Oscar Llorente – Humanitarian and Development Practitioner
Oscar Llorente – Humanitarian/Development practitioner
With more than 20 years of experience in international development and humanitarian response, I have worked across conflict, displacement, natural disaster and outbreak contexts in Somalia, Mali, Western Sahara, Colombia, Honduras, Algeria, Ethiopia and Guinea Conakry. Throughout my career I have designed and implemented large‑scale humanitarian interventions across sectors, ensuring assistance reaches those most in need while laying foundations for recovery and resilience.
Currently, I serve as Programme Director of the Somali Cash Consortium, hosted by Concern Worldwide, coordinating one of the largest cash assistance and digital payment programmes in Somalia. My role focuses on programme strategy, partner coordination, digital payments, accountability and evidence‑based decision‑making.
I am passionate about how cash assistance, anticipatory action, social protection and digital financial systems can enable faster, more transparent and dignified humanitarian responses. Over the years, I have held leadership and technical roles with organisations including Concern Worldwide, UNDP, the Spanish Red Cross and AECID.
I created AI4Humanitarians because I believe the sector is entering a period of profound transformation. Practitioners need practical, ethical and accessible ways to understand and use emerging technologies to enhance crisis response, coordination and decision‑making.
I am fluent in Spanish, English and French and hold an MSc in Infrastructure in Emergencies from Loughborough University.
Currently serving as the Somali Cash Consortium (SCC) Program Director at Concern Worldwide, Oscar leads one of the largest cash assistance programs in Somalia, coordinating emergency cash transfers for hundreds of thousands of displaced families affected by drought, conflict, and economic shocks. Under his leadership, the program has expanded its reach through digital payment solutions, ensuring aid is delivered rapidly and transparently while strengthening financial inclusion for vulnerable populations.
Driven by a passionate approach to humanitarian/development sector and a special care of the Red Cross mandate, Oscar recognizes the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies in optimizing humanitarian responses and its potential to change complete humanitarian/development landscape. He actively integrates AI tools into its daily activity as professional, enhancing operational efficiency, and ensuring that data-driven decision-making leads to more effective interventions.
Fluent in Spanish, English, and French, Oscar holds a Master of Science in Infrastructures in Emergencies from Loughborough University and various specialized certifications in emergency sanitation, water supply, and disaster management.
As the humanitarian sector navigates increasingly complex global challenges, Oscar Llorente continues to drive forward-thinking solutions that merge technology and humanitarianism—ensuring aid reaches those who need it most with precision, speed, and sustainability. Despite the increasing uncertainty in the international context we are navigating, it is crucial for us to have an oversight on the evolution our sector will experience and what it will look like in the years to come for the organizations and the workers. If the sector still exists.