Funding cuts to international development assistance are threatening the digital archives, records, and datasets held by UN agencies, NGOs, and faith-based organizations. In response, the creators of the Humanitarian Archive Toolkit, the Humanitarian Archive Emergency (HAE), which is a global initiative led by the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute at the University of Manchester, with support from the Leverhulme Trust, Wellcome Trust, and partner organizations, is conducting a worldwide census to identify which collections are most at risk and what would be lost without action. The project aims to identify which bodies of humanitarian knowledge are most endangered, understand the threats driving that risk, and assess what would be lost if preservation action is not taken. As they note, “it is not an inventory exercise or a data rescue intervention: it is the evidentiary foundation on which any informed, equitable response must be built.”
To submit an example to the project registry, fill out their survey. Data is stored on GDPR-compliant servers, and no personal identifying information will be shared or retained beyond the project’s end in October 2026.
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This post was produced through a cooperation between Claire Burns, Trip Kirkpatrick, Carrie Pirmann, Mimosa Shah, Michelle Speed, and Melissa Horakhern (Editors-at-Large), Nickoal Eichmann-Kalwara and Linsey Ford (Editors for the week), Claudia Berger, Ruth Carpenter, Caitlin Christian-Lamb, Pamella Lach, Molly McGuire, Hillary Richardson, Christine Salek, and Rachel Starry (dh+lib Review Editors), and Tom Lee (Technical Editor).