UNHCR, Accenture Study Finds Internet, Mobile Connectivity a Lifeline for Refugees
September 14 2016 - 7:07AM
Business Wire
Refugees view access to a mobile phone and internet as being
critical to their safety and security and essential for keeping in
touch with loved ones. Many refugees regard a connected device as
being as vital to them as food, water or shelter, according to a
new report from UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency – and Accenture
(NYSE:ACN).
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The report, Connecting Refugees: How Internet and Mobile
Connectivity Can Improve Refugee Well-Being and Transform
Humanitarian Action, is based on research undertaken in 44
countries on four continents. It shows that for many refugees a
connected device is a lifeline and a critical tool for
self-empowerment.
Unsurprisingly, affordability is often a barrier to
connectivity. Refugees living in urban areas tend to have similar
access to mobile networks as other urban populations, but for
refugees in rural locations the picture is very different, with
only one in six refugees located in areas with 3G access, and one
in five rural refugees having no mobile coverage at all –
significantly lower than for the population at large. This
effectively prevents many refugees from participating in the
cultural, educational, and economic activity that connectivity
affords.
"In the world we live in today, internet connectivity and smart
phones can become a lifeline for refugees, providing an essential
means for them to give and receive vital information, communicate
with separated family members, gain access to essential services,
and reconnect to the local, national and global communities around
them,” said Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees. “Most importantly, connectivity can help broaden the
opportunities for refugees to improve their own lives and pursue a
vision of a future that would otherwise be denied to them.”
Key Findings
The report recommends additional investments in three main
areas, which together form the basis of a new UNHCR Global Strategy
for Connectivity for Refugees. These include increasing the
availability of mobile networks, improving affordability, and
providing access to training, digital content and services. The
report also identifies a number of strategic interventions to help
ensure connectivity, ranging from partnering with Mobile Network
Operators (MNOs) and other technology/communications companies to
improve infrastructure, making targeted investments in
infrastructure, and enabling an environment and system for digital
service delivery.
“Especially critical to this effort will be the engagement of
the private sector, especially technology companies and mobile
network operators. Accenture is particularly optimistic about the
potential for UNHCR and the humanitarian community to work together
with the private sector to improve the well-being and humanitarian
support of displaced people through enhanced connectivity,” said
Dan London, group chief executive of Accenture’s Health &
Public Service business.
Drawing on the experience of Accenture Development Partnership’s
business model, the report also identifies ways to engage the
private sector to solve the connectivity challenge, leveraging
creative partnerships and smart investments. ADP harnesses the
global capabilities and experience of Accenture to positively
impact the lives of people in the developing world.
“Private-sector partnerships are essential to scale the
connectivity interventions globally,” said Roger Ford, Accenture
Development Partnership managing director. “Companies and
corporations bring global reach, innovative business models,
experience in the communications and telecommunications industries,
relationships with government regulators and financial and human
resources, all of which will be instrumental to connecting the
world’s refugee population.”
Methodology
Research findings are based on an assessment of refugee
connectivity trends and usage and included surveys of and
interviews with UNHCR staff and refugees, as well as geospatial
mapping of global network coverage. The findings are informed by
direct feedback from 238 refugees through 20 focus groups in 10
countries; survey responses from 95 UNHCR offices in 44 countries
and more than 3 million refugees; in-person interviews with UNHCR
staff in five countries; analysis of proprietary mobile network
coverage data; and refugee demographic data from UNHCR and public
sources.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company,
providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy,
consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched
experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries
and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest
delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business
and technology to help clients improve their performance and create
sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 375,000
people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives
innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us
at www.accenture.com.
About UNHCR
For over 65 years, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has been
protecting the rights and well-being of refugees all over the
world. Since 1950 it has faced multiple crises on multiple
continents and provided vital assistance to refugees, asylum
seekers, internally displaced and stateless people. Today UNHCR
works in over 120 countries. Learn more
at http://www.unhcr.org and http://www.facebook.com/UNHCR.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160914005259/en/
AccentureJoanne Veto,
703-963-4212joanne.m.veto@accenture.comorUNHCRJohn Chiahemen, +
41-79-513-9549CHIAHEME@unhcr.org
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