Certifications via Blockchain

Creating transparency and authenticity of certifications using public blockchains

The Government of Kazakhstan and UNICEF launched a joint initiative for testing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/also known as drones) for emergency preparedness and response
UNICEF Innovation

UNICEF Ventures is leveraging a public blockchain, Ethereum, to make claims in a transparent and immutable way. In the first phase of the prototype, UNICEF Ventures is issuing certificates confirming the participation of organizations who test in our drone corridors.

 

The authentic certificates issued by UNICEF will start a trail of tamper-proof and immutable credentials for the participants. The time-stamped certificate will enable participants to store, share and verify their qualifications to whomever. Participants will no longer have to go through an intermediary with cumbersome and expensive processes to share and validate achievements and certifications with third parties.

 

The certifications are auditable through this smart contract.* The wallet that the certifications are issued from is 0x49880Bae91e8Bc7129A08cfDEF089888D6EEB006, that is held by UNICEF Ventures**.

 

*Why is this auditability important?

In our digital age, it’s easier than ever to falsify claims and documents. It’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between a phishing scam and real emails. To increase trust in the information being shared, we are providing a transparent way to verify the information that UNICEF Ventures has published.

**What does this mean?

The purpose of sharing this wallet is to prove who has authenticated this certificate. UNICEF Ventures is the only holder of this wallet. Therefore, only credentials issued from this wallet are considered endorsed by UNICEF Ventures.

UNICEF issues certificates on blockchain to companies testing in drone corridors

 

Company Name

Country

Date of Participation

Certificate on IPFS*

Verify on Ethereum Blockchain

AltF4

Kazakhstan

2019-02-28

See certificate

Check here

KazUAV

Kazakhstan

2019-02-28

See certificate

Check here

UAV Group

Kazakhstan

2019-02-28

See certificate

Check here

UAV Service Group

Kazakhstan

2019-02-28

See certificate

Check here

*Please note that loading the certificate from IPFS may take several minutes, as the certificate is loading from a decentralized file storage system.

Participants in Kazakhstan drone corridor
UNICEF Innovation
The drone corridors provide space for corporate sector, academia, and other potential partners to explore how UAS can be used to help deliver services that will benefit communities and to develop/adapt appropriate technologies. UNICEF Kazakhstan issues certifications to recognize those participants, and these are written on a public blockchain to leverage the immutability and transparency that the technology offers.

28 February 2019, Astana, Kazakhstan: On this week, UNICEF Kazakhstan and the Center for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction, from the Government of Kazakhstan, conducted a training seminar on how to integrate drones as part of emergency preparedness and response efforts.

Kazakhstan, a large country with diverse terrain, is vulnerable to nearly every type of natural disaster: floods, extreme temperature events, earthquakes, landslides, mudslides, storms and wildfires. Every year, close to 4,000 emergencies cause 3,000-5,000 injuries and claim several dozen lives. The changing climate also affects the rise of weather-related disasters.

All participants travelled to the drone corridor in the Almaty province of Kazakhstan for a second round of testing, following initial tests. Drones were used in search and rescue real-life scenarios and for forest wildfire location and mapping in mountainous terrains. Four companies from Kazakhstan (KazUAV, UAV Service Group, AltF4, UAV Group) came to the Zhambyl district of Almaty province to show how their drones perform and can help save lives.

UNICEF Kazakhstan issued certificates of recognition to these drone companies for their participation. The certificates were issued in the Ethereum blockchain, ensuring the authenticity of the documents.

 


 

For questions on drones, reach out to drones [at] unicef [dot] org

For blockchain, reach out to blockchain [at] unicef [dot] org