since they are mstly nt assciated with frmal rganizatins. Vlunteers n the frnt-lines f the EUROPEAN REFUGEE CRISIS DATA, TECHNOLOGY & COORDINATION BRIEFING NOTE 1

crisis are als wrking in an envirnment f great uncertainty since, fr example, it is never clear when the next migrant influx will arrive r when a camp might be clsed. Any infrmatin that helps them t predict needs and engage in the mid- r lng-term planning is highly beneficial. Vlunteers als have difficulty cnnecting with decisin-makers at ther levels which further hinders their ability t plan their peratins r influence plicy. Finally, the migrants themselves need infrmatin n what services are available t them, where they can g next, hw t get there, and alng the way, what infrmatin they need t share and with whm. The mving ppulatin als encunters a range f decisin makers and service prviders n their jurney, frm their cuntries f rigin, thrugh transit cuntries, at entry pints t Eurpe, and finally in the destinatin cuntries. Each grup f decisin-makers als faces data-cllectin challenges. The EU and natinal plitical institutins lk fr data that is bth brad and detailed, but this kind f dataset is impssible t assemble with current data-cllectin arrangements. The EU s respnse t the migrant influx has been entirely reactive and n EU-level institutin has taken a leadership rle in data cllectin. This rle has als nt been adpted by natinal and lcal authrities: different appraches have been adpted in different cuntries, and cuntries n the frnt-lines have been verwhelmed and have nt put adequate systems in place. Even cuntries farther afield, thugh dealing with lesser numbers, are reliant n NGOs, UN agencies, embassies and ther actrs t prvide them with infrmatin. Sme vlunteer grups d nt cllect data since their peratins run n a day-t-day basis. Vlunteer effrts mixing crwd-surced, lcally-surced and fficial infrmatin, and gedata can be beneficial but relying slely n vlunteer effrts limits the results they can prduce. Even fr established rganizatins with prven data cllectin prtcls the refugee crisis has raised new challenges. There has been a strng fcus n the Balkan rutes, but there is a majr lack f data frm the pint when the refugees g beynd Italy r anther pint f arrival. Data cllectin cntinues t be site-based, thus the data cllectin is static while refugees are mving. In general, there is a great excitement abut the ptential f big data, but there needs t be sme analysis f this kind f data fr it t be useful t decisin-makers. Mre generally, the lack f crdinatin f data cllectin and a lack f infrmatin sharing are majr factrs hindering effective respnse t the refugee crisis. Infrmatin is derived frm diverse surces and difficult t cmpile systematically since (1) the terminlgy is nt cnsistent (eg. refugees vs. migrants vs. persns); (2) the data is nt cmparable, e.g., daily vs. weekly registratins; and (3) numbers differ greatly between surces. There is lack n central bdy crdinating the respnse effrt as a whle. The UN s Office fr the Crdinatin f Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is nt taking the rle because the situatin has nt been declared a humanitarian crisis. Mst bservers agree that the EU shuld take the crdinating rle, but the crisis des nt fall neatly int the mandate f any existing EU agency. The EU external actin service des nt deal with crises within Eurpe, and since the migrants are nt EU citizens, they are utside the remit f the EU s civil prtectin mechanism. Mrever, there is a lack f crdinatin within EU EUROPEAN REFUGEE CRISIS DATA, TECHNOLOGY & COORDINATION BRIEFING NOTE 2

