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The absence of useful metrics for success is a persistent challenge in information and communication technology projects in the humanitarian sector but how should we judge whether a new technology is worth adopting? Unlike commercial technology projects, success has nothing to do with how many users you have or the value that they might derive from the technology. The key measure is whether that technology improves the lives of individuals and communities affected by conflict, either directly or indirectly.

In the last decade, tens of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers have lost their lives on dangerous sea crossings – victims of weather, unseaworthy boats and unscrupulous smugglers. Where their bodies have been recovered, often washed onto European beaches, too often their names – and even their nationalities – are unknown, and so they add to the growing number of anonymous graves around the EU’s southern frontiers.

As I packed my bags, and threw in a few toys for my two young boys, I was struck by a pang of anxiety and fear. What if this move to seek safety during these turbulent days in Cairo ended up being longer than we expected it to be? What if we ended up being unable to go home? 

In the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on 11 March 2011, more than 20,000 people lost their lives or went missing. Over 250,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed; some 4.4 million households were left without electricity and 2.3 million…

These challenges, as well as potential opportunities, were highlighted in a set of case studies prepared for the IASC as background to its  Strategy for urban areas [see box]. The case studies focused on Nairobi and Eldoret in Kenya (post-election violence), Manila (typhoons) and Port-au-Prince (earthquake). Drawing on this experience and lessons which emerged from it, this article considers four of the most pressing challenges and some of the potential opportunities.

Although some research suggests that domestic or intimate partner violence (IPV) is no more or less prevalent among minority groups in the United States than in the general population, refugees and immigrants face special barriers to receiving appropriate services. The causes of violence are multiple and complex but the intense stress associated with adjustment to a new life can create tension and conflict that may make IPV more likely.

After Kenya’s 2007 national presidential elections were marked by violence resulting in loss of lives and widespread displacement, a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) was established. Some of the reported 12,000 Kenyans who fled to Uganda had returned spontaneously shortly after arrival. Others, however, found themselves unable to return so long as the issues which contributed to their flight remained unresolved.

Around two-thirds of the world’s 27 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) live in situations of protracted displacement.1 The IASC Framework on Durable Solutions for IDPs identifies three settlement options for durable solutions for IDPs: return to their community of origin,…