UN Using Blockchain to Promote Transparency in Rebuilding Process in Afghanistan

Rick Delafont

Last Updated: July 2, 2019 11:00 pm

2 mins read

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The United Nations will reportedly use blockchain technology as part of its efforts to aid the redevelopment of Afghanistan. The plan forms part of the supranational body’s “City for All” programme aimed at modernising the infrastructure of the nation’s urban centres.

Blockchain technology is hoped to bring much-needed transparency to the redevelopment process. The management of Land Records is one area that the immutable data sharing innovation will be used in.

Blockchain Technology Finds Use in UN’s Afghanistan Efforts

According to a report in technology news publication Sociable, blockchain technology will be put to use by the United Nations Office of Communication and Information Technologies (UN-OICT) in Afghanistan. The plan is to use the technology to help the government keep track of its Land Records in a transparent and secure fashion.

Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric stated that the United Nation’s urban development department, UN-Habitat, would be working alongside the Afghani government as part of its “City for All” programme.

The programme states that there are three components needed for a peace and subsequent development in the nation’s urban centres. These are effective land management, strategic urban planning, and improved municipal finance and governance.

Dujarric went on to comment directly on use of blockchain technology to help the Afghan government with the redevelopment process of the nation’s urban centres:

“The blockchain solution shall serve as a key tool in the delivery of these fundamental components.”

The use of blockchain in the nation is part of a Memorandum of Understanding between the UN-OICT and UN-Habitat. The goal of the memorandum is to promote a framework of cooperation between developing nations with regards to cutting-edge technology. It has particular focus on urban design and planning and the main nations involved so far in the scheme are Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

Below, you’ll find Dujarric speaking in 2018 about how the UN subdivision envisages using blockchain technology:

Blockchain technology has been touted by many as a revolutionary way of sharing data across distributed networks in which the parties do not necessarily trust one another. Data uploaded to a blockchain is incredibly difficult to adjust and can be accessed by any party permitted by the network rules. This has meant that proponents of the technology have claimed it will transform just about every industry imaginable,

Elsewhere in blockchain technology news this week, Oxfam has teamed up with a blockchain-based insurance startup to provide financial safeguards to farmers in Sri Lanka. The two, along with professional services provider Anon, will create an automated weather reporting system that updates an immutable, distributed ledger of previous claims. The increased efficiency this will create will make insurance products more affordable for farmers in the nation.

Featured Images from Shutterstock.

Rick Delafont

Based in Europe, Rick has written about the cryptocurrency industry since 2016. He was first drawn to Bitcoin as a means of payment but quickly became fascinated by its wider potential implications. His interests lie in the political, economic, and social impact of the unfolding digital asset revolution.