agencies n hw t deal with the crisis. A lt f actrs are in play, leading t plitical dynamics that are preventing the EU frm ptimally addressing the crisis. Withut a central crdinating bdy, a multiplicity f actrs is develping independent systems, platfrms and data cllectin methds. This is nt an prblem in itself: meeting participants als nted that the type f data t be gathered depends greatly n the bjectives f the rganizatin gathering it and the purpse fr which it is t be used. It als depends n the time and resurces available t gather the best pssible quality f infrmatin. Data cllectin has t have a certain, clear aim; therwise it is hard t justify. Yet, while recgnizing that different types f infrmatin are gathered fr different purpses, participants agreed that minimum data standards and mre pen sharing f data are desirable. Standardizatin wuld create efficiencies by allwing fr easier crdinatin amng respnders, fr example, allwing smaller rganizatins and grassrts initiatives t benefit frm data gathered by thers. Standardized data wuld be easier t share, aggregate and cmbine s that gverning bdies can make decisins based n mre accurate infrmatin. This wuld allw fr better supprt t individuals by creating a way t track their mvement acrss Eurpe, giving mre accurate numbers as they crss different pints in their jurney, and allwing better prtectin f refugees safety, fr example by identifying specific needs and prviding the right frms f supprt. Freer exchange f data culd als supprt better integratin in the lnger-term by allwing cuntries t be prepared t meet certain needs and prvide pprtunities. One initial type f assessment that has nt been dne in Eurpe since the refugee crisis began is a mapping f rganizatins with the capacity t respnd in each lcatin, similar t a typical OCHA 3W assessment (wh des what, where?). This wuld be a useful starting pint, hwever it need t be dne at the lcal level, since the infrmatin is highly dynamic and changeable. While crdinatin, standardizatin, and sharing are desirable, data prtectin cncerns cannt be verlked. Refugees flee persecutin, mstly by the State in their cuntry f rigin, but als ften by ther perpetratrs f vilence. Data sharing therefre needs t be bth psitive and respnsible. A large part f the data, particularly individual, identifiable narratives, is t sensitive t be shared. Data cllectin is seen as a risk, but its advantages utweigh the risks, particularly if data security is effectively managed. It shuld be pssible t reach cnsensus n minimum data standards (such as standardized terminlgy and definitins) and minimum cre agreed items, e.g., lcatins, numbers f peple, key indicatrs, and critical day-t-day develpments. This kind f minimal data shuld gathered in a way that it can be shared and aggregated, then fllw up assessments can be undertaken fr mre detail n specific needs r fr deeper analysis. Finally, all parties agreed that data while data is needed in rder t infrm gverning bdies and rganizatins, it must nt be discnnected frm the peple it represents. Humanitarian actrs and gvernments shuld be wary f autmated decisin making. The refugees are als largely discnnected frm plicy-making prcesses, such that effrts t encurage their participatin need t be prmted. EUROPEAN REFUGEE CRISIS DATA, TECHNOLOGY & COORDINATION BRIEFING NOTE 3

Slutins Ptential next steps fr stakehlders include: Appintment f a crdinating bdy: The EU, UN, and EU member States shuld wrk tgether, and in cllabratin with majr humanitarian agencies and ther decisinmakers identified during the meeting, t decide n a central crdinating bdy t manage the respnse t refugee crisis. Imprving the use f data in the refugee crisis respnse: Crdinatin f infrmatin management: While a centralized respnse bdy may take time t establish, a central infrmatin management agency culd be set up quickly t crdinate infrmatin thrugh varius levels. This culd be a bttmup, nn-gvernmental platfrm where varius actrs can share their data and/r infrmatin prducts, prvide infrmatin t the public and press, and serve as a central database f actrs dealing with the refugee crisis. Adptin f minimum standards f data cllectin: Researchers and rganizatins cllecting data n the refugee crisis shuld wrk n agreed data cllectin standards in rder t be able cmbine data. These include semantic and syntactic terminlgy, technical standards, and agreement n what data shuld be cllected and in what frm. This culd als include the sharing f practices and tls amng different agencies. Mapping f actrs: T facilitate this prcess, in the absence f a crdinating bdy, leading rganizatins addressing infrmatin management n the crisis shuld start by mapping what actrs are present and cllecting data in this crisis cntext. Supprt fr innvatin and added-value: Recgnizing that even with standardizatin, there will still be a need fr specialized data-cllectin initiatives. Dnrs are encuraged t supprt these, while aviding duplicatin f existing activities. Maximizing the value f data: Organizatins that cllect data shuld cnsider carefully hw their data can be best put t use t help refugees and the cmmunities hsting them. This culd include gathering data fr utreach r advcacy n imprved integratin, mre safety during travel, and better understanding amng cmmunities. It may als include making infrmatin EUROPEAN REFUGEE CRISIS DATA, TECHNOLOGY & COORDINATION BRIEFING NOTE 4

accessible t a wider grup f stakehlders such as businesses, t prmte new initiatives that alleviate the situatin f refugees. Harmnizing data cllectin practices and prcedures: Practitiner rganizatins and researchers shuld examine the practices, infrmatin prducts and prcedures currently being used in data cllectin n the refugee crisis in rder t identify areas f verlap and cmmn interests, and t avid duplicatin f effrt thrugh sharing f data cllectin prtcls. While questins remains as t which fficial agency shuld take the lead in the respnse t this crisis, it was suggested that an infrmal grup, such as the Standby Task Frce (SBTF an nline digital vlunteer grup) r even an initiative resulting frm the meeting, culd take sme immediate steps n the data frnt. These steps include: Mapping the data already available within the grup; Mapping and aligning existing platfrms, practices and effrts; and Identifying gaps in current data cllectin effrts. EUROPEAN REFUGEE CRISIS DATA, TECHNOLOGY & COORDINATION BRIEFING NOTE 5