Paper details

Abstract

The humanitarian landscape is undergoing a pivotal explosion. At the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI), a local action research organization, and host and member to Humanitarian observatory Initiative South Asia (HOISA) we see this transformation being driven by two key forces: innovation and knowledge infrastructure at local level led by affected population. These local and overlooked forces are not only reshaping response mechanisms but also redefining how local voices, lived experiences, and frontline actors engage with global top down affected humanitarian systems.

AIDMI’s work in urban heat resilience, anticipatory action, and community risk finance is grounded in the belief that innovation must emerge from below, from the population: workers, migrants, women, and excluded. Our initiatives with workers, small businesses, and city authorities in India showcase how hyperlocal innovations—like heat shelters for homeless, micro-insurance, small business, and climate alerts for anticipatory action —can shift the humanitarian paradigm from reactive relief to proactive preparedness.

Equally critical are knowledge infrastructures—observatories, digital platforms, and practice-based publications—that enable learning, evidence sharing, and accountability. But more important are local knowledge of affected people that is far more a AIDMI has invested in creating open-access knowledge through tools like Southasiadisasters.net, city-level heat audits, appreciative inquiry for family farmers and community-designed risk maps. These systems empower citizens to not only access data but also produce and own it laterally from one affected person to another affected person.

Collaborations with institutions such as IIED, ALNAP, HSC, The Hague, Salata institute, IDS Sussex, and others have further strengthened our ability to connect local insights to global policy. The co-creation of climate finance solutions, dialogues on nature-based resilience, future of aid, and integration of gender perspectives into disaster planning are examples to this approach.

Reimagining humanitarian action in such uncertain times is not about starting anew, but rebuilding trust, redistributing power, and retooling systems for the complex and cascading crises of our times. Innovation must be ethical, inclusive, and scalable for all. Knowledge must be rooted in equity and action leading to plurality of action and thought.

From the streets of Ahmedabad to the coastal towns of Odisha, AIDMI continues to learn and lead with communities, believing that transformation lies in people-first humanitarianism powered by data, design, and dignity of the affected people.