HIGHLIGHTS
Beirut’s hackathon brings together over 100 diverse actors to improve humanitarian action through innovation.
Number of Lebanese children working increases threefold; three out of four child labourers in Lebanon are Syrians.
New UNRWA policy to cover 90 per cent of secondary healthcare costs; 100 per cent in Palestine Red Crescent hospitals; and 60 per cent of tertiary health services.
USD$ 807 million allocated to UN and partners in Lebanon.
Beirut Hackathon: innovating the response
Tech actors gather to address Lebanon’s humanitarian challenges
From 3-5 June, OCHA Lebanon co-hosted a 48-hour-hackathon event in an attempt to find innovative solutions to humanitarian problems in Lebanon. The event, entitled Innovating Response, was led by the Open Source Action Network, a private network of tech actors, and included the support of OCHA, UNHCR, UNICEF, and several established private sector tech actors in Lebanon including Torch, Wamda, and AltCity.
The UN proposed nine humanitarian challenges to participants, ranging from how to improve vaccinations campaigns among vulnerable groups to how to strengthen two-way communications with affected populations. In response, 12 technologies (i.e. applications, websites and devices) were proposed as solutions by as many teams within the 48-hour-deadline. The winning technologies of the event were Kwik Response, an early warning system that monitors hazards including fires and high or low temperatures in shelters to alert responders; and Silah, an on-line platform that connects refugees to one another to barter goods and services. To date, five of the technologies developed at the hackathon are being further developed by partners.
Over 100 people participated in the event including Lebanese hackers, hackers from the global community who participated remotely, and experts from the humanitarian and tech side who presented the challenges. Arab Women in Computing (ArabWic) supported the event, ensuring 30 per cent female hacker participation. The event showcased the talents of Lebanon’s youth and their potential to address the myriad challenges their country faces in modern and innovative ways. National and international media were in attendance, including the Wall Street Journal that produced a short video about the event.