New Civil Registry and Identity Guidance for Governments

Secure Identity Alliance (SIA) publishes ‘Civil Registry Consolidation through Digital Identity Management’ report in support of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Paris, 17 December 2015: With identity a key priority on the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Secure Identity Alliance (SIA) today publishes a report outlining a best practice approach for consolidating civil registries through national electronic identity (ID) schemes.

The SIA’s ‘Civil Registry Consolidation through Digital Identity Management’ report provides the deep sector insight necessary to support the development of government registration and identity programs across the world – particularly in the developing world where many citizens lack official documentation to prove their identity.

For those countries that have implemented an electronic identity program, but whose civil registry is incomplete, the existence of an eID database is a chance to rebuild a comprehensive registration process. When national ID systems and civil registration are not at the same level of development, a circular and dynamic approach between civil registration and eID systems can be used to complete them both.

This report should be of particular interest to international organizations and government agencies involved in the establishment or reorganization of civil registration and identity systems across the world.

With a global population set to reach 11.2 billion by the end of the century, the ongoing European and Middle-East refugee crisis and growing population mobility, identity is a key geopolitical issue.

Knowing the identity, and the economic circumstances, of citizens is central to the concept of wealth redistribution and a key factor in social inclusion and poverty reduction strategies. Indeed, the provision of a legal identity for all, including birth registration, is now recognized as a key priority for the United Nations.

To date, civil registration has shown slow signs of progress in many developing countries – despite it being a pre-requisite in the creation of a national ID document.

The global identification goal of the United Nations focuses on both “civil registration” and “identity”. The SIA strongly believes they should be addressed jointly.

Today’s fragmented ID ecosystems do not provide a comprehensive and continuous civil registration as the basis for national ID systems. Multiplication of ID systems wastes human and financial resources, and multiple citizen ID systems creates conflict between organizations. This report articulates a vision of how to reconcile these disparate and challenging areas.

According to Frederic Trojani, Chairman of the Board at the SIA, the study will form an important part of its work to help governments define and deliver a path towards the integration of secure civil registration and identity systems.

“The sheer importance of being able to accurately understand and address the challenges in this complex environment cannot be underestimated. Without success we as a global community cannot hope to effectively address poverty, migration issues and social inclusion across the world.”

Full report entitled “Civil Registry Consolidation through Digital Identity Management”