UN eyes blockchain for sustainable development

The United Nations is exploring potential uses of blockchain technology in achieving its goals of reducing poverty, ending hunger and raising living standards across the globe.

   The United Nations is taking note of blockchain technology as a potential solution for some of its most pressing missions.
   The UN earlier this month held a summit at its headquarters in New York City during which leaders met with government officials, ambassadors and even a blockchain logistics platform provider to discuss potential applications in sustainable development.
   Speaking at the event, John Monarch, CEO of ShipChain, a company that aims to harness the power of blockchain technology to provide truly connected end-to-end supply chain solutions, told attendees blockchain could be a huge help in tackling the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals.
   He noted that many of these goals involve “massive” logistics undertakings and using blockchain to ensure shipment visibility and accountability could one day help to reduce poverty, end hunger and raise living standards around the world.
   “We’ve worked with people here to discuss standards and advancing supply chain in blockchain, and it affirmed to us that we are advanced in what we are developing, and that the entire space of supply chain in blockchain is still very early,” he said.
   Clinton Senkow, ShipChain’s vice president of partnerships, said the UN has already piloted several use cases for blockchain and the organization believes the technology “can help them solve a lot of the world’s problems by the year 2030.”
   “What struck me the most was how invested in blockchain technology the UN is,” he said. “I suggested starting with the most pressing goals set out by the UN such as ending hunger, improving education and spurring innovation and infrastructure development. Revisiting these goals is a great way to get a sense of the problems they are trying to solve through their numerous organizations.”
   Hosted by the Blockchain Commission for Sustainable Development, the event was the UN’s first Blockchain for Impact Global Summit and also included participation from Blockchain for Impact, an advocacy group that helps blockchain companies and stakeholders engage with leaders from the UN system.