Open-source ReliefWeb Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server

[Elijah Tynes]

[Appname: ReliefWebMCP]

Hi all,

I have recently been developing an open-source Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for ReliefWeb, providing natural language access to ReliefWeb's API services using AI agents. MCP is a standardized protocol for providing AI agents with tools needed to complete specific tasks. MCP allows for the usage of complex API calls without any client-side implementation.

The below diagram depicts the workflow for using MCP with ReliefWeb: an AI agent connects to the MCP server and can invoke the tools defined by the server, such as "GetDisasters", in correspondence with user requests. 

As an example, prompting an AI agent with "give me recent disasters" will result in the AI agent using the MCP server to call "GetDisasters" (this decision is made based on the chat context and tool descriptions) and display the formatted response for the user, such as:

"1. Guatemala: Earthquake - Jul 2025

   - Type: Earthquake
   - Date: 2025-07-08
   - More info: ReliefWeb Link"

This project embodies the potential for AI in the humanitarian sector, vastly expanding the potential applications for the ReliefWeb API. This technology can be used to provide greater accessibility to the resources provided by ReliefWeb and humanitarian services as a whole.

This server is available as an NPM package at @elijahtynes/reliefweb-mcp-server.

Here is the GitHub repository for more information and code samples.

[Andrej Verity]

Hi Elijah,

Greetings from the UNOCHA and ReliefWeb team!

Thank you for sharing your work on an open-source MCP server for ReliefWeb. It is incredibly exciting to see such innovative applications of AI and standardized protocols being explored in the humanitarian space.

Your implementation and the example you provided clearly demonstrate the potential of MCP to enhance accessibility and usability of ReliefWeb’s resources. We appreciate practical use case - it is a compelling illustration of how AI agents can interact with humanitarian data in meaningful ways.

At ReliefWeb, we have also been actively investigating the possibility of providing an official MCP server, not only for ReliefWeb but potentially as part of a broader Humanitarian MCP Server under UNOCHA. As part of this exploration, we are carefully considering the technical requirements needed to ensure a robust and scalable experience, including infrastructure, security, and long-term sustainability.

The team will take a look at your GitHub repo as part of our work with intentions to understand your approach and see how it might align with or inform our own efforts. If we have questions, would you be open to us contacting your bilaterally?

Thanks again for your inspiring work and for contributing to the advancement of humanitarian technology.

Warm regards,

Andrej Verity

Digital Services, Information Management Branch (IMB)

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), The Hague (NL)