IEEE is preparing for another Global Humanitarian Technology Conference and I have submitted again. I billed this as Part II of the technology due diligence methodology for humanitarian contexts. Here is my new abstract which combines elements of the first GHTC talk I delivered and my participation in the Web 3 panel of January.
The presenter will recap and extend the framework for tech due diligence in humanitarian contexts she introduced at GHTC2021. As a stakeholder-driven model, in contrast to, say, the profit-driven innovations of venture-backed startups or corporations, this framework centers the voices of beneficiaries of such tech solutions at each critical point in an innovation lifecycle: 1) lived experience of founder; 2) market vision; 3) customer priorities; 4) architecture; 5) development processes; and 6) market entry strategy.
In this follow-up, the presenter cites trends imposing new urgency to adopt consistent and disciplined models for evaluating tech used in UN programs. On one hand, UN agencies have cited cryptocurrency (“defi”) and other digital finance solutions as promising for sustainable global economic development. Yet, concerns about the cultural and social implications of these options are intensifying even as the UN continues to recognize micro and small enterprise financing, the primary focus of the GHTC2021 talk, as vital beyond meeting the objectives of SDGs 8 (economic growth) and 10 (reduced inequality), e.g., an alternative to relying solely on judicial enforcement to mitigate the risks and harms of gender violence per SDG 5 (gender equality). Considered together, these trends may test the bounds of the framework.
Now it is waiting and seeing if this is accepted! I have no doubt that much more will be written on Cryptocurrencies between now and the September 2022 date of the conference.
descant labs 
One thought on “Humanitarian Tech and Crypto”