Refugee assistance biometric authentication at distributions (UNHCR PRIMES: BIMS + Global Distribution Tool)

Overview

This case concerns the deployment of UNHCR's Biometric Identity Management System (BIMS), a component of the Population Registration and Identity Management EcoSystem (PRIMES), for biometric identity verification of refugees in Ethiopia. BIMS is used to enrol refugees and verify their identities in the context of humanitarian assistance delivery, including food distributions conducted jointly by UNHCR, the World Food Programme (WFP), Ethiopia's Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), and cooperating partners.

UNHCR's Representation Office in Ethiopia launched comprehensive level 3 registration and the BIMS enrolment exercise in July 2017, beginning in Addis Ababa. Large-scale countrywide implementation of comprehensive registration commenced in August 2018. By 31 December 2018, a total of 230,990 individuals — representing 27.7 percent of the total refugee population at the time — had completed comprehensive level 3 registration, and 170,932 individuals had been enrolled on BIMS. The registration exercise was designed under a one-stop-shop model in which refugees receive seamless access to services provided by UNHCR, the Government of Ethiopia (through the then-named Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs, ARRA, now RRS), and all relevant partners at a single physical location. These agencies provide registration, protection, refugee vital events registration, and other assistance. At the end of the registration process, all refugee families receive a proof of registration document, and individuals aged 14 and above receive a refugee or asylum seeker identity card.

The stated aims of the comprehensive registration and BIMS exercise include supporting Ethiopia's Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), fulfilling pledges made by the Government of Ethiopia, improving protection outcomes, enabling targeted assistance, and facilitating effective durable solutions for the forcibly displaced population.

As of November 2023, 919,586 refugees were dependent on food assistance out of a total of 996,352 refugees across 31 refugee locations in Ethiopia, encompassing camps, settlements, sites, and transit centres. Distribution activities following the resumption of USAID assistance in September 2023 were conducted under a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on food assistance in refugee camps, sites, and settlements, signed by RRS, UNHCR, and WFP.

The biometric registration infrastructure has also been extended to support digital identity integration with Ethiopia's national identification system. In 2024, Ethiopia launched a pilot programme distributing Fayda digital identity cards to 77,000 refugees in Addis Ababa, with plans to expand to approximately one million individuals from neighbouring countries including Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. This initiative operates under UNHCR's PRIMES Interoperability Gateway (PING) project, described as the first such project to be rolled out in Africa, with World Bank support. The Fayda digital IDs enable access to essential services including SIM card registration, healthcare, education, financial services, and government-directed services. At the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, Ethiopia pledged to include 814,000 refugees in the national ID database.

The registration and Fayda enrolment process includes an informed consent procedure. Refugees and asylum seekers receive comprehensive information about Fayda ID services and their associated benefits, and are asked to consent to the sharing of their demographic and biometric data for eligible household members aged five years and above with the National ID Program (NIDP) for the generation of Fayda numbers and QR codes. Participation in the Fayda process is voluntary; the NIDP only generates Fayda numbers for those who consent to data sharing. Data protection is governed by UNHCR's Privacy Policy.

Classification

Programme Details

UNHCR refugee assistance programme in Ethiopia using biometric identity verification (BIMS/GDT) at food, cash, and non-food item distribution points. NOTE: No downloaded sources available to verify this description — based on unverified v1 case metadata only.

Implementation Details

Risk & Oversight

Deployment & Outcomes

Sources

1. SRC-004-ETH-003 Biometric Update (2024). Ethiopia begins issuing refugees digital ID cards to facilitate service access. Biometric Update, March 2024. Available at: https://www.biometricupdate.com/202403/ethiopia-begins-issuing-refugees-digital-id-cards-to-facilitate-service-access (Accessed 23 Mar 2026).
   https://www.biometricupdate.com/202403/ethiopia-begins-issuing-refugees-digital-id-cards-to-facilitate-service-access
2. SRC-001-ETH-003 UNHCR (2018). Comprehensive Registration and PRIMES in Ethiopia (December 2018 Newsletter). ReliefWeb. Available at: https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/comprehensive-registration-and-primes-ethiopia-december-2018-newsletter (Accessed 23 Mar 2026).
   https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/comprehensive-registration-and-primes-ethiopia-december-2018-newsletter
3. SRC-002-ETH-003 UNHCR (2023). Resumption of General Food Distributions for Refugees in Ethiopia – Update #7 (19 Nov 2023). UNHCR Data Portal. Available at: https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/105000 (Accessed 23 Mar 2026).
   https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/105000
4. SRC-003-ETH-003 UNHCR (2025). Registration – Ethiopia. UNHCR HELP. Available at: https://help.unhcr.org/ethiopia/asylum/registration/ (Accessed 23 Mar 2026).
   https://help.unhcr.org/ethiopia/asylum/registration/