At the end of September 2024, world leaders are coming together in New York City to convene a variety of high-level events. Between 22-23 September, the Summit of the Future will take place, which has been described as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to mend eroded trust and demonstrate that international cooperation can effectively tackle emerging threats as well as opportunities.
It is common practice for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and WFP, World Food Programme, to collaborate in some of the world’s most difficult humanitarian responses. While UNHCR is mandated to protect those forced to flee, WFP is responsible for delivering food and life-saving assistance in emergencies and protracted refugee situations. The two organizations work together to serve the most vulnerable populations. As part of this collaboration, UNHCR and WFP may need to exchange some information on the forcibly displaced populations to ensure they receive targeted food assistance in a dignified manner.
When UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, began collecting biometrics in 2002, it was for one local and very specific use case: To facilitate fair and single-time cash grants, irises of Afghan refugees in Pakistan were collected.
Alongside many developments in biometrics over the past two decades, UNHCR explored and implemented different biometric tools in different regions and for different purposes. Since the beginning, biometrics brought direct benefits to refugees, UNHCR, and partners alike, and are now considered an integral component of registration data in over 90 UNHCR country operations globally.