The first ICT & Data panel focused on Better Communication with Communities.  The moderator Gianluca Bruni, Chief of IT Emergency Coordination Branch, Emergency Telecommunications Cluster of the UN World Food Programme noted the importance of communicating in a disaster ‘Before looking for food and water after a disaster, people need to communicate with each other’. Paul Margie, the U.S. Representative of Télécoms sans Frontières (TSF) explained that with the new focus on affected communities and recognition of their role as first responders, TSF has been providing communication access and services to affected communities over the past years, especially sharing their experience in the recent Nepal emergency. Christian Clark, Global Advocacy Advisor of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs expanded on the World Humanitarian Summit theme of empowering local actors, commenting: ‘Access to information is a human right. Refugees need to have a free access to truthful information’. Larry Engelbert, Vice President of Land Mobile Sales at Satcom Direct, was representing the private sector in this discussion and talked about different voice and data solutions available during initial phases of deployment and how theycould be better used to engage with local communities. And Justin Richmond, Founder of IMPL, followed up on this discussing how data is becoming a ‘game changer’ to demonstrate impact and for including communities in M&E strategies. Read more.

This article originally appeared on www.aidforum.org