Biometrics disagreement leads to food aid suspension in Yemen (Devex)

Devex reported on the World Food Programme’s partial suspension of food aid in Yemen due to disagreement over the use of biometric data to track distribution. Associate Research Fellow Sikandra Kurdi was quoted in the article saying that using biometrics makes sense in a context like Yemen where many people lack national identification cards that could be used to track social benefit program distribution. Kurdi also noted that barriers to humanitarian aid efficacy in Yemen come more from the politics of regional actors than from a lack of knowledge around how to accomplish food aid distribution.