UNRWA Expands Biometric Digital ID for Palestinian Refugee Aid in Lebanon

UNRWA has received €3 million in new European funding to expand cash assistance to Palestinian refugees from Syria living in Lebanon, delivered through its eUNRWA biometric digital identity platform. The app now serves as the authentication layer for humanitarian aid, verifying recipients against a registration database covering nearly 6 million Palestinian refugees. This illustrates how legacy refugee registries are being converted into biometric identity infrastructure that governs access to essential assistance, a pattern of identity-linked aid delivery worth watching as digital verification becomes a precondition for receiving help among vulnerable populations.