RAND Europe, with Athena Infonomics and glass.ai, conducted a study that characterised the current landscape of technology use in the sector and explored potential development pathways out to 2030, as well as associated risks and opportunities. The study developed five deep dives of promising technology areas, three foresight concepts and a four-step guidance framework to ensure the suitable deployment of technologies in humanitarian contexts.

Emerging Technologies in the Humanitarian Sector

Technology Deep Dive Series

Pauline Paillé, James Besse, Hampton Toole, Chryssa Politi, Shruti Viswanathan, Eunice Namirembe, Jyoti Nayak, Sergi Martorell, Iain McLaren, Christopher Tyson, et al.

ResearchPublished Oct 17, 2024

In an international context where simultaneous crises arise, due to conflicts, fragility or climate change, humanitarian needs continue to increase rapidly. In the meantime, resources remain limited, therefore, the pressure on the humanitarian sector is expected to continue to rise over the coming years.

To help address this challenge, ongoing efforts have been initiated to increase efficiency and shift towards the adoption of a forward-thinking standpoint within the humanitarian sector.

In this context, RAND Europe, in partnership with Athena Infonomics and glass.ai, conducted a study exploring the adoption and use of emerging technologies (excluding AI solutions) and to explore opportunities for future responsible adoption of technologies. The research was funded by the United Kingdom Humanitarian Innovation Hub (UKHIH) as part of their Foresight Initiative.

The study also aimed to identify key emerging technology areas that could strengthen humanitarian practice. The five areas identified include: advanced manufacturing systems, early warning systems, camp monitoring systems, coordination platforms and privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs). Each of the deep dive areas were developed according to a Three Horizon Framework considering potential developments as well as associated barriers, risks, enablers and opportunities between today and 2030.

Key Findings

  • The development of emerging technologies could disrupt existing humanitarian principles and governance structures, while the pressure to adopt forward-looking approaches in the sector continue to rise. The rapid adoption of emerging technologies in the humanitarian sector could also lead to increased risks and vulnerabilities.
  • For each of the five areas considered, factors likely to foster or hinder their development are wide ranging and can relate to regulatory and legislative developments, technology innovation and progress, societal and cultural factors.
  • For each of the five areas considered, the pace of development and pathway for adoption within the humanitarian sector out to 2030 is likely to vary. For example, camp monitoring systems are already deployed in some humanitarian contexts as well as advanced manufacturing in the form of 3D printing. In the meantime, PETs are increasingly of interest within the sector, but their applications remain limited.

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Paillé, Pauline, James Besse, Hampton Toole, Chryssa Politi, Shruti Viswanathan, Eunice Namirembe, Jyoti Nayak, Sergi Martorell, Iain McLaren, Christopher Tyson, Charlie Wilkening, and Jacob Ohrvik-Stott, Emerging Technologies in the Humanitarian Sector: Technology Deep Dive Series, RAND Corporation, RR-A3192-1, 2024. As of May 1, 2025: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3192-1.html

Chicago Manual of Style

Paillé, Pauline, James Besse, Hampton Toole, Chryssa Politi, Shruti Viswanathan, Eunice Namirembe, Jyoti Nayak, Sergi Martorell, Iain McLaren, Christopher Tyson, Charlie Wilkening, and Jacob Ohrvik-Stott, Emerging Technologies in the Humanitarian Sector: Technology Deep Dive Series. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2024. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3192-1.html.
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This project was commissioned by the UK Humanitarian Innovation Hub (UKHIH) and funded by UK International Development. The research was conducted RAND Europe.

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