Identity management systems at UNHCR : from paper registration to biometric data management

This report examines the evolution of registration operations as coordinated by humanitarian organizations to serve the needs of refugee populations. It begins with an historical overview of registration by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), previewing an expectation that aid groups address identification demands during refugee operations. It then looks at the evolution of data requested of refugee populations, addressing the normalization of biometric data collection without meaningful governance through procedural documentation. A case study centered on registration in the Dadaab refugee complex then frames biometric data within its use by UNHCR and the Kenyan government to decrease the number of persons identified as refugees. This report concludes with brief recommendations on the creation, verification, and management of identification records by humanitarian organizations as conforming to principles that center the biometric rights of refugees.InformationPublic Affair