Humanitarian Aid and Exploring Efficiency of Service Delivery in the Age of Communication and Technology: Jordan as a case study
Ali Al Ababneh
Communication for Development One-year master
15 credits Spring 2018
Table of content
1. Introduction ... 6
1.1. Research question ... 7
2. Literature review ... 7
2.1. Humanitarian work in the ICT age ... 7
2.1.1. How does ICT affect the humanitarian space? Are ICTs in the Syrian case expanding or shrinking humanitarian space? ... 7
2.1.2. ICT in health and child protection interventions ... 10
2.2. Potential implications of ICTs... 11
2.3. ICT as a partial solution ... 11
2.4. ICT new product in humanitarianism... 13
3. Methodology ... 14
4. Background ... 16
4.1. UNICEF ... 16
4.1.1. Innovation at UNICEF ... 17
4.1.2. UNICEF’s main activities in Jordan ... 18
4.2. UNHCR ... 19
4.2.1. Innovation at UNHCR ... 19
4.2.2. UNHCR’s main activities in Jordan ... 20
4.3. Jordan ... 21 4.4. Refugees in Jordan ... 22 5. Findings... 24 5.1. Timing ... 25 5.2. Procedures ... 26 5.3. Financial cost... 28 5.4. Human capital ... 29 5.5. Beneficiary satisfaction ... 30 6. Discussion ... 31
ICT and innovation in response to the refugee crises in Jordan ... 31
6.1. UNHCR ... 31
6.2. UNICEF ... 40
7. Conclusion ... 42
List of references... 44
Abstract
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are becoming a growing form of designing and implementing humanitarian response in emergency and post conflict areas. This research explores the role ICTs play in the new era of emerging humanitarian spaces, focusing on two main UN agencies, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), that cover a wide range of services in Jordan. This master thesis investigates the different interventions of these two organizations in response to the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan, asking how ICTs contributed to the efficiency of their service delivery. This study also analyses the changes ICTs brought to UNHCR’s and UNICEF’s humanitarian response in Jordan by comparing the nature of response before and after the integration of ICTs in the different programs. By examining the existing literature related to the use of ICT in humanitarian response combined with fieldwork conducting key informant interviews with UNHCR and UNICEF staff in the field of innovation and ICT, this master thesis aims to provide a critical perspective on the digital development discourse. This study argues that ICT has helped to increase the efficiency of humanitarian services delivery by decreasing the overall cost of interventions and decreasing the time needed to respond to the beneficiaries needs, leading to increase beneficiaries’ satisfaction.
Key words:
Acknowledgments
Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Professor Oscar Hemmer for his continuous support of my study and research, for his motivation, and his immense knowledge. His guidance helped throughout the research and writing process.
I would also like to thank my lecturers and teachers in the Communication for Development program—Tobias Denskus, Hugo Boothby, Anders Høg Hansen, Ronald Stade, Kersti Wissenbach, Bojana Romic—and to Mikael Rundberg for his continuous technical and IT support.
My sincere thanks also goes to all my colleagues during the program who shared with me this journey in our different assignments and groups work.
Finally, I thank my friends Patricia Ward and Muaz Abu Dalo for their encouragement, support, and help during my studies. And to my dear wife Johanna Nässtrom for her patience, support, and motivation from day one.
List of abbreviations
3RP Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan ATMs Automated Teller Machine
CAB Cairo Amman bank
CARE Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere CCG Child Cash Grant
ComDev Communication for Development
DFID UK Department for International Development DPM Post Distribution Monitoring
ECHO European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations GoJ Government of Jordan
GSM Global System for Mobile
HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus
ICDL International Computer Driving License ICT Information and Communication Technology IRD International Relief and Development
IRIS Iris Recognition Immigration System IVR Interactive Voice Response
JOHUD Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development MAF Marjeeb Al Fahood (Emirates Jordanian Camp) MENA Middle East and North Africa region
NRC Norwegian Refugee Council SMS Short Message Service TOT Training of Trainers
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund
VAF Vulnerability Assessment Framework WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
1. Introduction
Information and communication technology (ICT) tools are becoming a major part of humanitarian and relief work. Many responses to different crises use ICTs in the design and implementation of their interventions (see for example Raymond & Card, 2015 and Avery Gomez & Passerini, 2010). In response to the Syrian crisis, for example, UN agencies and other organizations widely use ICTs in their projects and programs alongside traditional methods, such as in-kind distribution, health kits, and winterization kits, which often require complex logistical work and time for packaging and distributing. ICT information dissemination through mobiles and text messages is meant to streamline this process. Cash distributions, for example, require staff to travel with cash and register beneficiaries on paper, which is extremely time consuming and also poses safety risks to staff. When ICT is used, however, refugees receive a text message each month informing them that their monthly allowance has been deposited to their account, which decreases the risk of fraud and increases staff protection.
New information and communication technologies have also provided new means of support and sharing information within aid work that is assumed to enhance service delivery and increase the efficiency of humanitarian work. For many refugee service providers and humanitarian agencies, ICT tools, such as mobile phones, are quickly becoming vital tools in their interventions as UNHCR and other organizations have come to rely on mobile phones as a main and primary means of communication and information provision to refugees. Other forms of ICTs, like tablets, are also used in data collection and conducting assessments. UNHCR Jordan has used mobile teams to conduct home visits and collect data to be able to develop their vulnerability assessment framework (VAF). UNHCR has also used other forms of ICT to provide access to refugees to submit claims related to cash and other services appeals. For example, biometrics and IRIS systems have become standard tools in UNHCR operations in Jordan and the MENA region.
While these examples suggest that ICT is contributing in a positive manner to humanitarian crisis management, this research aims to more thoroughly assess the extent to which ICTs contribute to the efficiency of humanitarian and relief work, particularly in services provided to the most vulnerable in emergency. This research focuses on the response to the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan as a case study to
explore this question. This master thesis is based on data from two main UN agencies that have adapted ICT solutions in their interventions, namely the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF). This study specifically relies on in-depth interviews with service providers and humanitarian agencies related to these agencies in addition to secondary data,; including previously conducted evaluations and available documents and reports. This master thesis looks at UNHCR’s and UNICEF’s use of various ICT interventions, how ICT is used and applied in the field, and what impact ICT has on beneficiaries in relation to the quality and efficiency of services.
1.1. Research question
The research aims to assess the extent to which ICTs contribute to the efficiency of humanitarian and relief work, particularly services provided to the most vulnerable in emergency contexts.
