Christopher Fabian & Shaun Conway: Unicef & Ixo: Towards More Transparent Humanitarian Projects

We’re joined by Christopher Fabian, Co-founder of Unicef’s Innovation Unit. We discuss how the global non-profit institution leverages innovative technology to solve real-world problems in humanitarian work. We explore the different applications of blockchain in the UN and Unicef, as well as the challenges we can anticipate when deploying these technologies in the developing world. Shaun Conway, Founder of Ixo Foundation, also joins the discussion as a startup working Unicef and talks about the value of a global reputation network for humanitarian projects.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Chris’ and Shaun’s respective backgrounds
• A bit of background on the UN and Unicef
• Unicef’s Innovation Unit and Venture arm
• How Unicef evaluates the different technologies in the space (public, permissionned, etc.)
• The challenges faced when deploying new technologies in the developing world
• Unicef’s recent experimentation with an Ethereum smart contract
• Potential applications for blockchain at the UN and Unicef
• Unicef’s Venture arm and the types of projects in which they invest
• Ixo Foundation, their collaboration with Unicef and the value of a Proof of Impact blockchain network

Episode links:

• Blockchain at UNICEF
• Christopher Fabian - Wikipedia
• UNICEF Ventures: Exploring Smart Contracts
• ixo foundation
• ixo foundation – Medium

This episode is hosted by Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/214