The IFRC joins HISP Centre as DHIS2 Partner

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the HISP Centre at the University of Oslo (HISP UiO) have signed a memorandum of understanding, formally recognizing the IFRC as a DHIS2 Institutional Partner.

The agreement establishes a long-term collaboration to strengthen the use of DHIS2 across the IFRC network, supporting emergency response, health information management, and digital capacity development. Together, HISP UiO and the IFRC will advance open, sustainable digital infrastructure that supports humanitarian action and community resilience worldwide.

“At the IFRC, we are working to strengthen how data supports decision-making before, during, and after crises,” said the IFRC Health and Care Director, Dr. Petra Khoury. “This partnership with the HISP Centre allows us to build on a shared commitment to open, interoperable systems that can be adapted to country needs, strengthen health services, and support more timely and coordinated response and health services.”

The partnership outlines several key areas of collaboration, including joint development of DHIS2 configurations for humanitarian and emergency response use cases, deployment of DHIS2 systems for the IFRC global and regional monitoring, and expanded capacity-building initiatives. These include integrating DHIS2 Academy content into the IFRC learning systems, developing e-learning and micro-credentialing opportunities, and exploring privacy-preserving analytics and shared data infrastructures.

“We are honored and delighted to enter this partnership with the IFRC, and we look forward to advancing open, sustainable digital infrastructure that supports humanitarian action at scale,” said HISP UiO director, Prof. Kristin Braa. “By working together across the DHIS2 ecosystem, we can strengthen local capacity, improve emergency response, and ensure that digital systems serve communities when they are needed most.”

The partnership outlines several key areas of collaboration, including joint development of DHIS2 configurations for humanitarian and emergency response use cases, deployment of DHIS2 systems for the IFRC global and regional monitoring, and expanded capacity-building initiatives. These include integrating DHIS2 Academy content into the IFRC learning systems, developing e-learning and micro-credentialing opportunities, and exploring privacy-preserving analytics and shared data infrastructures.

The IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian network, supporting 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to deliver assistance before, during, and after crises and disasters. DHIS2 is an open-source, flexible data platform used by governments in more than 80 countries to collect, manage, analyze, and visualize data across health, education, and other sectors, developed and governed by the HISP Centre at the University of Oslo in collaboration with a global network of HISP groups and contributing partners.

Through joint resource mobilization and regional engagement with HISP hubs and partner groups, the collaboration aims to strengthen country-level implementation and support a coordinated, interoperable approach to digital health and humanitarian information systems. This partnership marks an important step in expanding the DHIS2 ecosystem within humanitarian contexts, reinforcing DHIS2’s role as a digital public good for emergency response, health information, and sustainable capacity building.

For media inquiries, please contact comms@dhis2.org.