Crossmatch is making the case for biometrics in disaster relief and foreign assistance. The company is presenting its solution at this week’s Action on Disaster Relief conference in Panama City, where Crossmatch Marketing Director Ben Ball is a speaker.
The idea is to link biometric authentication to the aid delivery process in order to cut down on fraudulent practices such as “leakages” – when criminals siphon aid out of the officially delivery mechanism. Getting storehouses outfitted with biometric access control or using biometric authentication on agents delivering aid in the field could help to keep resources in the system.
It would address a serious problem: In a statement announcing the solution, Crossmatch cites World Food Programme data suggesting that over $10 million in yearly aid is unaccounted for. That being the case, “international organizations such as UNHCR and the WFP have started to experiment with the use of biometrics as a tool for accountability”, Ball commented.
With a range of government and NGO organizations attending this week’s Action on Disaster Relief event, including United Nations agencies and the American Red Cross, the audience could prove receptive to the Crossmatch Foreign Assistance/Disaster Relief Solution; and ultimately, those individuals most in need stand to benefit.
–
January 26, 2017 – by Alex Perala
Follow Us