1. What impact did communication technologies have on the efficiency of services delivery? Does ICT affect the efficiency of service delivery? And if so, what are the implications of these changes?
2. How did ICTs change the shape of aid service delivery for Syrian refugees in Jordan?
2. Literature review
“Mobile phones, social media, crisis mapping, big-data analytics and e-transfers are all tools that can give beneficiaries the opportunity to take informed decisions in a crisis, give humanitarians better situational awareness and improve aid delivery” (Sandvik et al., 2014:5)
2.1. Humanitarian work in the ICT age
2.1.1.How does ICT affect the humanitarian space? Are ICTs in the Syrian case expanding or shrinking humanitarian space?
ICT use is growing in the design and implementation of various interventions in the humanitarian sphere at both the response and prevention levels. Many studies have
explored the use of ICT in delivering humanitarian services in different contexts and situations.
Kristin Sandvik (2016), for example, studies the limitations and horizons of ICT in humanitarian spaces. Specifically, she discusses the idea of humanitarian space and how technology can affect this space regarding its ability to respond to new world challenges and human crises. She makes three major assertions in her study: first, “traditional threats to the humanitarian space can be both reinforced and modified by technology”; “second, cyberspace and technology involvement have created a new set of threats”; third, “technology and cyberspace have actually expanded and opened new frontier to humanitarian response”. This study relies on Sandvik’s argument as a foundational text. In Syria, for example, digital data collection methods were developed, adapted and used to serve as a commodity and movements tracking system, monitoring the distribution of supplies as they are transported and delivered by different local partner organizations to the targeted areas that remain inaccessible to international humanitarian agencies due to safety and security situation. The system helped to improve efficiency and accountability and helps deliver life-saving supplies for areas that cannot be accessed directly by international aid organizations (Brophy-Williams et al., 2013).
Other scholars have also shown how humanitarian technology is working as both a “driver and a result” of humanitarian development (Sandvik, 2016:20). According to Patrick Vinck, humanitarian technology refers to the use of technology to help improving ”the quality of prevention, mitigation, preparedness to the crisis, effective response, recovery and rebuilding, and collective efforts” (cited in Brophy-Williams et al., 2013: 20). This can be seen in the notion of information-as-aid, which corresponds to an emerging conception of a right to and access to humanitarian information. Thus current discourse regarding the perspective of persons of concern focuses on participation through technology, but without the objective of structural transformation characteristic of rights-based approaches (Sandvik, 2016:20).
Digital communications technologies are becoming more widespread and increasingly universal in the aid sector. With the potential to correct inefficiencies faced and to increase accountability and transparency to local communities, digital technologies
facilitate two-way communication between agencies and affected people (Ong & Combinido, 2017: 4). It also creates opportunities to reverse the “top-down structure of humanitarianism” as ICT provides people of concern a modicum of voice (Sandvik, 2016:22). For example, complaints were earlier relegated to more-or-less functional and overburdened formal mechanisms whereas today’s refugees have the ability to speak out freely and express their opinions or frustration on different social media platforms, like Twitter or Facebook, to complain about things like suspected fraud, lack of organizations, poor registration, mistreatment by staff, and data processes at UNHCR, or about inadequate distribution of food supplies, hygiene kits, or cash cards by the World Food Programme (WFP). In this ICT-enabled environment of fighting against corruption, malpractice, incompetence and illegality, it reinforces accountability.
Read, Taithe, & Mac Ginty (2016) further argue that ICTs can bring opportunities for the transformation of power relations and change the landscape of power distribution between agencies. The argument uses the nature of humanitarianism and the change in the relation to the beneficiaries; taking as an example crises affected communities that are benefiting from the advancement of ICTs and also becoming digitalized. This argument agrees with Ong and Combinido (2017) that ICT allows people of concern and affected communities a degree of power to make their voices heard. Thus the system of power relations is becoming more horizontal. As Read et al. (2016:8) states, “systems constructed to move information up and down hierarchies are facing a new reality where information can be generated by anyone, shared with anyone and acted on by anyone”.
Humanitarian action has relied before on information that was collected on an ad hoc basis from random and available resources to build a better image about a certain situation. As this scholarship suggests, ICT has brought significant changes to the way humanitarian crises are detected and addressed. Humanitarian actors, including UN agencies donor governments and international organizations, have begun investing significant resources in developing and creating better response and early-warning systems that benefit from different forms of data collected and analysed. Having more data and organized methods at early stages can also enhance the planning and designing phase in crisis. The use of different technologies such as mobile phones
and social media platforms by beneficiaries has equally provided a rich space for collecting valuable and up to date information, as many people in affected areas can post in different social media platforms, images, videos and texts about a certain situation in a certain area (Sandvik, 2016:23).
2.1.2.ICT in health and child protection interventions
Mosoke (2009) analyses the way in which several technologies like SMS, radio, and solar power are used together to advance protective health objectives, particularly through the distribution of pre- and post-birth information, and important information about child’s health and development. In addition, ICTs are also being used to promote maternal health at a system level through the introduction of improved medical information systems and following improved referral and follow up systems.(Mosoke 2009 cited in Kleine, Hollow, & Poveda, 2014)
Mosoke argues that ICTs can have an important role in enhancing child health, whether by disseminating valuable information, raising awareness on topics such as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) through mobile phones, internet and community radio, or campaigning against some behaviours such as female genital mutilation. Mosoke emphasizes the need for contextualized approaches to using ICT for child health (Mosoke 2009 cited in Kleine, Hollow, & Poveda, 2014).
In Zambia and Malawi, the UNICEF project Mwana3 is using mobile phones to improve early diagnosis of HIV in infants and provide follow-up and care. Research conducted suggested that the programme had contributed to a 50% reduction in waiting time for child test results (Lambo, 2011 cited in Kleine, Hollow, & Poveda, 2014).
In crises, many children newly born might also not be registered due to security issues or a lack of access to the registration system, and this can have a negative impact on the child later on. In the Syrian crisis, it was also noted that many of the young Syrian refugees children arriving to Jordan did not have birth certificates or proper registration. Mattila (2011) discusses how birth registration via mobile phones and offices in rural areas can be the first step in securing a child’s rights and protecting child identity and entitlements (in Kleine, Hollow, & Poveda, 2014). Birth registration
can reduce the risk of trafficking, child labour and child marriage and increase a child’s access to services. In Jordan, the UNHCR has mobile offices that can be easily accessed by refugees. One major issue that can be caused by not registering the child at birth can be a loss of identity and legal documentation to prove country of origin, and in the worst-case scenario this can lead to a status of statelessness.
