Blockchain has become a recurring term since Satoshi Nakamoto developed and unveiled Bitcoin, one of the most famous digital currencies today. As of that moment, the words "blockchain" and "cryptocurrencies" go hand in hand for the majority of the population.
However, this technology can be used for other aspects beyond digital assets.
The chain of blocks, better known as blockchain, is a database distributed in blocks of information that are interlaced with each other. In this way, the change of some data is avoided after being published and facilitates the retrieval of information; therefore, it is considered one of the most reliable and safe technologies currently.
It has already been used, in addition to digital currencies, for the preparation of legal documents, courier services and even oil tankers. But what not everyone knows is that the blockchain can also be used for humanitarian purposes.
A joint effort made by WIN (World Identity Network), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the United Nations Information and Communications Technology Office (UN-OICT), resulted in the program " Blockchain For Humanity ", whose goal is to stop child trafficking in Moldova using blockchain.
The World Food Program (WFP) of the United Nations has also joined the use of block chains to achieve its objectives. In Tunisia, WFP uses this technology to monitor school lunches and ensure that each child receives their respective plate of food.
In addition, the UN has evaluated using blockchain to grant digital identifications to refugees who do not have documentation. Even the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has teamed up with the Blockchain company to explore the use of this technology in its area of action.
REFUNITE, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help refugees reunite with their loved ones, has also used the technology in question to search for missing persons.
On the other hand, the government of Finland with the agency Moni, developed digital payment cards that include an identity document and work through block chains. These cards were distributed to people displaced or in need of shelter.
The end of the "Blood Diamonds"?
The "Blood Diamonds" is the name given to those rough stones that have been used by guerrilla groups, especially in Africa, to finance armed conflicts and buy weapons.These groups also exercise violence against civilians to maintain control of the diamond mines and areas they have appropriated.
However, the gemstone industry seems to have found the solution to this problem.According to Forbes, companies such as De Beers and Fura Gems are considering the blockchain as the key to ending the conflict.
De Beers, Forbes reports, covering more than 30% of the world's demand for diamonds, announced that it will start using the block chain to track the stones from the point where they are extracted to where they are sold to consumers.
This would allow avoiding the trafficking of diamonds by the guerrilla groups and meet the demands of the buyers who, aware of the "Blood Diamonds", ask the companies guarantees of not acquiring one.