Pursuing Open Source Justice: Challenges and Opportunities of Forging Collaborative Partnerships for Humanitarian Relief in Precarious Times

Abstract

Collaborative governance scholars have noted the recent increase in public-private partnerships to address a diversity of resource based challenges. Concerted efforts by the United Nations (“UN”) and its subsidiary bodies have, to a large extent, laid the foundations for post-disaster relief efforts. At the same time, the private sector is increasingly playing a significant role in contributing to the development of humanitarian aid. Public-private partnerships involved in the development of technology for humanitarian relief, are emerging. This paper attempts to provide an overview of the humanitarian framework by which the UN and its bodies collaborate with its private partners, and some recent notable achievements in the private sector regarding developing and utilizing technology for humanitarian relief efforts.