UNOPS, the United Nations Office for Project Services, announced its plan to use IOTA distributed ledger tech for higher efficiency on Tuesday. IOTA is a different distributed ledger system that uses trademark Tangle technology as opposed to blockchain.
UNOPS and IOTA signed a Memorandum of Understanding in New York and Berlin on the 22nd of May, laying the groundwork for further cooperation. The aim of this partnership is to explore the possibilities of increasing UNOPS’ operational efficiency with IOTA’s technology.
Yoshiyuki Yamamoto, UNOPS Special Advisor on Blockchain Technology, said that this is “the world of 'Industry 4.0.' Harnessing technology that allows for these processes to work simultaneously, without the need for intermediaries, will help expedite our mission as an organization.”
IOTA’s Tangle technology can boost efficiency in tracking UN documents, logistics and transactions.
This is not UNOPS’ first cooperation with Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) firms. In November 2017, during the Humanitarian Blockchain Summit, UNOPS announced a collaboration between The World Identity Network (WIN) and UN-OICT, oriented towards fighting child trafficking using blockchain technology.
Partnering with DLT companies falls in line with the vision of UNOPS Executive Director Grete Faremo. In June 2017, Ms. Faremo gave a speech during the Executive Board’s annual session, saying:
“...innovation and evolution is part of our DNA at UNOPS. Our ICT systems have just been renewed through our state-of-the-art ERP platform. We now look to innovate further. Artificial intelligence, blockchain – could these burgeoning technologies help in the world of international assistance? Could they bring ever greater efficiencies in pursuit of UN objectives?”
By Nadya Astam