UNRWA's Journey Toward Digital Transformation
Innovation has seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, enhancing productivity, optimizing processes, capturing data, and improving communication in our homes, workplaces, schools, and healthcare facilities. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the crucial importance of technology and innovation, especially in development and humanitarian efforts. UNRWA has leveraged this growing reliance on technology to enhance the integration of digital tools across its different programmes and operations.
At UNRWA, we are embracing this shift with a strategic focus on integrating innovative solutions into our service delivery for Palestine Refugees. The Agency’s leadership has prioritized digital transformation, recognizing its potential to leverage our digital ecosystem to enhance our operations and programmes.
UNRWA’s strong digital presence and large workforce have long been drivers of our transformation initiatives. We are building on this foundation to improve the quality of services we provide to Palestine Refugees across the region.
This transformation powered by a modernization plan and digital transformation strategy launched in 2021 to spur innovative initiatives. It will enhance service delivery while reducing the costs associated with traditional methods. Key to this strategy is our partnership with KfW Development Bank, a crucial supporter of UNRWA’s digital initiatives, particularly in the areas of health and education. KfW’s investment includes an EUR 13 million contribution in July 2022. This was followed by an additional EUR 12 million contribution in July 2023, earmarked for systems, infrastructure, cybersecurity, change management, capacity building, connectivity improvements, and policy development.
As UNRWA advances implementation of this plan, the team is also exploring how best to utilize data for improved decision-making. In health, our eHealth system, operational since 2009, has generated extensive data that will soon be migrated to a modern electronic medical record (EMR) system. In education, an Education Management Information System (EMIS) and Digital Learning System are actively used by teachers and students across all fields of operation to capture essential education data.
Looking ahead, a critical issue is how we can leverage the vast amounts of data collected through our various systems to enhance decision-making. Our goal is to not only improve service quality through digital systems but also to harness data for more effective resource management and quicker decision-making.
Central to our services is the refugee data we collect, which, when combined with health, education, and other data layers, will help us identify trends and understand the challenges and opportunities in service delivery. This forward-thinking approach requires alignment and collaboration among all stakeholders.
To address these challenges and strengthen support for health and education services, we are organizing a workshop to engage stakeholders and tackle critical digitization issues. We anticipate this will lead to a significant shift toward embracing digital technology, innovative models, and cost-effective practices, ultimately fostering a more digital and innovative agency.
As Kaan Cetinturk, UNRWA’s Chief Information Officer and Director of the Digital Impact, Technology, and Innovation Department notes, “Digital transformation is not just about technology; it’s about transforming how we work and deliver results to create a better world. Embrace the change, and let technology be the enabler of our mission.”
Additionally, UNRWA has partnered with leading private sector players, including Gartner and Microsoft, to support this journey. We believe that collaboration with the private sector, donors, and our staff is crucial to achieving our goals. Embracing digital innovation is key to improving operations, programmatic areas, and ultimately better serving the Palestine Refugee community. Through these partnerships, we aim to bridge operational gaps, invest in essential skills and infrastructure, and adopt best practices to enhance the health and education of Palestine Refugees.