2.2. Potential implications of ICTs
Even as ICT innovations are being rapidly adopted and used in the different humanitarian responses in different areas, the existing humanitarian information infrastructure is not advanced enough and still needs further development. Many humanitarian organizations, for example, still use “basic programs like Excel to collect and analyse data”, or build a basic beneficiary database without proper analysis and protection to use it for making decisions and planning interventions (Sandvik, 2016:22).
Sandvik further highlights that the “digital divide continues to contribute to the power distributions among actors” (22) as well as beneficiaries; for example, access to social media and cell phones is not equal across different emergency zones and across each individual within crises. Some countries have existing infrastructure better than others do, and some people may have access and knowledge more than others may. This contributes to the gap and accessibility to digital services and information. Many areas that are regularly affected by emergencies suffer from poor infrastructure and a relatively low level of technology, which is important to consider when planning technology-based services.
2.3. ICT as a partial solution
“Technology will not free humanitarianism from its traditional dilemmas”(Sandvik 2016:23) and the existing problems in one shot. It is not a magic wand, though it may mitigate and provide additional solutions and options in dealing with these dilemmas in a more effective way. However, as Sandvik (2016:23) states, “the humanitarian cyberspace engenders new threats to, as well as opportunities for, humanitarian action that are not accounted for in the narrative of the shrinking humanitarian space.”
As new forms of technologies become more dominant in the humanitarian work, the risks, limitations, and failures of technology also arise.
We live in an open market period, where governments and other armed groups can access the different surveillance technology and equipment and use them to spy on or screen the work of humanitarian agencies or the beneficiaries themselves (Sandvik, 2016). Different actions and behaviours can be taken by those groups or governments, such as stealing data, mapping networks and manipulating activities (Sandvik, 2016:40). One example is ISIS’s use of advanced technologies to track and follow people’s actions and posts on social media.
For organizations, restrictions to accessing information, like satellite information, is a major constraint along side limitations in funds, security, knowledge and expertise, and human resources. This influences in different ways the balance of power between the different actors and may influence access to funds and affected communities. More well informed organizations with higher access level to information might be able to develop better interventions, and as a result, more potential funds. Another constraint is the “limited and/or expensive communication bandwidth, communication networks and infrastructure” (Sandvik 2016:10). Connectivity is important to be able to use information technologies and enhance the level of interventions and response. Thus, good partnerships are needed to ensure a minimum level of connectivity and mobile phone services (Brophy-Williams et al. 2013).
According to the UN Global Pulse blog, “because data aggregated to produce a better overview of a crisis can be disaggregated to reveal information about individuals or local groups, there is a risk that collection, storage, sharing and destruction of data can subject individuals and communities to reprisals, including violence” (“The New Data Landscape | United Nations Global Pulse”, 2011). For example, sharing data with third parties or using data for purposes other than those for which they were collected can put people of concern at risk especially in places where data-protection laws are weak or do not exist (Sandvik, 2016:25).
Sandvik argues that technology can also facilitate and change human relationships and understandings of protection. The use of technology can also change opinions of what aid is and what it is supposed to provide, as reflected in the oft-repeated
assertions that “humanitarian information is humanitarian aid” or “information is a basic need.” Moreover, there is a significant but little understood political economy aspect to the rise of humanitarian technology. Both the military industry and the surveillance industry are looking for new markets and the type of legitimacy that partnership with a humanitarian actor can provide (Sandvik et al., 2014:4).
Sandvik (2014) states, “Technology is not bad, but it is not neutral or passively adopted by society. It is not an empty vessel waiting to be imbued with humanitarian meaning; rather, society and technology engage in a mutually constitutive relationship” (7). The construction of technology is subject to political contestation and to the realities of professionalism and finance.
2.4. ICT new product in humanitarianism
Some initiatives have been carried out to create a guide for using technology in humanitarian work. For example, UNHCR, UNICEF, industry groups like the GSM Association, and companies such as Deloitte have developed codes of conduct for innovation related interventions. Humanitarian action is regulated by a range of general standards (e.g. Sphere and the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership Standard); however, these standards are broad and general with no specific set of ethical principles related to innovation, particularly when it comes to issues of “experimentation, intellectual property”, and the role of for-profit actors (Ong & Combinido, 2017:11). As mentioned in the Approach Paper–WHS Theme 3: Transformation through Innovation, “without innovation the humanitarian community will either become irrelevant or too rigid to function effectively” (UN Secretary, 2016). If established and already active aid organizations fail to prioritize innovations and catch up with the new technology trends in their designing and response to crises, they might be in danger of losing support and being left behind to be overtaken by new types of relief organizations (Ramalingam et al in Ong and Combinido, 2017:2232).
In policy documents, aid agencies are reframed as ‘suppliers of humanitarian goods’, recipients are described as ‘consumers in markets’, and the innovation agenda seems preoccupied with identifying new ‘products and business models’ such as Technology and ICT products. This clearly shows the legacy of the New Right in humanitarian
innovation, with its strong economic liberalism and its commitment to expanding the private sector into new areas of humanitarian work (Ong & Combinido, 2017:2233).
However, there has been limited clear and solid evidence that ICT has increased the efficiency and effectiveness of services delivery as most of the studies focus on its integration and future growth. And Limited academic scholarship has employed field research to assess how the incorporation of ICT technologies transforms humanitarian spaces, and whether or not it increases efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. This study looks at the efficacy aspect of using ICT in protracted humanitarian crises and post crises, and more specifically in the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan. The research analyses the ability of ICTs to expand the humanitarian space and increase the efficiency of services delivery.
3. Methodology
This research explores how ICTs increase the efficiency of services delivery, specifically in terms of (1) timing, (2) procedures (including registration, approvals, security etc.), (3) financial cost, (4) human capital, and (5) beneficiary satisfaction.
For the purpose of this study, two main organizations, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), were selected to assess these variables in terms of the Syrian refugee response in Jordan. Both UNHCR and UNICEF are highly involved in the response to the Syrian crisis in the Hashemite Kingdom, funding most of the services for Syrians, whether directly through programs such as cash assistance (UNHCR) or indirectly through implementation partners such as schools and education centres (UNICEF). The two organizations also work closely together and are leading most of the coordination mechanisms with other partners, including protection, child protection, water and sanitation, education, early childhood, shelter, camp managements, and many other levels of interventions.
