Our Latest Articles
The digital debate
Is biometrics appropriate in refugee situations? Can digital technology resolve problems related to the lack of identity papers? These and other questions were debated in two newspaper articles published by the German newspaper Die Zeit recently.
Phone Operators Advocate for Easier Access for Refugees to Mobile Networks
The GSM Association recently pointed out that most countries do not recognize UNHCR identification documents issued to refugees for purchasing and activating a mobile SIM card for purposes of communication or mobile financial services.
Central American refugees: protected or put at risk by communication technologies?
Article by Guillermo Barros from Forced Migration Review digest (Issue 56, October 2017) on the negative consequences of communication for Central American refugees.
Nigeria: 100,000 internally displaced receive biometric ID Cards
The registration and issuance of tokens to 100,000 persons has started in Maiduguri (Borno State) in North-Eastern Nigeria.
Modernizing Registration and Identity Management in UNHCR: Introducing PRIMES
UNHCR is launching PRIMES, a new and innovative ecosystem of interoperable tools and applications, to provide better access to opportunities and services for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons.
UNHCR launches mobile money in Niger
UNHCR in Niger launches a project providing access to cash via mobile phones to 2500 Malian refugee households.
Refugee camp AppFactory grooming software developers
An AppFactory established at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa is developing information, communication and technology (ICT) skills for refugees, enabling them to become software developers.
ID2020 and UNHCR Host Joint Workshop on Digital Identity
ID2020 and UNHCR brought together representatives from government, public, and private sectors at the World Food Programme Accelerator in Munich to discuss digital identity opportunities for refugees.
Ethiopia rolls out new biometric system to enhance registration of refugees
The new system is another step forward for Ethiopia towards its commitment to deliver better protection and assistance to refugees.
Refugees in the Digital Age
Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees at UNHCR and Karl Steinacker, Deputy Director, Division of Programme Support and Management, offer their view on how this new era will bring innovative digital solutions for refugees.
Meeting refugees’ basic needs thanks to Cash Assistance in Greece
In 2017, the Greece Cash Alliance (GCA) is a partnership between UNHCR and five international NGOs, provided monthly cash assistance to more than 33,000 refugees and asylum-seekers.
3 things you need to know about blockchain
We asked Doug Greene, our Chief Information Officer, everything you ever wanted to know about blockchain and how it could affect the humanitarian world and UNHCR.