This note provides a background briefing and five key questions for humanitarian programme staff to consider when making decisions regarding the use of their Information Systems in COVID-19 responses, and beyond. It focuses in particular oncontexts of transition from humanitarian to longer-term, state-led social protection systems. It has been written to accompany and complement a forthcoming SPACE piece focused exclusively on social protection information systems.
Main recommendations:
- From efficiency to ‘digital dignity’: broaden scope of Value for Money (VFM) considerations when designing and transitioning information systems, beyond efficiency and limited abbreviations of effectiveness –instead focus on equity, and considerations linked to ‘digital dignity’and protection, and evaluate trade-offs explicitly;
- From ‘single’ systems to standards and interoperability between systems: consider carefully the benefits and risks of creating ‘standalone’ versus interoperable registries/systems,noting that interoperability is often more feasible and preferable especially in FCAS and contexts of transition;
- From ‘blind faith’ to critical consideration of sharing information and technologies: consider opportunities and implications of different approaches to sharing information and technologies – assess different kinds of information access and different kinds of technologies, and what these imply;
- From ‘firefighting’ to anticipating and pre-empting inevitable risks –pragmatically: anticipate inevitable risks and implications and pre-empt these with appropriate planning and budgetary considerations, while adopting a pragmatic, realist approach to risk mitigation. Consider mitigating risk through a Do No Harm approach, including measures such as beneficiary literacy for informed consent and data rights; data protection by design; political risk analysis; etc. Also acknowledge that ‘ideal’ approaches to managing risk are demanding. Although we recommend optimum approaches, implementation is likely to adopt a minimally sufficient, progressively realised, sequential approaches – though shouldn’t detract from pursuing the highest possible standards in the future.
- From ‘piecemeal’ support to ecosystem building: realising what counts is the broader government context and its ‘building blocks’.