In order to assess UNHCR’s and UNICEF’s use of ICTs, this study used in-depth interviews as the main method of data collection. All of the interviews were conducted through Skype due to the different location of interviewees and the researcher. The
interviewee’s permission was taken for recording the interview to be used later on in the analysis. In addition, different documents and literature from the organizations were reviewed (such as online reports and publications related to the response in Jordan and other related countries).
In-depth interviews with the above staff provided a flexible space for myself and the interviewees to elaborate in depth on the research subject without the need for long pre-determined questions (Cook, 2012). Due to limitations of distance between myself (based in Sweden) and organization staff in Jordan and other countries, interviews were conducted over calls and Skype. Some challenges the researcher encountered in connecting with staff is due to the quick turnover of employees in aid organizations in Jordan, low availability of staff to be interviewed (due to work or other commitments), and organization policies against being interviewed. However, a total of six in-depth interviews were completed with main stakeholders, including the two targeted organizations and one main UNICEF partner.
While I had clear research focus domains that speak to the research questions, in-depth interviews do not allow a full investigation of the topic on its own. Thus, it is combined in this research with a review of secondary data, including previously conducted evaluations and available documents and reports from the different organizations that have already used or adapted ICT solutions in their services. The secondary review and literature aimed at looking at the most recent and updated studies related directly or indirectly to the two organizations forming the research topic. The documents and reports were reviewed and categorized according to the type of information and relevance to facilitate the reading and analysis process. The main categories were: those with a direct link to Jordan as the case study, those with relevance to ICT, those with a link to the main organizations under investigation (UNICEF and UNHCR), and those on the topic of innovation.
This research targeted staff from both organizations from different levels of interventions, such as senior management staff, field staff, and staff working directly in designing and/or implementing ICT related interventions. This includes innovation teams in both organizations (UNICEF and UNHCR), connectivity and IT staff in UNHCR, cash distribution program staff, urban filed staff and camp base staff. Most
of the staff targeted in this research were senior staff who can provide more comprehensive reflections on the entire process from idea to implementation, including success, failure, and challenges.
4. Background 4.1. UNICEF
The United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) is a child focused organization, created in December 1946 (Anon, 2003). UNICEF became a permanent agency in the UN system in 1953 with a broader mandate to respond to children’s and women’s need in developing countries (Fifield, 2015). UNICEF mission is “improving the lives of children and their families” (Anon, n.d.), UNICEF believes that “All children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential” (Anon, n.d.). UNICEF is currently active in 190 countries and territories to protect the children and help them fulfill their potential. UNICEF uses a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach that takes into consideration all aspects of children’s lives including the physical and emotional aspect of childhood (UNICEF, 2018). The organization fights for children’s rights to have safe shelter, access to food, protection from disaster and conflicts, and equality (Anon, n.d.). UNICEF is a leading organization in adapting ICT forms and innovations in their several programs and projects as ICTs is considered an effective tool to improve, increase and accelerate services delivery (Raftree & Bachan, 2013).
UNICEF’s development philosophy is “to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of social, political and economic agendas” (UNICEF, 2018) by fighting poverty, diseases, discrimination, and help these communities and marginalized people to overcome social problems (Jolly, 2014). UNICEF considers the combination of behavioural and social change and socio-economic environmental changes as essential for sustainability (McCall, 2011). Additionally, UNICEF works with other organizations to make sure that children’s issues are discussed on the global agenda.
4.1.1.Innovation at UNICEF
“Digital media is a powerful way for children to realise their rights, from accessing information, playing games, to expressing themselves freely and even anonymously. Technology has a crucial role in empowering children by facilitating communication, education and activism. It means children do not have to rely on adults and can have a voice of their own. Yet not all children have equal access to digital media. Even with access, digital media poses risks for children such as internet safety and cyberbullying. In any new policy or decision-making, it is absolutely important to listen to children’s voices first-hand, rather than assuming what is best for them.” Philip Chan, UNICEF Australia Young Ambassador Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre, Youth Brains Trust (Third, Bellerose, Dawkins, Keltie, & Pihl, 2014)
UNICEF uses innovation as a way to “improve the state of children all over the world” (UNICEF n.d.). As the current challenges and the speed at which global problems, such as disease outbreaks and the refugee crisis, are increasing and moving faster than before, UNICEF innovates to find solutions and new ways to the evolving challenges and crises affecting all children (UNICEF n.d.). A team of creative and committed individuals around the world, working towards identifying, prototyping, and scaling technologies and practices that strengthen UNICEF’s work and missions to achieve the child’s best interest and improve their lives drives innovation at UNICEF. Innovations range from new ways, new systems and approaches, and structured programs to new products and technologies (UNICEF n.d.).
UNICEF innovation teams work toward establishing partnership in different private and public technologies fields. In Jordan, for example, and as part of UNICEF innovation lab initiatives, the organization partners with the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), the oldest and largest non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting rights-based, sustainable human development in the Kingdom.
According to Mohamed Amoush, Deputy Executive Director at JOHUD, the organization, founded in 1977, has a large network of 51 Community Development Centers located all over the country, working toward serving and enhancing the future of the underserved, poor, and remote communities. In conjunction with UNICEF, JOHUD provides sustainable support that empowers individuals to strengthen their communities and secure access to the resources they need to achieve healthy and fulfilled lives (interview Amoush M, April 2018).
4.1.2. UNICEF’s main activities in Jordan
UNICEF supports the government and civil society actors in providing opportunities for active civic engagement and leadership development programmes for adolescents and youth. Another major part of UNICEF’s mandate is education, as the organization supports the Jordanian government and partners in providing education to over 160,000 Syrian children in camps and communities (“UNICEF Jordan Home page -”, 2018). In regards to child protection, UNICEF also works with the government and partners to promote positive practices and behaviours among families and communities for better protection of children against different forms of violence and abuse.
Health, nutrition, and Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is another side of UNICEF’s intervention as they work towards ensuring that children get the best start to life through supportive policies and quality health services and information for children and families. In addition, the organization works on access to safe water and sanitation services and raising awareness of vital information on hygiene and water conservation in refugee camps and in host communities.
According to their core mandate, UNICEF is responsible for children’s education in emergencies, including interventions that improve access to and quality of education. Thus ICT plays a major role in both accessibility and quality of education as it can help to develop tools for both formal and non-formal education. In addition, ICT has played an important role in increasing gender equality by helping girls to continue learning in school (Plan 2012 in Kleine et al., 2014).
