Lead partner: WFP – Contributors: CERN

Cash-based transfers (CBT) now constitute 35 percent of all WFP assistance, making WFP the world’s largest provider of humanitarian cash. In 2022 WFP also helped 65 governments to design and implement their own cash transfer programmes.

WFP sends people money to give them the flexibility to choose what they need, when they need it. People spend most of the money WFP sends them on food, but they also can use it to pay medical bills, rent or school fees. Sending people money means that they don’t need to make impossible trade-offs, like deciding to eat less so that they can keep all their children in school.

This use case proposes to adapt the CERN multi-format anomaly detection algorithms used for physics data monitoring and analysis to the WFP CBT system. The primary goal is to provide early detection of misuse of cash transfers and gradually extend the detection for different systems (e.g. vouchers) and types of frameworks (e.g. insurance contracts), which holds the promise to evolve beyond detection and transition towards prevention and continuous monitoring. This shift will significantly strengthen CBT integrity, from reactive detection to proactive prevention, ultimately creating a more robust and secure approach to delivering humanitarian aid.