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

A man in a dark coat stands looking at his phone outside a traditional Japanese shrine with red and white architecture. Sunlight creates lens flares as Japan's early warning system notifications flash on his screen. Nearby, people gather by the shrine steps and railings.

Japan’s Early Warning System:
One of the world’s most effective disaster communication systems engaging MNOs

Two people in life jackets paddle a canoe down a flooded city street, where mobile-enabled early warning systems could have provided alerts. Water submerges the road as others and vehicles struggle in the background, with buildings lining both sides.

France’s FR-Alert:
Cell broadcast and location-based SMS combo ensures timely alerts reach millions

A person holds a smartphone with a yellow case, displaying an emergency alert about a hazardous materials incident. The mobile-enabled early warning system shows alert details in both English and French, with a blurred yellow pillow and couch in the background.

Chile’s Early Warning System: Delivering reliable multi-hazard alerts at scale – a mature model of MNO involvement

A hand holds a smartphone displaying a weather app, highlighting digital humanitarian assistance. The screen shows 43.1°C with detailed data, graphs, and weather options. In the blurred background, motorcycles and outdoor scenery are visible.

NAXA: Digital and spatial technology for anticipatory action in Nepal

A person holds a smartphone in their left hand, reading a message in Tamil on the screen—showcasing how digital humanitarian assistance empowers communities. The background features a glass building and paved walkway.

India’s SACHET Public Warning System: A Case Study in Mobile Alerting

The GSMA Humanitarian Positioning Strategy: A Catalytic Approach to Cross-Sector Partnerships in Support of Humanitarian Assistance

Thick, dark smoke billows from a wildfire near homes surrounded by trees and hills. As flames threaten residences, digital humanitarian assistance plays a crucial role in coordinating relief efforts amid the hazy sky and faint mountains.

Making Early Warnings Work for All: People Centred Design

A smiling man wearing a colorful patterned shirt talks on a smartphone. He has a well-groomed short beard and hair, and is sitting indoors against a plain light background. The atmosphere appears bright and cheerful.

Interactive Voice Response in Humanitarian Code of Conduct Agent Training in Uganda

A rescue worker guides a red boat carrying people in life jackets and masks, along with bags and boxes, through flooded streets—a striking example of humanitarian innovation amid crisis. Palm trees and buildings stand under a clear sky in the background.

Mobile-Enabled Early Warning Systems: The GSMA and the Early Warnings for All Initiative

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 currently funded by UK International Development from the UK government and by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and is supported by the GSMA and its members.