Common standards for UNHCR
Emerging practice from UNHCR's operations and partner activities suggests that action undertaken by UNHCR in relation to strengthening information integrity through addressing risks on digital platforms, such as misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, should be guided by the below common standards.
*For further guidance related to strengthening information integrity, see Related UNHCR Guidance.
Human Rights Based
UNHCR promotes more speech not less speech as the key activity to addressing risks arising from the digital information system. Freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to seek, receive and disseminate information and ideas of all kinds, must be upheld and promotion of such an environment is the most sustainable approach to address challenges arising from the digital information system. Activities to monitor, analyse and respond to such challenges and risks will be undertaken in line with the overall legal framework governing UNHCR operations. UNHCR’s use of digital technology will meet international human rights and ethical standards, with a focus on high-risk technologies, uses and contexts. Furthermore, it is crucial that staff and humanitarian actors should be careful to not conflate criticism of an organisation and its practices for risks.
People-Centred
Mitigating risks and strengthening information integrity must consider the aspirations, hopes, concerns and grievances of displaced people, stateless persons and host communities. UNHCR is mandated to ensure activities retain a focus on participation and inclusion, co-design, communication and transparency, feedback and response and organizational learning and adaptation. Participation of the forcibly displaced and stateless of all ages, genders and diverse characteristics in activities under the strategy must be meaningful in all stages from assessment and design to implementation, monitoring and review. Listening to and acting upon the feedback, priorities and needs of the forcibly displaced and stateless are also key. When communities are involved in monitoring and evaluating digital initiatives, the sustainability and local adoption of these solutions grow. It also helps us assess whether they have reached the intended communities with the desired results.
Do No Harm
Putting people at the centre of activities also means adopting a “do no harm” approach that is aware of potential negative second-order effects of actions to address risks to information integrity and takes mitigation measures to avoid them. UNHCR is mandated to takes measures to prevent and alleviate any adverse consequences of its actions on the affected populations.
Age, Gender and Diversity Responsive
Forced displacement and statelessness impact people differently, depending on age, gender, and diversity (AGD), as do information risks. When analysing and responding to risks arising from the information system, it is essential to identify and understand diverse aspects of such risks and design responses in line with the core actions outlined in UNHCR’s AGD policy.
Protection Focused
While recognizing that promoting information integrity requires a long-term focus towards creating a healthy information ecosystem and is crucial to limiting the harms that may arise from it, UNHCR is focused on information integrity related to specific areas of mandate concern focused on the forcibly displaced and stateless and our response to information risks is primarily viewed through the protection lens. UNHCR will promote the increased protection of the people we serve online, including the prevention of online abuse and harm that can spill over into the offline world. This also encompasses their right to equally be part of a connected society and their right to privacy, including in their online activity and in the digital processing of their personal data by UNHCR and other actors.
Proactive, Preventive Stance
Anticipating when information integrity may be compromised and mitigating the risk and impact of risks that may arise from the information system requires a proactive, preventive stance across the monitoring-analysis-response-evaluation cycle described in this toolkit which country operations should aspire to. However, the capacity of country operations to address such risks has so far often reactive rather than proactive, with country operations that have already engaged on such risks having higher levels of awareness and knowledge. Therefore, while aspiring to a proactive and preventative stance, colleagues must be aware of how to engage a crisis response to emerging online risk issues in their context.
Data Protection and Privacy
UNHCR has longstanding human rights-based approach to data protection and privacy. UNHCR's General Policy on Personal Data Protection and Privacy sets out a binding framework on data protection and privacy and outlines the principles and standards for activities. This policy will soon extend to the personal data of non-forcibly displaced and stateless populations. A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) may be required for some data processing operations and expanded due diligence may be required to in some cases to ensure consistency with the guiding principles to deal with the risks that are required.
Multifunctional
Clear accountability and responsibility for addressing risks related to the information system should be established within multi-functional, cross-sectoral teams, incorporating members from various departments such as protection, communications, PSP, and external relations. Emerging from the field pilots, a multifunctional team is often the best way to address such risks. However, a need for expertise may require external support to a multifunctional team. These multifunctional teams usually do, but not always have to, sit under the leadership of protection team. This approach should be systematically integrated across all country operations to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive response.
Multistakeholder
Strengthening information integrity requires a multistakeholder approach, involving a diverse set of actors working across areas, including Member States, technology platforms, United Nations agencies, NGOs, civil society, media and the research community. A multistakeholder approach is needed to provide data, technical expertise, linguistic and cultural expertise, advocacy, training, and cooperation to understand and respond to risks related to the information system.
Skills and Expertise
A combination of skills and expertise need to be applied to understand risks related to the information system, devise and implement preventive and responsive measures, and to strengthen information integrity. Informed and evidenced-based responses will require expertise and skills in political, anthropological, and behavioural sciences for understanding sources of risks, increasing the impact of strategies and tailoring initiatives; information acquisition and qualitative and quantitative analysis for monitoring, detection and analysis; International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law, and national regulations to inform legal and protection responses; strategic and crisis communications to respond to and prevent risks related to the online information system; and planning, operational management and coordination. Ongoing capacity building and knowledge sharing are essential.