Emergency telecommunications

Key actors

• Emergency Telecommunications Cluster

Global network of humanitarian, government, and private secotr organizations, led by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), working together to provide shared communications services in humanitarian emergencies

• World Food Programme (WFP)

In addition to its core responsibility of fighting hunger, the WFP is also a leader in the humanitarian community in terms of IT and telecoms in emergencies.

• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

Provides emergency telecommunications equipment in disaster management and response and works on reinforcing and strengthening disaster risk reduction and management through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs)

• UNOSAT

Technology-intensive programme of UNITAR delivering imagery analysis and satellite solutions to relief and development organizations within and outside the UN system

Key references

• Emergency Telecommunications Handbook (ITU, 2005)

Handbook for practitioners providing and using telecommunications for disaster mitigation and relief

• ETC2020 - A New Strategy for Humanitarian Connections (ETC)

2020 strategy guiding the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster's role and aiming at making its humanitarian services more innovative and effective.