Communicating with Communities: A Practical Guide from the UNHCR Innovation Service

"Communicating with communities is not an option. Listening and talking to communities is a fundamental part of humanitarian response..."

This short guide consolidates the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Innovation Service's views and experiences of communicating with communities, and contains a selection of tools. In order to help field practitioners enhance their practice, it contains a selection of tools and videos, linked to from within the text, as well as the five "read more" features in the central banner section. For instance, feature articles focus on the use of radio, short messaging service (SMS, or text), and chatbots for humanitarian communication, and outline 10 steps to setting up an effective feedback mechanism.

To provide grounding, one section is focused on the underlying policies, principles, and/or standards informing the communicating with communities approach. Another part explores good practices, in the categories of:

• Coordination and strategy
• Use of multiple channels
• Dialogue and feedback
• Designing solutions
• Resourcing
• Understanding information and communication needs
• Access to information

Working in open and transparent partnerships is central to the approach the UNHCR Innovation Service. Collaborative initiatives such as the Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) Network, in which UNHCR is an active member, help bring together collective expertise. UNHCR Innovation Service advises that, when designing communicating with communities initiatives, it is important to consider partnerships with a variety of different organisations beyond traditional humanitarian actors. Examples include:

• Local media (TV, radio, newspaper, and social networks)
• Mobile network operators (MNOs)
• Government agencies - e.g., comunications regulators or licensing agencies
• Technology providers and software developers
• Art and theatre groups

The guide concludes with links to additional tools and resources, as well as relevant blogs.