The final frontier for inclusive connectivity
“What happens when refugees tell us — directly and repeatedly — that finding meaning in life is equally or more important than finding food that day? That creating a future for their child prompts them to start a perilous journey and give up the certainty of shelter and food? Refugees come to us and respond to us not as a sequence of needs, but as a whole person.” (The Refugee Rethink: What if Maslow was wrong?)
Lesvos, Greece — 2015.
A summer that was different, a summer that made other summers be different. We stand on the shore as if we are standing on the door, waiting, looking at the seemingly calm waters and flat horizon. We have food, water, extra clothes, and blankets, first-aid supplies. We think we are ready, ready for what we think are people’s first, immediate, basic needs.
“Where can I charge my phone?”
“Is there WiFi?”
We answer with silence, feeling trapped in the survival thinking of an emergency response. We forgot that together, with what keeps us alive, there are things that make us alive. Meaning, purpose, connection.
But what if connectivity was a basic human right? As basic as food. As basic as protection. As basic as education. What if refugees and host communities alike had equal access to the opportunities that come with being online, being connected? What if paying for a phone, for data and calls didn’t mean not being able to pay for school fees, health care or food?
What if this idea did not make some of us frown, question, doubt, wonder why refugees need WiFi and why they have phones in the first place?
What about you, and us? Why do you have a phone and why do you need WiFi?
Personally, I use my phone and the internet for work, to stay in touch with my family and my friends, and sometimes to distract myself. These are all good reasons, whether I am a refugee or not. Now, imagine you could use your phone to access information in times of crises, to find out how to be safe or access medical care, to translate what you want to say when there is no other way to communicate, to find a job, to find your family. In this sense, the small piece of connected technology that you hold in your hand becomes even more crucial and more valuable to your life.
The digital revolution will be inclusive. Or it won’t be. That is our choice.
It is time we look at these digital needs and realise that, yes, there are indeed differences in how and why people connect. Yet there is one thing that we all share (or should share): the right to connectivity. I see a world, not too far from now, not too far from today, where we can rethink our approach and change the way we respond to emergencies, shifting the attention from “needs” to “rights”, from “basic” to “human”. One where connectivity is a tool to create a more just and inclusive future.
We can all start today with one simple action, so simple we think that it would not make any difference: be better at listening. Let us listen to what people ask and say they need, rather than what we think is best for them. I believe that this can change the way we work as humanitarians and the way we are as humans.
Inclusive (dis)connections
We live in a hyper-connected and fast-paced reality, where some days my life is 99% digital and 1%…real. Would I know this if I were not connected already and able to navigate, search and discover anything I wished? Probably not. Today, a third of this same world is not connected to the internet. You could say that maybe it’s for the better: I also fantasize about not having an e-mail address, a couch where people can surf on, a liked (or not so much liked) photo or post. After all, aren’t we, the other two thirds, controlled by technology, constantly worried about our privacy and data, competing against robots and artificial intelligence for jobs and resources? These worries are luxury too, because we have a choice to connect or disconnect, to choose or not to choose if, how, and when to access the internet.
So whether it is about connecting or disconnecting, what matters is choice and making sure that everyone has the same chance to (dis)connection. Inclusion happens when we strive towards having the same rights and opportunities, and accept that, as long as there are barriers and obstacles in someone else’s way, we also are not free.
The promise
Are we creating a better world by providing connectivity? Maybe. Or maybe not. But this is happening either way and while we strive to make the most, we need to ensure that the same rights are provided to all.
I do believe that if there is something that connectivity can help us do, in this virtual space of ours, is to create what we want to see. A better world. A different world. A more connected world. What if we had a tool for change, right here, in our hands? And what could this change look like?
We will only know when you, and I and a person with refugee status, all have access to the same opportunities, when we can all afford for a mobile phone, register a SIM card with whatever proof of identity we dispose of, pay for data, and have the necessary skills to navigate this web and know how to make safe and informed decisions. In other words, until all refugees and hosting populations, regardless of age, gender or demographic group, can access mobile and internet connectivity to build brighter futures for themselves, their families and the world.
How do we make this a reality?
The vision of Connectivity for Refugees, an initiative currently led by UNHCR’s Innovation Service, is to bridge the digital divide, connect those who are currently not connected and include everyone in the digital revolution that is taking place globally, regardless of age, gender, and diversity. Our role in this is one of connectors too: we want to bring actors in the network closer together, spur conversation and change, and function as a catalyst in realising the vision of Connectivity for Refugees.
Our work consists in developing a practical roadmap towards this goal and to make sure that we get there. The way we see connectivity is as deeply interlinked to freedom and choice: freedom to have access to opportunities and information, freedom to make better choices and actions. Framed as such, connectivity is both a right and the instrument to exert this same right, a “right to freedom of opinion and expression; […] to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” (Article 19. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights).
We have come a long way since the inception of the Connectivity for Refugee initiative, learned a number of important lessons which have reshaped and informed our strategy moving forward. There are still many barriers on the path to connectivity, from technical to social and political: poor infrastructure, legal regulations to register SIM cards, costs of devices and services, lack of relevant content and digital literacy. Immediate action needs to be taken for refugees to have the ability to legally connect to the internet. However, we firmly believe that what is on the other side of the fence — the possibility to create better and more inclusive communities — is worth the attempt to climb it. We will not achieve this if we work in silos: connectivity calls for stronger collaborations and holistic approaches. Everyone has a different role to play in reaching this same goal, from governments to the international community, to displaced populations and the private sector.
The final frontier
The digital world has its own barriers: there’s poor infrastructure and coverage, high costs of devices and data, strict legal regulations and many more challenges. At best these factors are delaying the inclusive future we hope for, at worst they are making it impossible for displaced communities to be, and stay connected.
On one horizon I see physical borders, higher walls and digital barriers making us all more far apart, and highlighting the cracks between us. On the other one, I see the cyber as a place where a shared, inclusive future is a possibility.
I rely on the power of the internet to break down some of these barriers and find ways around (fire) walls. I rely on you to join us in rethinking what we mean by basic needs and who has the right and is entitled to a fulfilling future.
Do we not all want to create connections, find community and belonging? And what if the final frontier is the one of connectivity as a human right?
This essay was originally posted in the recently released publication — UNHCR Innovation Service: “Orbit 2018–2019”. The publication is a collection of insights and inspiration, where we explore the most recent innovations in the humanitarian sector, and opportunities to discover the current reading of innovation that is shaping the future of how we respond to complex challenges. From building trust for artificial intelligence, to creating a culture for innovating bureaucratic institutions and using stories to explore the future of displacement — we offer a glance at the current state of innovation in the humanitarian sector. You can download the full publication here. And if you have a story about innovation you want to tell (the good, the bad, and everything in between) — email: innovation@unhcr.org.