4.2. UNHCR
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established on 14 December 1951 (UNHCR - History of UNHCR n.d.) during the aftermath of the Second World War to help people who had fled or lost their homes in Europe. UNHCR is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international interventions to protect refugees and respond to refugee crises and movements worldwide with an objective to safeguard the rights and well being of refugees. UNHCR attempts to ensure that anyone who has been “forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence” is able to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another state until they can voluntarily return home or resettle in another country.
UNHCR's mandate has gradually been expanded to include protecting and providing humanitarian assistance to a wider category described as “other persons of concern, including asylum seekers, stateless people, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) who would fit the legal definition of a refugee under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and 1967 Protocol but who presently remain in their country of origin” (USA for UNHCR n.d.). UNHCR is heavily involved in the response to the Syrian crisis in the MENA region with a large scale of representations and interventions in Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.
UNHCR maintains a database of refugee information, ProGres, containing biometric data including fingerprints and IRIS scans, which is used to determine aid distribution for recipients.
4.2.1. Innovation at UNHCR
UNHCR has always included innovation in their plans and interventions since the establishment of the agency. UNHCR aims to help facilitate and promote innovation service integration in daily work process. It is important for the organization to maintain progress level and adapt to change to have a focus on the creativity aspects, lessons learned, and accumulative experience that have already been made over the past years and in the hundreds of operations UNHCR has been involved in (UNHCR Innovation Service 2016). UNHCR creates safe spaces for experimentation and research to take place in the different areas and fields of operations as well as at
headquarter level. UNHCR aims to be more efficient and impactful for persons of concern and to make positive change through innovation.
4.2.2. UNHCR’s main activities in Jordan
UNHCR’s response in Jordan is divided in two parts, one in refugee camps and the other in urban areas. The nature of the response for each is necessarily different because their conditions and circumstances are different, and this implies different interventions and priorities, which will be explored in this section.
UNHCR Jordan coordinates the refugee response under the leadership of the Government of Jordan and through the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) in a collaborative effort between the donor community, UN agencies, international and national NGOs, community-based organizations, refugees and host communities.
UNHCR continues its strategic global shift from the distribution of in-kind relief items to the provision of humanitarian cash assistance. In Jordan in 2017, UNHCR provided monthly cash assistance to 30,000 Syrian refugee families and to 2,800 refugee families from Iraq and other nations, targeting the most vulnerable of the 81.1% of refugees residing outside the camps (UNHCR 2018). Refugees receive cash through IRIS scan biometric technology directly through bank ATMs.
UNHCR saves an average of six million USD per year in electricity bills through adapting a clean and renewable energy approach in refugee camps in Jordan. Solar power plants were installed in both Azraq refugee camp and Zaatari camp in 2017 (Hashem, 2017). UNHCR, through reducing the cost of electricity bills paid to the Jordanian government, managed to increase the provision of electricity to refugees up to 14 hours per day (UNHCR, 2017b). This upgrade will ease the living conditions of families in the camp and improve their safety and security while facilitating the storage of food and allowing more time for children and family for study and social activities (UNHCR, 2018).
UNHCR provides comprehensive health care services free of charge for vulnerable Syrians and for all non-Syrians in urban areas. Through the different implementing
partners, UNHCR provided access to health care services in camp and urban areas as well, making the services accessible and free of charge through their facilities and partners. Because of UNHCR’s investment in ICT innovation research, in sectors such as registration and protection, the organization has been able to work with many partners in different locations across Jordan so that refugees can use many different facilities for receiving heath care. Refugees in camps can also benefit from the referral system to hospitals outside the camp in case of a need for a major health intervention (UNHCR Jordan, 2018).
4.3. Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a sovereign Arab state in the Middle East. The kingdom is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, Iraq to the northeast, Syria to the north, and Palestine to the west. The Dead Sea lies along its western borders between Jordan and Palestine/Israel. Jordan has a small shoreline on the Red Sea in the extreme southwest. Jordan is strategically located at a central geographical position serving as a gate to the golf countries. Amman is the capital, the most populous city in Jordan as well as the country's economic, political, and cultural centre.
Jordan became an independent state officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan in 1946 and then renamed in 1949 to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan after the country captured the West Bank during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and annexed it until it was lost to Israel in 1967 (Patai, 1984). Jordan became one of two Arab countries after Egypt to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. The country’s political system is a constitutional monarchy; in which the king holds sole executive power and authority.
Jordan is a relatively small country with an area of 92,300 km2 and a population of less than 10 million (Directorate and Registry 2018). The majority of the population, around 95%, are Muslims, and less than 5% comprises a small Christian minority (Thomson Gale n.d.). Jordan is considered to be a very safe country in the Middle East, even after the declining situation all over the region after the Arab spring in 2011.
The Jordanian economy is one of the smallest economies in the region with limited resources and no strong industrial growth compared to surrounding countries. The situation surrounding Jordan and the large flow of refugees has badly affected economic growth and added massive pressure on the available resources, mainly water.
4.4. Refugees in Jordan
Since March 2011, Syria has been experiencing civil unrest and violence between opposing anti-government protesters and the security forces. The crisis has developed into a non-international armed conflict leading to significant displacement of populations inside Syria and towards
neighboring countries. Jordan had an open-border policy until the end of 2015, and the Government of Jordan (GoJ) estimates that as of December 2012, more than 250,000 Syrians had crossed over into Jordan although not all of them were in need of humanitarian assistance or had made contact with UNHCR. Acceding to UNHCR data portal 657,628 individuals registered in Jordan as of February 2018.
Jordan is one of the most affected countries by the Syrian refugee crisis, as Jordan holds the second highest share of refugees compared to the country’s population: 89 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants (UNHCR Jordan 2018). The majority of Syrian refugees in Jordan live in urban areas and in poverty as over 80% live below the poverty line. 51% of refugees are children, and 4% are elderly (UNHCR, 2017), and the gender distribution is about equal (UNHCR, 2018). The majority of the arrivals in
Jordan originate from the governorate of Dara’a in southern Syria. The remaining arrivals are mostly from rural Damascus and Homs and have experienced multiple displacements in Syria prior to arrival in Jordan; which highlights how the crisis has deepened and takes complex forms both within and outside of Syria.
