by Seema Kapoor via bond.org.uk
Against the backdrop of global protests over racism and inequity, the humanitarian sector is facing a reckoning.
The sector’s deep roots in colonialism are well documented. Organisations are being challenged to reflect on how they are perpetuating a system of inequity and structural racism, and what they can do to change it.
At the same time, there has been a sector-wide move in the last decade to focus more on innovation in humanitarian response.
Humanitarian innovation in high-income countries (HICs) is associated with multiple approaches, such as human-centred design, lean start-up and integrated innovation. These approaches are heavily influenced by Silicon Valley paradigms and market-based ideology that commonly places emphasis on technology, access, economic efficiency, business models, and the potential for scaling up with geographical breadth.
In 2021, the Community Led Innovation Partnership (CLIP) partnered with Royal Roads University because we wanted to consider how to build a more equitable, inclusive, and global approach to innovation…