ReliefWeb
Encyclopedia
ReliefWeb is an on-line gateway to information on humanitarian emergencies and disasters. An independent vehicle of information, designed specifically to assist the international humanitarian community in effective delivery of emergency assistance, it provides information as events unfold, while emphasizing the coverage of "forgotten emergencies" at the same time.
. The project began as the brainchild of the US Department of State, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, which had noticed during the Rwanda crisis how poorly critical operational information was shared between NGOs, UN Agencies and Governments. In 1995, the Department's Senior Policy Adviser on Disaster Management led a series of discussions at UN HQ in Geneva and New York, as well as a conference on the project at the US Department of State in which both ReliefWeb as a product and the internet in general were touted as fresh tools for the humanitarian community. At first recognition was slight until NGOs and then DHA (the Department of Humanitarian Affairs) at the UN realized how much time and money could be saved by using email and FTP technologies, and how easy it was to verify information on a portal like ReliefWeb. Its official launch was also the launch of the UN's first disaster website. Recognizing how critical the availability of reliable and timely information in time of humanitarian emergencies is, the United Nations General Assembly
endorsed the creation of ReliefWeb and encouraged humanitarian information exchange through ReliefWeb by all governments, relief agencies and non-governmental organizations in Resolution 51/194 on 10 February 1997. The General Assembly reiterated the importance of information sharing in emergencies and of taking advantage of OCHA's emergency information services such as ReliefWeb in Resolution 57/153 on 3 March 2003.
ReliefWeb maintains offices in three different time zones to update the web site around the clock: Kobe (Japan), Geneve (Switzerland) and New York (USA).
ReliefWeb has seen steady growth in usage. In 2002, ReliefWeb received 1.5 million hits per week, and in 2004, the number rose to approximately 1 million hits a day. Shortly after the South Asia Tsunami disaster
of December 2004, it received 3 million hits a day on average. In 2009, ReliefWeb counted some 150,000 registered users and over nine million unique visitors to the website.
A first major re-design effort was started in 2002 and completed in 2005, which focused on implementing a more user-centric information architecture.
For 2010, another overhaul is planned, which focuses on strengthened editorial management and greater use of visual graphics, new ways of content delivery, the adoption of a new web content management system, use of social media, and an expanded recruitment service.
ReliefWeb posts some 150 maps and documents daily from over 3,000 sources from the UN system, governments, inter-governmental organizations, NGOs, academia and the media.
In addition, a team of cartographers creates original maps focusing on humanitarian emergencies.
All documents posted on the site are classified and archived, allowing advanced searching of documents from past emergency responses. The database contains nearly 300,000 maps and documents dating back to 1981.
In addition to maps and emergency updates by latest or by country, region, and emergency, ReliefWeb offers various resource sections specifically targeted to relief professionals:
Origin and development
ReliefWeb was launched in October 1996 and is administered by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs , is a United Nations body formed in December 1991 by General Assembly Resolution 46/182...
. The project began as the brainchild of the US Department of State, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, which had noticed during the Rwanda crisis how poorly critical operational information was shared between NGOs, UN Agencies and Governments. In 1995, the Department's Senior Policy Adviser on Disaster Management led a series of discussions at UN HQ in Geneva and New York, as well as a conference on the project at the US Department of State in which both ReliefWeb as a product and the internet in general were touted as fresh tools for the humanitarian community. At first recognition was slight until NGOs and then DHA (the Department of Humanitarian Affairs) at the UN realized how much time and money could be saved by using email and FTP technologies, and how easy it was to verify information on a portal like ReliefWeb. Its official launch was also the launch of the UN's first disaster website. Recognizing how critical the availability of reliable and timely information in time of humanitarian emergencies is, the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
endorsed the creation of ReliefWeb and encouraged humanitarian information exchange through ReliefWeb by all governments, relief agencies and non-governmental organizations in Resolution 51/194 on 10 February 1997. The General Assembly reiterated the importance of information sharing in emergencies and of taking advantage of OCHA's emergency information services such as ReliefWeb in Resolution 57/153 on 3 March 2003.
ReliefWeb maintains offices in three different time zones to update the web site around the clock: Kobe (Japan), Geneve (Switzerland) and New York (USA).
ReliefWeb has seen steady growth in usage. In 2002, ReliefWeb received 1.5 million hits per week, and in 2004, the number rose to approximately 1 million hits a day. Shortly after the South Asia Tsunami disaster
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
of December 2004, it received 3 million hits a day on average. In 2009, ReliefWeb counted some 150,000 registered users and over nine million unique visitors to the website.
A first major re-design effort was started in 2002 and completed in 2005, which focused on implementing a more user-centric information architecture.
For 2010, another overhaul is planned, which focuses on strengthened editorial management and greater use of visual graphics, new ways of content delivery, the adoption of a new web content management system, use of social media, and an expanded recruitment service.
Services
ReliefWeb disseminates humanitarian information by updating its web site around the clock. In addition, ReliefWeb reaches over 70,000 subscribers through its e-mail subscription services, allowing those who have low bandwidth Internet connections to receive information reliably. Information from ReliefWeb is also available via RSS feeds, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.ReliefWeb posts some 150 maps and documents daily from over 3,000 sources from the UN system, governments, inter-governmental organizations, NGOs, academia and the media.
In addition, a team of cartographers creates original maps focusing on humanitarian emergencies.
All documents posted on the site are classified and archived, allowing advanced searching of documents from past emergency responses. The database contains nearly 300,000 maps and documents dating back to 1981.
In addition to maps and emergency updates by latest or by country, region, and emergency, ReliefWeb offers various resource sections specifically targeted to relief professionals:
- Appeals and Funding: Funding appeals for complex emergencies and natural disasters and financial tracking of responses to funding requirements
- Policies and Issues: On-line library of reference materials covering humanitarian policies and issues of global nature
- Professional Resources: Information of practical use for relief professionals, including a sectoral or thematic listing of communities of practice, listings of job opportunities and training opportunities, and an information providers' directory.