(Now the BBC
has joined Bloomberg
News in
crediting
Inner City
Press for the
exclusive
publication
(or "leaking")
of the report,
here.)
Meanwhile,
by
contrast, the
International
Organization
on Migration
gave Inner
City Press a
detailed
answer to its
question about
IOM's
“biometrics”
pilot, mere
hours after it
and the Free
UN Coalition
for Access
requested the
information:
Subject:
RE:
Press question
about IOM's
DRC press
release and
biometric
pilot, thanks
From: DE BOECK
Laurent [at]
iom.int
Date: Fri, Jul
5, 2013 at
12:53 PM
To: Inner City
Press, FUNCA
[at]
funca.info
Dear
Mattheuw,
Thank you for
your interest.
Please find
below the
response to
your queries.
What
does the
Biometric
Registration
System consist
of?
IOM
DRC is
currently in
the process of
setting up a
pilot
biometric
registration
system to be
implemented in
targeted
displacement
sites in Goma,
North Kivu.
This is being
done in
response to a
current gap in
humanitarian
operations in
North Kivu.
Lacking a
national
registry of
population,
and
specifically
vulnerable
populations,
IOM and other
humanitarian
organizations
have had to
use manual
registration
process
relying on,
typically,
worn and
outdated voter
registration
cards issued
by the
Government of
DRC to
identify and
track
beneficiaries
of aid. The
proposed
biometric
registration
system is
based on
previous IOM
implementation
including, but
not limited
to, Sudan
(pictures
attached). The
process
consists of
finger print
devices and
servers to
store and
cross-check
the
information.
How
many people
will it apply
to – target
beneficiaries
?
As a
pilot phase,
the project
will start
being
implemented in
Goma region,
targeting
about 150,000
individuals
staying in 4
spontaneous
sites and 1
camp.
How
will the
information be
used and with
whom will it
be shared?
This
information
will be used
to identify
and verify
Internally
Displaced
Persons (IDPs)
in areas of
implementation.
Due to the
value of such
information,
IOM will
adhere to
strict
information
management
principles
while also
engaging in
information
sharing with
humanitarian
organizations
in need to
such
information,
including the
World Food
Programme who
was a
principal
partner of us
in the digital
registration
in Sudan. A
digital
process would
allow for more
efficient
e-voucher
programmes and
smart cards
for food
distribution.
Associated
problems
with
Registration
(corruption,
inefficiencies
etc.)
In
DRC, people do
not have any
ID. The only
proof of
identity is
the electoral
card but
unfortunately,
the majority
of the IDPs do
not have it.
As a
consequence,
it is very
challenging to
control the
real identity
of each person
which
obviously
creates a
number of
issues during
distributions.
Also, IDPs in
North Kivu
have been
regularly
displaced for
the past few
years. As a
consequence,
they are
usually fully
aware of the
mechanisms put
in place by
the
humanitarian
community to
give the
assistance. In
Goma, people
will register
in different
sites/camps or
will split
their
households in
order to
receive few
NFI kits
instead of one
unique for the
whole family.
Moreover, it
remains also
challenging to
distinguish
autochthones
from displaced
people, above
all in an
urban context
such as Goma.
This
response on
the use of
“biometrics”
stands in
contrast to
whistleblowers'
allegations
that the chief
of the UN Mine
Action Service
in Somalia
David Bax
shares genetic
information
with US
intelligence
-- which UNMAS
and DPKO have
refused to
confirm or
deny for 11
days now ---
and with Herve
Ladsous saying
that the dead
body of an
assailant in
Darfur has
been kept to
help identify
who the
assailants
were.
Inner
City Press
asked Haq
about the
legality of
keeping dead
enemies'
bodies; he
replied that
Ladsous meant
it was turned
over to
Sudan's
government for
keeping -- as
if that's
better. Ladsous
met with
ICC-indicted
Omar al
Bashir;
the UN called
it “strictly
necessary.” Really?
Watch this
site.
But
wait: from
DPKO we do
have one
answer, this:
From:
UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply [at]
UN.org
Date: Wed, Jul
3, 2013 at
1:25 PM
Subject: Your
question on
DRC
To:
Matthew.Lee [at]
innercitypress.com
Please see
below the
following from
the Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations:
"The
deployment of
the
Intervention
Brigade, while
a bit slower
than we had
wished, is
progressing
apace,
especially
given the
preparations
required for
this type of
intervention.
Two
contingents
(from South
Africa and
Tanzania) of
the three are
in place and
have started
local
patrolling and
staff
exercises.
As it is
sometimes the
case in this
kind of
process, a
memorandum of
understanding
is yet to be
signed between
South Africa
and the UN.
But this has
no impact on
the deployment
of the
Brigade."
We'll have
more on this.
Watch this
site.
, 
