Privacy as protection: Rethinking blockchain, cryptocurrency and humanitarian sector reform

How does blockchain and cryptocurrency fit into broader conversations on humanitarian sector reform? Are they a temporary 'fad' - or are there deeper applications and implications worth exploring meaningfully today? 

When we hear the terms cryptocurrency and blockchain in the humanitarian context, we may consider these as deeply technical and financial domains that may not be relevant to those beyond the field of cash and voucher assistance (CVA). 

Today's podcast guests make the case that when we talk about who can see where money is going - and who can't - we're not just having a technology conversation: it is a critical protection issue that the sector cannot afford to ignore. Alex Bornstein and Natalie Eskinazi from the Zcash Foundation came to this field through a motivation to tackle longstanding challenges facing the sector. In conversation with Ka Man Parkinson, Alex and Natalie set out their optimistic yet grounded and candid vision for these technologies and their potential role in humanitarian sectoral reform and change. 

Tune in to this accessible conversation to hear:

• "Innovation theatre": why pilots aren't becoming programmes, and what needs to change
• Who needs to be in the room: the case for democratising this conversation across roles, organisations and more
• Key concepts demystified: a breakdown of key concepts, from distributed ledgers to zero-knowledge proofs
• Why financial privacy is a 'do no harm' issue - and what visibility costs the people that humanitarians are here to serve
• Real applications for the sector, including cash and voucher assistance, treasury management, localisation, and more

Visit the episode webpage for speaker bios, transcript, and links to resources:

https://www.humanitarianleadershipacademy.org/resources/privacy-as-protection-rethinking-blockchain-cryptocurrency-and-humanitarian-sector-reform/ 

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The views and opinions expressed in our podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of their organisations.