In 2011, at the beginning of the Syrian war, around 2,000 Syrians per day started to cross the borders into Jordan. During this period, UNHCR established the first refugee camp, Zaatari, in Mafraq in the northern part of Jordan close to the Syrian border, which would reach 170,000 refugees at its peak in late 2015. As of November 2012, UNHCR registered more than 62,000 Syrian displaced people, while more than 31,000 additional Syrians had received appointments for registration. Today, 661,859 refugees are registered with UNHCR Jordan
The fourth revision of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) in December 2012 estimated that based on trends in arrivals from September to November 2012, the number of refugees from Syria in need of assistance in Jordan by the end of June 2013 would reach 300,000, including an estimated 180,000 hosted in camps and 120,000 in Jordanian cities and towns. As the existing resources of the country and the local communities are already stretched to the limits, the GoJ thus indicated that the majority of the new arrivals be transferred to the camps. This led to the completion of Zaatari camp, the expansion and maintenance of Cyber City and King Abdullah Park as settlement centres, and the identification of new sites to absorb the influx of Syrian refugees. The GoJ identified a location near Zarqa for another campsite at Marjeeb Al Fahood (MAF) some 20 km east of Zarqa. The camp was opened in April 2013. The total capacity for the complete phases are planned to be around 25,000 to 30,000; and according to UNHCR data, a total of 6,873 Syrian refugees are accommodated in the camp as
of April 2018 (UNHCR 2018).
UNHCR reported that Syrian refugees have rapidly become the largest refugee population of concern in Jordan, with 657,628 individuals registered as of February 2018. Of this group, only 20% live in camps (Zaatari, Marjeeb al-Fahood (Emirati camp), Cyber City and Al-Azraq refugee camps), with the majority living outside the camps in different areas, especially Amman, Irbid, Mafraq, and Jerash. According to
UNHCR, more than half of the Syrian refugees in Jordan reside in the northern host communities, especially in Irbid and Mafraq governorates, which counted 135,779 and 157,951 Syrian refugees, respectively, as of November 2017 (UNHCR 2018).
The population of Syrian refugees has added pressure on the local social, economic, institutional, and natural resources. Increased competition for access to public utilities, schooling, health services, infrastructures and jobs has not only strained the budget, community services and families, but has also posed threats to social cohesion (Saif 2014). After almost 6 years of crisis, tensions have risen between Syrian refugees and Jordanian host communities. Both Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities’ needs have been identified as high priority by humanitarian actors due to their living conditions (lack of equipment or furniture, small accommodation places, house-sharing with other families and/or host family, taking care of relatives, very low incomes, lack of hygiene facilities and items and scarcity of food kits, etc.), and their access to services (little or no access to health or school for instance).
Given that Jordan is not a signatory to the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951 (1951 Convention) or its 1967 Protocol, UNHCR signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 1998 as a legal foundation to justify their activities in Jordan. Due to the lack of any international or national legal instruments regarding refugees in Jordan, the MoU establishes the parameters for cooperation on providing protection and assistance to refugees and asylum-seekers (UNHCR 2013).
Jordan has subsequently in conjunction, but also independent of UNHCR, granted Syrian refugees access to services, such as health and education in host communities, Recently, Syrians are now allowed to legally apply for work permits in specific sectors.
5. Findings
Skype interviews were conducted between February and March 2018. During the interviews, respondents were asked to elaborate on different ICT related interventions. This included the reasoning behind the development of these new approaches, pros and cons, and results of evaluations, if available, that include beneficiary satisfaction levels. The initial research plan was to look at the two organizations targeted in this
research equally. However, after starting the interviews and the data collection process, it became clear that UNHCR had a record of more ICT related interventions; they adapted many new approaches using new communication technologies, While UNICEF is expanding the innovation part, their innovation approach in Jordan is not as focused on ICT forms in comparison to UNHCR. be Data related to UNHCR is subsequently used more to inform the analysis and discussion in this thesis.
5.1. Timing
Traditional methods such as paper registration and in-kind distribution have been used for a long time in the different kind of services for refugees in emergency contexts, and they are still used in many different locations. However, the Syrian crisis in Jordan presented new challenges that could not be met by these traditional methods. In the beginning of the crisis, for example, more than 2000 refugees at a time would cross the border into Jordan within a few hours. Processing such a high number of refugees for registration, identifying their family ties, and assigning their level of vulnerability meant that some refugees in transit centres waited for days before they were registered and transferred to one of the camps. This process required a large capacity of human resources and coordination with other agencies on the ground and placed a lot of pressure on aid workers. As one interviewee recalled:
“Can you imagine before how many staff members and time it takes to handle a group of few hundreds arriving on the time, they arrive tired, hungry, cold and scared. Then they have to wait for long hours. This is not the case anymore” (Interview Al-Huniti M, April2018).
Using biometric registration facilitated and significantly accelerated the registration and identification process. This process also allowed for the recording of additional information related to family composition and contact information of new arrivals. It also helped to quicken the process of relocation and transfer new arrivals to the different camps or host communities. Regarding services needed after arrival, the biometric registration increased the capacity of the UNHCR and other partners to provide services in a shorter time, reducing the waiting time to receive important services such as health and protection services.
Cash transfers was another service that requires a lot of time and resources. Beneficiaries would have to wait at designated centres and provide identification each time they received a cash transfer. The use of ICT enables refugees to withdraw from designated ATM machines across Jordan without having to wait or travel long distances.
5.2. Procedures
UNHCR introduced biometric registration and the use of IRIS scan as new verification methods at the end of 2012. This helped to increase data accuracy and to prevent fraud and multiple registration. As a result of registration accuracy and up to date information, better services can be provided as it enables coordination and collaboration among different organizations (interview Schimmel V, March 2018). UNHCR Jordan was the first UNHCR field office to introduce IRIS scanning fraud-proof biometrics for refugee registration. Presently, over 93% of Syrians are registered using biometric technology, which enables UNHCR to process up to 4,000 refugees a day” (UNHCR Jordan 2018).
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5769a0b5f7e0ab7b91a3362b/t/5a26f54324a6949467b487bb/1 512502630304/JORDAN_CaseStudy_ReachProject2017.pdf
The humanitarian community is increasingly realizing that technology and ICT is advancing and opening new doors and opportunities, and ensuring data safety and protection of privacy is an important aspect to consider (Duffield, 2016:158). According to Taylor (2013), data protection laws are unequally distributed globally (Taylor 2013 cited in Duffield, 2016). Hosein and Nyst (2013) further argue that the same kind of information technologies that are being used in the global north with clear regulations and legal safeguards are actually being developed or tested in the global South where many countries facing humanitarian crises have almost no data protection systems or maybe very weak regulation and safeguards. (Hosein and Nyst 2013 cited in Duffield, 2016).
