Biometrics aid in aid delivery

IOM Uses Biometrics to Aid Displaced in Democratic Republic of the Congo (MENAFN)

The lack of identity documents for IDPs in the Eastern DRC poses a challenge in targeting humanitarian assistance. Almost 80 per cent of adults living in sites having no form of identity documents. In response IOM launched a biometric registration pilot project in eight displacement sites around the city of Goma in June 2014.

Between June 2014 and April 2015 IOM took the fingerprints of nearly 16000 IDPs. In the context of food distributions the collected information is used to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the most vulnerable and avoids duplication and fraud.

Biometrics are an inexpensive, fast and accurate way of setting up ad hoc ID systems from scratch. Those interested in development and disaster recovery, take note.

UK pays £22.5 million for 'questionable' Democratic Republic of Congo election

British taxpayers paid £22.5 million to fund a voter registration process in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has put hundreds of thousands of fake voters on the electoral roll. (The Telegraph)

The leaked survey obtained by Zetes, a Belgian firm that issued biometric polling cards, found that more than 700,000 so called "doublons" had been added to the list in just five provinces.

Read the whole thing. It's pretty sad. Biometric systems aren't magic. If they are purchased, implemented and administered by the corrupt, one cannot expect the output to be anything other than corrupt.

What biometric ID management systems have going for them, when they are properly conceived and implemented:
♦ They are less labor-intensive than older ID management technologies.
♦ They are more easily audited than older ID management technologies.
♦ They offer a determined manager extremely valuable tools for holding staff accountable.

Like biometric time-and-attendance systems, biometric voter systems are extremely effective tools in the hands of capable managers. They can't run clean elections all by themselves.

ID management is about people, after all.