Conversation: How Blockchain Increases Efficiency in Development Aid & Assistance

The Block.IS Project encourages you to join the How Blockchain Increases Efficiency in Development Aid & Assistance, a virtual meetup event organised October 14th by Datarella – a Block.IS Innovator!

Both, development aid and development assistance are indispensable activities, mostly initiated in developed countries, to make the world a better place. As in other kinds of economic processes, productivity and efficiency are key success factors. At this meetup, we discuss how blockchain adds transparency, smartness and security to development aid and assistance in order to improve both.

Our first speaker is Kyriacos Koupparis, Head of Frontier Innovations, WFP Innovation Accelerator. is a native of Cyprus, born in Johannesburg and spent his adult years in the USA. He recently joined the United Nations World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator as the lead for the Frontier Innovations team. Previously, he worked for USAID in Bangkok as the senior innovation advisor for the Asia region. He has more than 10 years of development experience managing programmes to build better communities in emerging markets through science, technology, innovation and partnerships. Kyriacos will give us an intro in the Accelerator‘s work of developing innovative tools to make the World Food Programme‘s work better from day to day.

Our second speaker is Franz von Weizsäcker, Head of Blockchain Lab at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. At GIZ he is advising governments and business organizations worldwide including in Germany, Palestine and Saudi Arabia on digital strategy, digital economic policy, governmental tech, cybersecurity, smart cities, among others.. He is member of High-Level advisory group on digitalization and sustainability to the German Federal Ministry of Environment, as well as the G20’s think tank working group on the digital economy, as well as a member of the white hat hacker’s group Chaos Computer Club. Franz will tell us how the GIZ is leveraging blockchain to improve development assistance.

Our third talk will be held by Claudia J. Jerger, Deputy President of the Board of Trustees, YOU Stiftung. Claudia, together with her mother Ute Ohoven, UNESCO Special Ambassador, runs several projects in developing countries, mostly on the African continent. She will demonstrate how donations from individuals in the first world can be managed in a highly effective, safe and efficient way in order to help with projects in developing countries. In particular, Claudia presents how the new Blockchain-based donation app SmartAid (www.smartaid.digital) serves YOU Foundation’s needs.

TUNE IN | OCTOBER 14, 18.00 CET