DLT in Migration Policy: How Blockchain Can Help Both Refugees and Host Nations

As the United Nations Refugee Agency warned in the first days of September, the death rate for refugees attempting to reach Europe has risen.

Although the buzzwords 'refugee crisis' were left in the year 2015, the problem of mass migration remains one of the central topics in the 21st century, given the vast number of economical and socio-political crises - from Syria to Venezuela - and even the global climate migration crisis, awaited by scientists.

As Norwegian Refugee Council research found, 70 percent of Syrian refugees lack basic identification and documents showing ownership of property.

Host nations certainly has a share in the damage, as they face problems concerning the accessibility of vital information about the newcomers - dealing with the undocumented refugee, the immigration service can't gain the information about his/her health status, family ties or criminal record, or verify any other vital data that helps them make a decision.

From public medical assistance to bank credits, the lack of necessary papers put refugees in an excluded position and pushes them to other traditional structures - based on ethnicity or religion - that offer some compensation and assistance in the face of the host nation's indifference.

Refugees' personal identities are carefully re-established with the support of clever biometric systems set up by the U.N. Agency for Refugees.

Awaiting the decision of host nations, refugees spend months and years in camps and centers, where they often lack the basic comforts and even security.

In May 2017, the U.N.'s World Food Programme directed resources to thousands of Syrian refugees by giving the refugees cryptocurrency-based vouchers that could be redeemed in participating markets.

The next stage of the project will see an expansion to all 500,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan receiving support from the WFP. And at least six other U.N. agencies - including the U.N. Office for Project Services, the U.N. Development Programme, the U.N. Children's Fund, U.N. Women, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the U.N. Development Group - are now considering blockchain applications that could help support international assistance, particularly supply chain management tools, self-auditing of payments, identity management and data storage.

What blockchain could do is to help refugees get more transparent and generous financial aid, save their vital documents and track the process of applications without any human mistakes.