IASC Operational Guidance on Data Responsibility in Humanitarian Action

Data responsibility in humanitarian action is the safe, ethical and effective management of personal and non-personal data for operational response, in accordance with established frameworks for personal data protection. It is a critical issue for the sector to address and the stakes are high. 

The implementation of data responsibility in practice is often inconsistent within and across humanitarian response contexts. This is true despite established principles, norms and professional standards regarding respect for the rights of affected populations, the range of resources on data responsibility available in the wider international data community, as well as significant efforts by many humanitarian organizations to develop and update their policies and guidance in this area. While each organization is responsible for its own data management, humanitarians need common guidance to inform individual and collective action, and to uphold a high standard for data responsibility in all response contexts and in all phases of humanitarian action. 

This Operational Guidance on Data Responsibility in Humanitarian Action responds to this need. The first edition of this Guidance was endorsed in February 2021 as the result of an inclusive and consultative process led under the auspices of IASC Results Group 1. The present version of the Guidance was prepared through a collaborative process led by the Data Responsibility Working Group and involving stakeholders from across the humanitarian system. It was endorsed by the IASC in April 2023.

The Operational Guidance is divided into four sections:

1. The first section presents a background on data responsibility in humanitarian action, clarifies the audience and scope of the document, and provides instructions on how to use the Operational Guidance in different response scenarios.
2. The second section presents a set of Principles for Data Responsibility in Humanitarian Action.
3. The third section describes recommended actions for data responsibility to be taken at the different levels of humanitarian response (i.e., system-wide, cluster/sector, and organization levels), including specific roles and responsibilities for realizing these actions.
4. The fourth section describes an approach for the monitoring, evaluation and learning of data responsibility and the implementation of this Operational Guidance in practice.