Digital Dilemmas: Building Digital Resilience in Humanitarian Crises

Forum Rolex, 21 May 2024 – 18:00 -21:00

When digital technologies intersect with humanitarian crises, understanding the risks and opportunities they can bring is paramount. The conference Digital Dilemmas: Building Digital Resilience in Humanitarian Crises will explore the real-life consequences technology can have for vulnerable populations in conflict zones. Organized by the EPFL EssentialTech Centre and the ICRC, in partnership with the EPFL Center for Digital Trust (C4DT), it builds on the themes explored by the exhibition Digital Dilemmas: Humanitarian Consequences.

Speakers will delve into the digital risks for people affected by humanitarian crises and map out actionable steps that stakeholders across various sectors — ranging from humanitarians, academia, government, to the private sector — can take to address these pressing challenges.

The discussion will also examine the existence of digital dilemmas in peacetime and explore questions regarding how users can be more responsible in their digital usage and how tech providers can be more accountable.

Through engaging talks and dialogue, participants will explore and strategize effective solutions to mitigate digital dilemmas.

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Programme:

17:30 - Doors open

18:00 - Welcome statement from Martin Vetterli, President of EPFL

18:10 - Introduction by Gilles Carbonnier, Vice-President of ICRC

18:20 - Panel discussion moderated by Gregoire Castella, Head of Humanitarian Division, EssentialTech Centre.

·       Ariane Bauer, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, ICRC

·       Carmela Troncoso, Associate Professor, Security and Policy Engineering, EPFL SPRING Lab

·       Katharina Frey, Deputy Head of Division for Digital Foreign Policy, FDFA

·       Speaker from Google DeepMind

19:00 - Discussion and Q&A

19:35 - Concluding remarks by Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, Associate Vice President for Centers and Platforms

19:45 - Apéritif and music by GVA Sessions

21:00 - The end

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