The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recently said that it has launched a blockchain payment solution to distribute digital cash to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ukraine. According to the agency, the use of a blockchain-based cash distribution system ensures that funds are instantly transferred to their intended recipients.
Only the “most affected and vulnerable” are eligible
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF), an organization supporting the growth of the Stellar blockchain, announced on December 15 the launch of a “blockchain payment solution to distribute digital cash to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and others affected by war.” in Ukraine “.
in statementThe agency said it, along with the United Nations International Computing Center (UNICC), has become the first to “trial the new Stellar-based aid disbursement solution”. Commending the pilot phase, which was designed specifically for Ukraine, the Commission said that the use of this system ensures that funds reach the intended beneficiaries.
As part of this arrangement, eligible Ukrainians are set to receive the donated funds in the form of the USDC stablecoin. Recipients can either choose to store the funds in their Vibrant Wallet or cash them out at any global Moneygram location. Recipients can also do this at “more than 4,500 Moneygram locations in Ukraine”.
While there are plans to eventually expand the program to more Ukrainian towns, the statement mentioned only three cities: Kyiv, Lviv and Venezia are currently participating. The expected beneficiaries of the pilot program include “people most affected and vulnerable by war.”
Pilot program likely to ‘enhance humanitarian efforts’
Commenting on UNHCR’s pilot cash distribution programme, Karolina Lindholm Pelling, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine, said:
Ukraine is a global leader in developing technical solutions to increase access to social protection, including assistance for the displaced. Across the world, UNHCR has been collaborating for years with the technology sector, which has played a critical role in helping us innovate to deliver aid faster, as speed is at the heart of humanitarian action. It is also essential to provide people with a range of options for receiving assistance, as one size does not fit all.”
The partnership between her organization and UNHCR has pioneered “a new future for delivering the billions of dollars in aid that are disbursed annually,” said Denelle Dixon, Executive Director and Executive Director of the Syrian Democratic Forces. For his part, Oleksandr Bornyakov, Ukraine’s deputy minister for digital transformation, claimed that the pilot program is likely to boost “humanitarian efforts around the world.”
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Terrence Zemoara
Terence Zemwara is an award-winning Zimbabwean journalist, author and writer. He has written extensively about the economic problems of some African countries as well as how digital currencies can offer Africans an escape route.
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