Policy Paper: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Humanitarian Response
OCHA POLICY AND STUDIES SERIES June 2014 | 010
Occasional Policy Paper :: 20 pages
Full report pdf: https://docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/Documents/Unmanned%20Aerial%20Vehicles%20in%20Humanitarian%20Response%20OCHA%20July%202014.pdf

KEY MESSAGES:
:: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as remotely piloted aircraft or “drones” are small aircraft that fly by remote control or autonomously. Although previously associated with the military, UAVs are increasingly performing civilian tasks as the technology becomes more com¬mon – 57 countries and 270 companies were producing UAVs in 2013. In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forecast that some 7,500 commercial small UAVs could be flying in the U.S. within five years.
:: Humanitarian organizations have started to use UAVs, including in Haiti and the Philippines, for data collection and information tasks that include real time information and situation mon¬itoring, public information and advocacy, search and rescue, and mapping.
:: The most likely humanitarian application in the area of delivery and logistics would be delivery of small medical supplies, such as vaccines.
:: The use of UAVs raises serious practical and ethical issues that humanitarian organizations must address through transparency, community engagement, and guidelines for privacy and data security.
:: Developing safeguards and guidance for the use of UAVs in conflict settings, whether strictly for humanitarian purposes or for protection and human rights work, will be a significant chal¬lenge. The humanitarian system should therefore focus on uses in natural disasters and early recovery settings.
:: As more peacekeeping and military actors acquire UAVs, humanitarians will need to have clear guidance and common positions on when it is appropriate to use those capacities.
:: To tap into the growing interest in UAVs, particularly in technical communities, humanitarian organizations should engage in networks that promote good practices and guidance, and that can serve as a source of surge capacity.
:: Despite their potential to enhance humanitarian operations, more research and evidence is needed to identify the comparative advantages of using UAVs. More research is needed on in¬tegrating aerial observation and data collection into needs and damage assessments, search and rescue, and other humanitarian functions.