Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation | Mobile for Development

The header image for the Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation webpage is of a woman in a green headwrap using a mobile phone at a market stall.

Mobile for
Humanitarian
Innovation

Accelerating the delivery and impact of safe, efficient, and dignified digital humanitarian assistance.

About us

The Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation (M4H) programme catalyses partnerships between mobile operators and the humanitarian sector; invests in innovation through a specially designated fund; unlocks policy barriers with advocacy efforts; and builds a learning and research agenda to inform the future of digital humanitarian response.

We have reached over 18 million people with improved access to and use of life-enhancing mobile-enabled services during humanitarian preparedness, response and recovery.

Must-read M4H resources

All our latest news, reports and research in one place.

A man and woman look together at a mobile phone, symbolising digital humanitarian assistance, against a solid red background.

Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Annual Report 2025

Search and rescue personnel in orange and black uniforms navigate a landscape of mud and debris, demonstrating the impact of mobile for humanitarian innovation as they assist residents near damaged houses and dense trees under an overcast sky.

Designing Mobile-Enabled Early Warning Systems for LMICs: Lessons from Global Experience

A man in a light blue uniform looks at a computer monitor displaying a green dashboard with data and a map, representing humanitarian innovation in an office setting.

Policy Frameworks for Early Warning Systems (EWS)

Two narrow wooden canoes with fishing nets rest in shallow turquoise water along a sandy beach near a village, representing a site for mobile for humanitarian innovation where small houses sit against lush green trees under a clear blue sky.

Madagascar’s Early Warning System: An Assessment of SMS Alert Performance

A man in an orange jumper walks whilst checking his mobile in a collage-style scene highlighting mobile for humanitarian innovation. In the background, a person in a red headscarf walks near buildings and trees under a white sky, set against a flat, bright orange foreground.

Digital Access and Connectivity in South Sudan: Barriers for Refugees and Host Communities

A person in a tan long-sleeved shirt holds a tablet displaying a camera interface in front of a server rack, highlighting humanitarian innovation amidst blurred networking equipment and tangled cables.

Mobile Data for Humanitarian Action: Pathways to Sustained and Responsible Use

Two women are seen from behind, one in an orange top and red skirt carrying a jug, the other in a red dress carrying a white sack. Behind them, red digital icons and a Wi-Fi symbol overlay the background, representing the Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation.

Connecting Refugees in Kenya: Overcoming Policy Barriers to Accessing Digital Services

A young woman with plaited hair smiles at her mobile while inside a teal boat, highlighting the role of Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation. She wears a white vest under a dark patterned cardigan, with people standing on a blurred, sandy shore under a bright blue sky.

Mobile Innovations for Early Warning Systems: 10 Lessons from the Innovation Fund for Anticipatory Humanitarian Action

Two people paddle a canoe down a flooded street, showcasing humanitarian innovation as they navigate past a partially submerged yellow van. They wear bright orange and blue life jackets over dark clothing.

France’s FR-Alert: The Role of Mobile Network Operators in Early Warning Systems

A man in a dark coat stands before a traditional Japanese shrine, using his mobile phone for digital humanitarian assistance. The bright, backlit scene shows the orange wooden structures behind a stone fence, with a soft lens flare in the corner.

Japan’s Early Warning System: The Role of Mobile Network Operators

See all news and resources

A young man in a white shirt sits by a colorful fruit stand at an outdoor market, holding a smartphone and looking at the screen—an example of how digital humanitarian assistance supports everyday life amid baskets of fresh fruit.

Mobile-Enabled Early Warning Systems

Explore our programme of work that enables the development of efficient and inclusive early warning systems.

A rescue worker in protective gear takes a break amidst rubble and debris.

Humanitarian Connectivity Charter

The HCC is a set of shared principles for the mobile industry on how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a sudden onset emergency.

Two hands holding mobile devices against a red background.

The Connectivity, Needs and Usage Assessment Toolkit

The M4H Innovation Fund

How we invest in innovative digital solutions for crisis response, and help build resilience against humanitarian challenges.

A group of people, including children, walk along a debris-strewn street between damaged homes. Fallen trees and rubble show recent devastation, highlighting the need for digital humanitarian assistance in the aftermath. The sky is blue and hazy.

The M4H Podcast

Person holding a smartphone with a screen visible, against a backdrop of a wooden workbench with tools.

The Digital Worlds of Displacement-Affected Communities

Mobile phones allow refugee communities to create their own digital worlds. This research explores these worlds in three humanitarian contexts.

A young woman wearing a white safety helmet and yellow high-visibility vest talks on her mobile phone, appearing focused. Indoors with blurred lights in the background, she embodies digital humanitarian assistance in action.

Take the training: Mobile Technology for Humanitarian Emergencies

Are you a policymaker or regulator?

Enrol in a GSMA course to explore how policy and regulation can enable mobile solutions in crisis response, strengthen preparedness through emergency telecom planning and harness emerging technologies to support faster, effective humanitarian action.

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This initiative is funded by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) through its Global Research and Technology Development portfolio and by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and is supported by the GSMA and its members.

Logos of “Global Research and Technology Development, Funded by UK Government” with a stylised network graphic, and “Sweden Sverige” beside the Swedish flag, highlighting support for digital humanitarian assistance and Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation.