Key challenges of product development for humanitarian markets

Abstract

There is a clear increase in the frequency, complexity and length of humanitarian crises. This trend has driven the attention of donor governments to the private sector in search of more cost effective solutions for the provision of aid. While the challenges that emerge when humanitarian values meet business interests in the humanitarian market have been explored, little is known about the perspective of enterprises from the private sector and how they approach the humanitarian aid context. This study aimed at exploring how characteristics, specific to humanitarian aid affect product development activities. In fact, mismatches between business and humanitarian systems go beyond the creation of logistical systems and extend to product development activities and adjacent servicing. We consider the findings a contribution to the definition of priorities for the future collaborative development of products and services by private sector and humanitarian aid stakeholders.