tokenist.com
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is developing a decentralized anonymous organization (DAO) prototype to improve communication about new features for digital public goods (DPGs), the agency’s blockchain lead said in an interview with the Block. UNICEF is testing the concept on top of Polygon, the report states.
UNICEF Reportedly Chooses Polygon to Test DAO Concept
UNICEF, a UN agency promoting the rights and well-being of children worldwide, is reportedly exploring concepts for a DAO. In an interview with the Block, UNICEF blockchain lead Arun Maharajan said it is “building a DAO prototype to fairly distribute power and communication for a globally distributed digital public good.”
DPGs refer to software, data, and other digital tools and resources available to the public and aim to promote social and economic development. These goods are typically open source, freely available, and can be used, reused, and modified by anyone. DPGs aim to provide equitable access to technology and information, particularly in low-income countries and marginalized communities.
The prototype, developed on top of the layer-2 scaling solution Polygon, seeks to facilitate communication between stakeholders of a DPG when exploring new potential project features.
“In a sense, it’s a closed DAO for each DPG to get all the stakeholders on board,” said Maharajan. At the moment, the pilot is only available to team members. However, it could include end users or new stakeholders in the future “so that really the community around that DPG gets together and decides together what needs to happen,” he said.
UNICEF Dives Deeper Into Blockchain After Launching CryptoFund
The DAO concept represents a part of a broader push in crypto for UNICEF, which launched its CryptoFund in 2019, allowing it to receive donations in bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH). The fund allows UNICEF to connect with and receive funding from innovative crypto startups. Several crypto and blockchain firms have contributed so far, such as Huobi Charity, ETC Labs, and Animoca Brands, which launched its own Web3 fund last year.
“As we have for our private donors, we have the exact same due diligence process for our crypto donors, so you cannot have anonymous donor donations in crypto.”
– said UNICEF CryptoFund manager Sanna Bedi.
The number of crypto donations has grown significantly in recent years amid the increasing adoption of cryptocurrency and the convenience their underlying technology offers. Earlier this year, several major crypto companies sent crypto donations to help those affected by two catastrophic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Similarly, Ukraine collected over $100 million in crypto donations following Russia’s invasion.
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