These concerns and risks of data breach require a fast response from digital humanitarians to develop protocols and practices that work in parallel with the process of adapting and using new communication technologies. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
“No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.” Article 12, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations 1948)
UNHCR is making sure that it keeps its data protected, where access to information is very limited and not possible without authorization. Highly secured network connections and encryption systems are used to provide better data protection. However, this does not mean there is no threat of penetrating the data. Furthermore, according to UNHCR, the chances of staff leaking or sharing information are higher than chances of beneficiary information being hacked. During an interview a senior UNHCR staff stated that the Jordan office reported an incident in which one staff member shared unauthorized information regarding beneficiaries with other agencies. While the affected beneficiaries’ security was not compromised, it points to the fact that data sharing protocols and access to data should be treated with high care.
One of the main implications that UNHCR faced at the beginning of using IRIS scanning for cash assistant delivery was that beneficiaries had to provide their IRIS scan to both UNHCR and Cairo Amman Bank (CAB), which introduced a risk of data protection as data collected by CAB was owned by a third party. This was a reason for UNHCR to look for a better and more secure system and work with Irisguard to develop the eye cloud, which means that other partners can have access to beneficiaries’ identity but no access to their biometric data (Wong et al. 2017).the process is explained later under the Biometric registration. These trends suggest that using ICT innovations like biometric data has the potential to not only improve efficiency in responding to crises, but also serves as a mechanism that pushes the humanitarian community to deal directly with ethical questions related to humanitarian aid; which could lead to more rigorous and inclusive best practices and standards accordingly.
The use of technology such as biometric registration can also aid in enhancing security of beneficiaries. Recording more information in the database means that algorithms can be used to identify vulnerabilities and categorize, classify, and prioritize cases and responses. It also reduces the risks that traditional methods carry, such as fraud, crowding at designated centres, and moving cash to rural areas.
Of course, ICT still carries risks. It is a new introduction to humanitarianism and it changes as technology changes. ICT in humanitarian work is a technology under development, and it is still in a testing phase. And success in one area of humanitarian work does not mean success in another.
5.3. Financial cost
Registration in the old system required materials such as paper and ink as well as staff to cover all shifts at different locations, which introduces costly logistics. After changing to biometric registration, costs decreased significantly compared to before, as processing the paper documents, data entry, and data processing could be linked from registration sites to the main registration database.
According to UNHCR’s former senior cash-distribution manager in urban areas, the use of Iris scanning as a method of cash distribution was the second step of the biometric registration. UNHCR partnered with CAB in Jordan to link the registration system with the banking system, decreasing capital and operational costs from more than 25% of the country budget to less than 3% and reducing the overall procurement cost along with the decreasing need for in-kind material distribution.
Before IRIS scanning was created as a method of identification to withdraw money, UNHCR used bankcards, which was also more efficient than the traditional system of face-to-face cash distributions. After adapting IRIS scanning as the only method for refugees to use ATM machines, UNHCR noticed that the amount of cash withdrawal decreased noticeably. This was due to fraudulent use of the bankcards, which family members or friends of beneficiaries who returned to Syria could still use to withdraw money.
Innovation at UNICEF has also led to decreased costs for the children’s organization. Creating innovation labs at JOHUD’s already established community centres lowered the cost of traditional learning techniques. JOHUD’s Deputy Executive Director, Mohamed Amoush, stated:
“We have five innovation labs now as part of the work with UNICEF, these labs are connected with high-speed fiber internet connection. The new generation does not like traditional learning techniques anymore, thus we use advance technologies to respond to the youth interest, such as advanced screen touch computers, social media learnings, mobile application development tools, robotic and graphic design” (Interview Amoush M, April 2018).
5.4. Human capital
According to UNHCR, the overall human capital cost decreased. While the respondents did not present a specific number or percentage, they noted that the human resources needed, particularly those needed for registration, cash transfers, and in-kind distribution, declined along with logistical costs associated with the movement of staff between different locations. The use of biometric registrations and the advanced cash system distribution using IRIS scanning also enabled UNHCR to
implement these programs directly with no need for partner organizations, cutting out additional costs for partner organization staff. Even for the partner bank, Cairo Amman Bank, no additional resources were needed as payment methods operated under highly secured connections between the bank’s system and UNHCR’s registration system. This was one of the main causes of the reduction in operational costs of cash distribution to less than 3%.
No information was available on UNICEF’s human capital cost and the influence of ICT on this cost. UNICEF Jordan office has expanded their mission in Jordan and started to implement their operations directly through UNICEF staff and national partners instead of partnering with international organizations.
5.5. Beneficiary satisfaction
UNICEF uses ICT in different communication channels, including through short films, information dissemination through mobile phones, social media, and UNICEF’s blog. This is a very effective way to maintain communication with beneficiaries, as the majority have access to the internet.
According to the innovation specialist at the UNICEF Jordan office, ICT and innovation has opened new frontiers for Syrian refugees, especially children and youth. UNICEF has used ICT in education through the innovations labs to provide safe learning spaces for children to explore and discover. UNICEF provides through their implementing partners the opportunity for children and youth to use innovation labs in the host communities, where they can use different online tools and platforms to learn. However, in the camp settings, aid organizations are not allowed to provide internet access for beneficiaries due to security concerns by the GoJ. Nevertheless, UNICEF uses offline education materials that children and youth can access at innovation labs, as a UNICEF innovation specialist stated:
"You need to survive and you need to thrive, you should have hope to get the feeling of agency. Food and shelter is not enough, they need dignity and this is symbolized by things like schools, playing areas, technologies” (Interview Lui R, March 2018).
The UNICEF specialist noted that “innovation labs are being designed to provide inspirational environments, featuring updated software, IT skills, and employment pathways, and beneficiaries can use tablets to learn English using offline materials” (Interview Lui R, March 2018).
UNHCR’s global initiative, including UNHCR Jordan, aims to provide connectivity for refugees upon arrival as part of the organization’s three strategic priorities: “availability, affordability, and usability”. This includes not only the connection itself, but the tools needed to stay connected and informed. Muhanned A. Al-Huniti, ICT Specialist and Country Connectivity for Refugees Coordinator, UNHCR Jordan, said:
“Maybe ten years ago when refugees arrived to the host country, the first thing they look at is food and shelter. Nowadays, even before they step inside the country, they start asking about the Wifi password” (Interview Al-Huniti M, April2018).
