Basic identification systems are universal identity platforms designed to support all forms of identification use expected at all levels. This sector can help law enforcement agencies prosecute perpetrators of abuse, exploitation, and trafficking of migrants and undocumented migrants. It can also help the United Nations, governments and civil society set up a birth registration and legal identification system. In the case of refugees, the Member States are primarily responsible for issuing proof of legal personality. The issuance of proof of identity for refugees may also be carried out by an internationally recognized and mandated authority. Ultimately, it is in the interest of businesses to ensure that governments provide access to birth registration and legal identity in order to attract a diverse and prosperous workforce and mitigate the risk of being directly linked and participating in the exploitation of marginalized/vulnerable groups. Access to personal identification must be universal, from birth to death, and free from discrimination. It must be inclusive; There must be no barriers to access and use, and a clear and accurate identity must be provided to all. Companies in ICTs and related sectors can proactively help UN agencies, governments and civil society organizations move people out of the informal sector by providing birth registration and legal identity (including digital identity) for all through breakthrough innovations and other technologies – while respecting human rights, including the right to privacy. As part of this effort, many low- and middle-income countries have introduced new national ID card programs over the past decade. The EPAR examined 42 national identity card systems in low- and middle-income countries to identify trends relevant to policymakers wishing to expand access to legal identity. Pierre Biscay, Head of Research and Strategic Initiatives at EPAR, presented the study this summer at the Data for Policy 2017 conference in London. The ID2020 Alliance is a public-private partnership that aims to advance digital identity programs through direct funding as well as the evaluation of ongoing digital identity programs – in collaboration with partners in the implementation of such programs – and the exchange of technical standards for digital identity initiatives.

Partners include corporations, foundations, law firms and non-governmental organizations. (Source) There are no multiple or redundant records. They improve service delivery and achieve economies of scale. As identity becomes an easily available commodity, a new ecosystem of different applications naturally emerges. Target 16.9 is another overarching goal of SDG 16 and the implementation of the SDGs more broadly. It recognizes that without legal identity and birth registration, more than 1.1 billion people will continue to exist in the shadow of the informal economy. Without legal personality, they are denied access to basic rights and services, including the right to health care, education, finance, the right to vote and freedom of movement. Conversely, they are not subject to any legal obligation and responsibility that, among other things, deprives governments of the ability to generate sufficient tax revenues to provide law enforcement, infrastructure and other essential services necessary for the functioning and prosperity of the formal economy and society as a whole. Biometric data such as face, fingerprints or iris are used to enable the secure identification and authentication of a person. In developing an international mechanism to achieve these key SDG goals, and inspired by the Secretary-General`s determination to address the global problem of statelessness, the Secretary-General`s Executive Committee called on the Office of the DGG in January 2018 to « convene UN agencies to work with the World Bank Group (GFF/ID4D) to develop a common approach to the broader issues of registration and legal identity. develop ».

Where citizens can prove their identity, populations are strengthened and lives are improved. Let`s discover the building blocks of a more inclusive legal identity. With up-to-date identity and biometric data, public or private service providers can benefit from reliable online identity verification and identification services (also known as eKYC) when accessing a government-issued ID card or government-verified and certified information. One could have imagined that these documents would eventually disappear and be replaced by pure biometrics, but identity documents remain an important piece of the identity puzzle. According to the World Bank`s Identification for Development (ID4D) program, more than 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have official proof of identity. The World Bank estimates that 78% of these people live in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, and 40% are under the age of 18. The lack of sex-disaggregated data makes it difficult to determine whether women and girls have particular difficulties in obtaining an official card. Access to these services must be protected by identity verification systems adapted to the security requirements of each service, but also practical for users. Basic identification systems provide the means of identification in the digital world and in people`s daily lives when they need to complete a transaction. Proof of legal identity is defined as proof, such as a birth certificate, identity card or proof of digital identity, which is recognized as proof of legal identity under national legislation and in accordance with new international standards and principles. Establish standards to prevent damage that a business may cause or contribute to the exploitation of vulnerable persons without legal personality and/or the confiscation of passports or similar documents.

According to the United Nations, legal identity is defined as the fundamental characteristics of a person`s identity, including name, sex, place of birth and date of birth, conferred by registration and issuance of a certificate by a competent civil registration authority after birth. Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP), with Lambda Legal, won a victory in the US state of Kansas in Foster v. Andersen, Civil Action No. 18-02552-DDC-KGG, which challenged the ability of transgender people to obtain birth certificates that reflect their gender identity. BCLP and Lambda Legal argued that denying transgender people accurate birth certificates violated the equal protection and due process provisions of the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas ruled that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and other Kansas government officials must provide accurate birth certificates that reflect a person`s true sex and match their gender identity. (Source) We all need a single identity to prove who we are, to exercise our fundamental rights and to facilitate access to all kinds of services. They are invaluable in facilitating individual verification (such as a 1:1 match in biometrics). Without a document, a system would have to look for an identity identity across the entire identity database (1:N matching in biometrics), which would cost time and require high computing power. The new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal 16 on legal identity for all, including birth registration (target 16.9), were endorsed by the UN General Assembly in September 2015.

The process of agreeing on indicators to measure the 17 SDGs has been ongoing for a long time, with the most recent development being the second meeting of the Inter-Agency Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs). The task of the group is to fully develop a proposal for an indicator framework for monitoring the goals and targets of the post-2015 development agenda at the global level, under the guidance of national statistical offices. In session of 26./28. October is expected to reach consensus and identify unresolved issues regarding the list of indicators and the indicator framework. More information on this process is available on the website of the UN Statistics Division IAEG-SDGs. The inclusion of target 16.9 means that the provision of legal documents is recognized and treated as a global development issue. The current proposal for a legal identity indicator is the percentage of children under 5 whose births have been registered with the civil authority, disaggregated by age. Initially, the indicator was not proposed disaggregated by age, but various stakeholders suggested additional or alternative indicators, for example whether it would be more relevant to monitor the registration of children under 1 year of age, as this would highlight the need for early registration.