HNPW 2025
Assessing humanitarian innovation: New vs. better
Organized by Innovation Norway: Humanitarian Innovation Programme,
ELRHA and Grand Challenges Canada
Opening statement by Mr Tormod C. ENDRESEN, Ambassador - Permanent Representative to the UN and other International Organizations Norway.
Check against delivery
25. mars 2025
Good morning, colleagues and friends.
Welcome to this session on “Assessing humanitarian innovation”, where we will look at how we monitor and evaluate innovation in the humanitarian sector.
How do we balance the needs of the emergency setting that these projects are implemented in, at the same time as we collect sufficient evidence to know and show that the new solution is having the desired impact? What kind of evidence is needed to let us know whether something is not just new, but also better? And is that evidence obtainable?
Thanks to the co-organizers Innovation Norway, ELRHA and Grand Challenges Canada for putting a key aspect of innovation on the agenda.
It is great to see interest in this topic and a pleasure to see you all, both here in Geneva and online.
This topic: measuring progress touches upon a key challenge for humanitarian action in general. But monitoring, evaluation and learning can be even more challenging for innovation projects.
We have for a long time been aware that a widening gap between needs and available resources puts an even greater pressure on humanitarian efforts to identify new solutions and new, systemic ways of working. The current funding crisis has further made this even more relevant. And it is urgent.
Humanitarian innovation is therefore a priority for the Norwegian Government, and for the Norwegian Mission in Geneva, and we aim to be a strategic partner in this area. In order to support innovation in the humanitarian sector, governments have to be innovative, and willing to take on some risk in finding new ways of supporting the sector. This includes new partnerships across sectors, including the private sector. The Humanitarian Innovation Programme (“HIP”) was established in 2018 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Innovation Norway for this purpose.
As the humanitarian system is grappling with an unprecedented funding crisis, we are acutely aware that there is increased pressure to challenge ourselves and look for new and more efficient and effective solutions. What is at stake is the ability to deliver to the most vulnerable.
But how do we measure the improvement new solutions deliver compared to existing ones? When are innovations mature enough that the impact can be assessed? What data can support the measuring of innovation outcomes?
These are some of the questions that we will look at today.
As HIP Norway has emphasized, status quo for humanitarian action is not an option. But as we move forward, we want to know that we are going in the right direction.
In our session today we will be able to learn from the experiences from key actors in this area.
I will let Therese introduce the panel, but I wish to thank Innovation Norway and the partner organisations who have put together today’s programme.
Finding the right balance between taking risks and understanding what works will be essential as we move forward.
We hope you leave here today with a more informed understanding of how we can find that balance.
Thank you.