It is a pleasure to introduce the Handbook on Data Protection in Humanitarian Action, which is the result of a very fruitful collaboration between the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Brussels Privacy Hub (BPH).
Personal data protection is of fundamental importance for humanitarian organizations as it is an integral part of protecting the life, integrity and dignity of their beneficiaries.
In 2015, the 37th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners adopted the Resolution on Privacy and International Humanitarian Action. One of the resolution’s aims was to meet the demand among humanitarian actors for cooperation to develop guidance on data protection. A working group was set up and became involved in the Data Protection in Humanitarian Action project, run jointly by the BPH and the ICRC, whose objectives were to explore the relationship between data protection laws and humanitarian action, to understand the impact of new technologies on data protection in the humanitarian sector and to formulate appropriate guidance.
The project brought together humanitarian organizations, data protection authorities and technology experts in a series of workshops covering a range of topics, including data analytics, drones, biometrics, cash transfer programming, cloud-based computing and messaging apps, all of which have become increasingly important in the humanitarian sector.
The Handbook is one of the outputs of this project; it will be a useful tool to raise awareness and assist humanitarian organizations in complying with personal data protection standards. It also addresses the need for specific guidance on the interpretation of data protection principles as applicable to humanitarian action, especially when new technologies are employed. I believe the Handbook will prove helpful to humanitarian actors, data protection authorities and private companies alike. It clearly demonstrates that data protection legislation does not prohibit the collection and sharing of personal data, but rather provides the framework in which personal data can be used in the knowledge and confidence that individuals’ right to privacy is respected.
Jean-Philippe Walter is the Data Protection Commissioner of the Council of Europe, and a member of the Data Protection Commission of the ICRC. He is the former Deputy Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner and has also been President of the French-speaking Association of Personal Data Protection Authorities and Coordinator of the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (now Global Privacy Assembly) Working Group on the Resolution on Privacy and International Humanitarian Action.
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