The UN is not new to blockchain, having previously explored the use of technology to track aid to impoverished areas. In some parts of the world, the organization has also relied on cryptocurrencies for facilitating donations, while its food assistance arm — the World Food Programme (WFP) — has tapped the ethereum blockchain to authenticate and record disbursement transactions.
Now we have UN’s Global Citizen arm teaming-up with IBM to issue a challenge that would entice the world’s developers to use blockchain to revolutionize how donations are made to humanitarian causes.
Called “Challenge Accepted,” the initiative is inspired by the United Nations’ Envision 2030 program, which aims to improve the lives of impoverished and at-risk people.
Here’s what’s it all about…
Using IBM’s blockchain tools
Developers taking part in the challenge will have to rely on IBM’s Blockchain Platform Starter Plan to build a network that encompasses all aspects of the donation process.
They will be additionally incentivized with points for performing certain action which could later be redeemed for access to IBM experts and more services.
It’s not (just) about the money
According to Simon Moss, a co-founder of Global Citizen, the technology has the potential to change the face of humanitarian aid. Beyond tracking actual donations, organizations can also use blockchain to improve transparency in the flow of goods being delivered.
“Blockchain can provide clarity on not only who is donating, but how money and supplies flow through organizations that provide aid — such as tracking a gallon of water purchased by an organization to the location where it was delivered,” he wrote.
IBM is also thrilled with the partnership with the company’s head of the blockchain platform Kathryn Harrison praising “opportunities to use this technology in areas that we can do some pretty substantial social good.”
“I think it’s a really exciting opportunity to help engaged citizens see how they can build something that’s going to drive accountability and improvement in the [non-governmental organization] sector,” she told CoinDesk.
The Challenge details
Harrison also helped frame the challenge, which runs from May 15 to July 14, as part of the wider work being done at IBM on the blockchain front.
“We’re focused on so many different types of use cases. We look at food safety, we look at microfinance, we look things like the environment and carbon credits and energy savings,” she said. “And this just seems like another opportunity to empower developers to put their skills to use for good.”
At the end of the challenge, five winners will be chosen and some may even be listed in the IBM Blockchain Platform to help them spread their tech to the wider community. Also, some of the winners may even take their projects further through IBM’s Garage workspaces; and as a nice addon – all winners will get tickets to Global Citizen’s Global Citizen Music Festival in September.
Overall, the challenge is designed to provide developers with an opportunity to delve into aid-focused uses of blockchain to advance their ideas. And it’s also more than that:
“This is a bold reinvention of how philanthropy and donors interact,” Moss concluded.