UNHCR has around 52 community centres, where the organization implements projects through partners. In their objective to provide connectivity to refugees, ten community centres were provided with free Wi-Fi connections. Orange, a Jordanian wireless internet company, also provided an additional four community centers with connectivity and is providing International Computer Driving License ICDL training for beneficiaries. Microsoft provided a training of trainers (TOT) for 22 Syrian refugees so they can help and teach other refugees. The total target is to reach 2000 persons trained through this program.
UNHCR also aims to enhance the technological skills of refugees from IT backgrounds to help their future employability in the host country or country of resettlement.
6. Discussion
ICT and innovation in response to the refugee crises in Jordan
6.1.1. Biometric registration
Registration is the first step for refugees to gain access to services and assistance. In most of the cases, refugees cannot gain access to the available services before being part of the system. In addition to the services, refugee registration is crucial for the purpose of identification and protecting identities as well as for collecting information regarding vulnerabilities and needs. Registration ensures that data is collected in a continuous manner to help design the response programs, and it can protect refugees against forced return due to their protected status. The registration of children records their citizenship and birth information and can also prevent military recruitment and unite separated children with their families (Lodinová, 2016).
UNHCR Jordan – cash assistance program 12 October 2015
(https://ec.europa.eu/research/conferences/2016/migration-challenge/pdf/migration_conf-e_macleod%20unhcr%20jordan.pdf
One significant use of ICTs in humanitarian response is the use of biometric registration. Originally biometric was used only for identity protection purposes, and later introduced in the provision of essential services. Biometrics refers to “biological or physiological characteristics that can be used for automatic recognition”, or it refers to the automated process of recognizing individuals based on such characteristics
(National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), 2006:91). Biometrics use an individual’s physical characteristics, such as the face, iris, or fingerprint, to create a unique identity record (Ng 2006 cited in Lodinová, 2016).
For example, biometrics have been used for IRIS scanning of repatriated Afghan refugees and to provide cash transfers to Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Jordan. The cash assistant programs are managed by connected registration payment systems that improved the efficiency and accuracy of cash delivery (UNICEF 2017a:40). Biometric registration programs using fingerprinting or IRIS scans helped to direct aid and cash-transfer programs to the most in need and destitute (Jacobsen 2015 cited in Duffield, 2016:148). Furthermore, biometric registration showed positive results and helped to improve the food distribution programs in refugee camps in Kenya by providing the services to eligible families. According to UNHCR It also helped significantly in reducing the operational costs by $1.5 million per month in Kenyan camps (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 2016)
6.1.2. Ethical and technical questions of biometrics
Biometric registration has brought with it some questions and issues of ethics, such as individual rights, data protection and privacy, data sharing protocols, and the “relationship between individual and collective rights” (Lodinová, 2016:96). Biometrics also complicated the idea of personal, social, and collective identity. As biometric systems identify beneficiaries as numbers in databases, this was seen as dehumanizing to some groups. According to a comprehensive report by the RAND Institute published in 2001, the three main areas of ethical and social concern raised by biometric technology were “informational privacy, physical privacy and religious objections” (Lodinová, 2016).
Storing such sensitive information can introduce a high risk, as most, if not all, identification information is already collected and stored in one place, and can cause harm and threaten lives if used or accessed by the wrong people. The privacy of individuals and protection of the stored data is a serious issue that must always be considered.
Biometric technology introduced a new era of services delivery in aid work. Many services can be developed according to the available information in the biometric registration. Direct cash assistance, for example, a service that is meeting actual needs, advances the services delivery to Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Jordan through IRIS scans by linking the registration system to the banking system. According to Grosh et al. (2007 in Devereux and Vincent, 2010), “the use of a payment system is supposed to help distributing the right services to the right people at the right time and frequency with the lower cost” (150). Volker Schimmel, former UNHCR’s Head of Field Office Amman and manager of the cash assistance programme in Jordan, stated that the cash assistance program managed to reduce the overhead cost to 2%, allowing 98% of the cash assistance fund to be delivered to beneficiaries, whereas before biometric registration and IRIS scanning system, the overhead cost was over 25% (interview with the author, see also UNHCR Innovation Service, n.d.). Schimmel added that the new system also helped to reduce fraud, as the use of Iris system requires the beneficiary to be physically present in order to withdraw money, as opposed to the previous system for which only the card and the pin code were required for withdrawals.
6.1.3. Cash based intervention
According to Volker Schimmel, cash-based interventionshave become one of the main interventions to the international refugee response only recently; not more than two decades. This is due to the increasing numbers of urban refugees in different parts and regions of the world. Jordan is one of the countries that has a mixture of camp and urban refugees and a long history of hosting refugees from the MENA region, such as Iraq and Syria, in large numbers. According to Schimmel, UNHCR in Jordan was one of the first field offices to initiate a big-scale cash assistance programme during the Iraqi influx to Jordan, which is why the operation was able to benefit from the already existing system and experience to respond to the Syrian influx.
Schimmel added that cash assistance is increasingly accepted among international actors as a valid approach and a successful model to address people’s needs. The UK Department for International Development (DFID) conducted a systematic review of cash-based approaches in humanitarian emergencies, and the results showed that
it can be more cost effective and cost efficient than other forms of transfer when appropriate to the context and well designed (Doocy and Tappis, 2016). The Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) found that in situations of emergencies, assistance provided through cash transfers offers an alternative to the traditional forms of aid, providing more flexibility to respond to beneficiaries’ needs , reducing delivery costs, and fuelling the local economy of affected and hosted communities (ECHO, 2018): “UNHCR in Jordan has been able to develop advanced unique assistance system” (interview Schimmel V, march 2018). It is fully secured through biometric identity verification to prevent fraud. This system based on biometric registration is very unique compared to the older methods in terms of cost-effectiveness and efficiency in UNHCR’s ongoing operations globally. A majority (95.5%) of the beneficiaries according to the UNHCR Post Distribution Monitoring (DPM) report are satisfied with the IRIS scan method by which the money is disbursed (UNHCR Jordan, 2016). Recipients provided with cash assistance through ATMs for example have better access and more flexibility compared to the old methods of in-kind assistance as they are not required to travel to predetermined distribution sites at a specific time and spend long waiting hours to receive their assistance packages (Devereux & Vincent, 2010).
UNHCR Jordan – cash assistance program 12 October 2015)
(https://ec.europa.eu/research/conferences/2016/migration-challenge/pdf/migration_conf-e_macleod%20unhcr%20jordan.pdf
