ABSTRACT
The protection of personal data emerges as a clear priority for humanitarian organisations as they rely increasingly on data-driven approaches to increase operational effectiveness. At the same time, many humanitarian organisations enjoy privileges and immunities mainly so that they can function independently. This chapter examines the legal tensions between European Union (EU) data protection laws and the privileges and immunities of organisations in the United Nations’ (UN) system, focusing on correspondence between the UN and the EU from 2018 to 2024. The discussions centred on the challenges posed by EU data protection law to the transfers of data to international organisations, sometimes hindering such organisations’ ability to fulfil their mandates, especially in humanitarian contexts. This chapter explores the discussions and their outcomes and argues that privileges and immunities can in fact enhance the protection of personal data.
