Opinion: Ensuring legal ID for all is a step to leaving no one behind

The frameworks and know-how do exist to provide legal documentation to the nearly 10% of the world’s population who do not have it. Now, funding is needed for the development and implementation of legal identity systems and to address the broader social and economic challenges that can prevent people from obtaining legal identity. The principle of “leaving no one behind” is the central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. Unfortunately, this promise is at risk of being broken for those who do not possess legal documentation. This is often due to the difficulty and cost of reaching people across whole territories, coupled with the need for stronger capacities within national systems, but it can also be a more deliberate attempt to exclude certain groups and populations. The globally recognized frameworks in place to address this challenge include Article 6 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights for example, or SDG target 16.9: “legal identity for all, including birth registration” by 2030. These and more promote the principle of a right to birth registration. The United Nations Legal Identity Agenda Task Force is helping member states achieve SDG target 16.9. As co-chair of the group, the U.N. Development Programme supports civil registration and national ID systems in more than 25 countries. Assisting civil registration: The importance of a birth certificate Having comprehensive civil registration, vital statistics, and identity management systems that cover the entire lifespan of individuals is crucial for governments to plan and deliver essential public services, safeguard human rights, and promote inclusive development. Without these systems, populations may become invisible to decision-makers and marginalized from social and economic opportunities, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality. Registering citizens with a birth certificate from day one is critical to protecting their human rights from birth to death. However, an estimated 237 million children under 5 do not have a birth certificate. Some common barriers for the registration of birth include lack of knowledge and incentives for registration of vital events, unaffordable fee for registration or obtaining credentials, late registration fee, or long distance to the nearest facilities. UNDP, in cooperation with other U.N. agencies, is supporting member states to address these challenges. For example, in Tajikistan and Cameroon, mobile birth registration services were set up to help register children in hard-to-reach places. These efforts are usually coupled with the public engagement effort to convey the importance and value of obtaining legal identity credentials through birth registration. From the standpoint of broad governance and public administration, capturing other vital events, such as details of marriages, divorces, adoptions, etc., from birth to death into national statistics allows for evidence-based policy formulation and more targeted use of public resources. Ensuring identity management interoperability One of the challenges sometimes encountered is that a country has more than one independent foundational registry, creating confusion as citizens, refugees, and resident foreigners must register multiple times to access public and private services. This leads to inefficiencies, as well as security and corruption risks, as one person may have multiple identities that cannot be verified. Ensuring identity management systems work in tandem and not in isolation is critical to enable individuals to seamlessly and securely access a wide range of services across different domains and geographies while maintaining control over their personal information. This requires sharing and integrating data among identity management systems, reducing duplication of efforts, and improving accuracy, efficiency, and reliability. It also enhances stakeholder collaboration, including governments, private sector entities, and civil society organizations, promoting innovation and driving economic growth. In short, when identity management interoperability is in place, any individual receiving state agency or government services can be assured that the person is entitled to receive the services and can — under strict data protection guidelines — move between different agencies with both parties knowing it is the same person. Leveraging the full potential of digital technology For vulnerable communities, and those living in poverty, digital technology is unquestionably a game changer. Smart digital IDs, for example, allow citizens to access public services without physically visiting government premises, which can benefit those living in remote areas and those with mobility challenges. It can provide access to education, job opportunities, and information, especially for marginalized communities. However, digitalization can also exacerbate the digital divide as it requires access to technology and the skills to use it. UNDP and its partners are working with many countries worldwide to promote inclusive digitalization to benefit all members of society, leaving no one behind. More partnerships needed We have the relevant frameworks in place to scale up efforts and address most legal identity challenges. Now is the time to leverage these frameworks and increase local, national, and global actions to achieve the right to legal identity. In Malawi, for example, the national identity project receives funding from the European Commission and the governments of Ireland, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In Vanuatu, the government of New Zealand provides direct assistance to UNDP's legal identity initiatives, while in Tajikistan, the EU has supported similar projects. Since 2019, the governments of Switzerland and Sweden have contributed $2 million to support the expansion of a regional legal identity system in targeted African countries. The government of Japan contributed $4 million in 2020 to support a similar effort, also in Africa. However, despite extensive efforts, much more needs to be done. It is estimated that $6 billion investment is needed to meet Africa’s digital identification and civil registration needs. To achieve the vision of “no one left behind,” we urge more partners to join our efforts. Let us work together to create a world where everyone has an official identity and can fully participate in, and contribute to, society.