Empowering humanitarian agencies to use digital telecommunication technologies to respond to emergencies

ETC Iraq hosted a 5-day training course in Erbil, from 13-17 December, aiming at building the capacity of national staff in the field of digital radio networks. Trained and better qualified partners are crucial in delivering the ETC mandate and activities in country. Such training strengthens local organizations to respond, recover and redevelop after emergencies.

The ‘Let’s Comm Digital’ training was open to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) staff from humanitarian organizations operating in Iraq and with a technical background on VHF/UHF radio communications.

The course focused on security telecoms standards and practices, with an emphasis on Digital Mobile Radios (DMR). Specific topics were covered, from Customer Programming Software installation and device programming to Capacity Plus Theory and roll-out, with a number of practical group exercises to familiarise participants with available systems and features of digital mobile radio. The training was designed to include group discussions to share experiences between participants and highlight common bottlenecks when applying such technologies in the field.

The training was delivered to 12 participants representing: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), World Food Programme (WFP) and Rescue. The course was facilitated by Christer Wessberg from the WFP Fast Information Technology and Telecommunications Emergency Support Team (FITTEST) team, ETC Iraq Coordinator, Khawar Ilyas, and ETC Security Telecoms expert Mats Ljung from Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB). Participants demonstrated a strong interest in the subject matter and were engaged throughout the training. They developed a wide set of technical skills on security telecoms which will serve to benefit the humanitarian community through provision of a well maintained security communications system.

The ETC was activated in Iraq in August 2014 in response to the deteriorating security situation in the country and has been providing security telecoms services since then through its Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) network. Under the leadership of WFP, and in collaboration with Ericsson Response, MSB and UNAMI, shared services provided by ETC Iraq include security communications (UHF and VHF radio networks), internet connectivity, ICT helpdesk support and coordination. Capacity building is a key activity delivered by the ETC, focusing on establishing a local pool of specialized ICT personnel.

By Valentina Signori, IM Officer, Logistics Cluster