Biometric identity management firm Crossmatch has revealed a new solution aimed at combatting fraud, waste and abuse in aid and relief operations around the world.Crossmatch says the new biometric system, introduced at the Action on Disaster Relief conference in Panama City this week, can secure an entire assistance supply chain, benefitting agencies and the needy.The firm noted in a white paper that in 2015, the Inspectors General of UNHCR and the World Food Program jointly released a report on the impact of biometrics on a food distribution operation in Kenya.The Inspectors General found that biometrics prevented $1.8m in assistance losses every month. The system rapidly paid for itself, and its low operating costs provided even greater value for the project over time. The actualized five year return on investment was 1,297%, rising to 2,670% over the full ten year term of the project.”Biometrics – the use of physical characteristics to identify individuals – offer a powerful tool for accountability in assistance operations,” noted Ben Ball, Market Director with Crossmatch and a speaker at the conference. “Recognizing the advantages of this technology, international organizations such as UNHCR and the WFP have started to experiment with the use of biometrics as a tool for accountability in delivery of assistance.”Assistance organizations can definitively account for where their funds are going. “Biometrics can also be used for internal controls – from warehouse access to tracing who is delivering assistance in the field,” added Ball. “We provide a powerful tool for preventing fraud, waste and abuse through the “leakage,” which is all too common in many aid supply chains.”
Crossmatch tightens aid accountability with biometric solution
