Washington, D.C. – As part of its efforts to ensure a more inclusive digital society, today the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) announced a partnership with the World Bank to support its identification for development (ID4D) efforts. The World Bank’s ID4D Initiative aims to help countries roll out robust and inclusive identification systems with multi-sectoral approaches and 21st century solutions.

“National identification systems are a core building block for effective and efficient digital services,” said Kate Wilson, CEO of DIAL. “Partnering with the World Bank’s ID4D team provides DIAL with an opportunity to help break down the barriers countries face to effective identification systems, including new approaches such as distributed hosting, authentication protocols and blockchain.”

There are an estimated 1.1 billion people around the world, largely in Asia and Africa, who do not have an officially recognized identification document, according to the World Bank. As countries roll-out different types of national-level identification mechanisms for national health systems, social safety nets and beyond, they are faced with a range of challenges including high costs and complex and unclear regulations. Even more challenging are the efforts to harmonize and align the country’s multiple existing or in-process identification programs.

To advance the understanding of new technologies, existing best practice technologies, and the legal and governance approaches that enable governments to build better in-country identification systems, the World Bank’s ID4D Initiative and DIAL will develop:

• A key component in an operational guide that provides support to countries building ID systems, which will look at the benefits of new and existing technologies such as the incorporation of voice or iris into mobiles in delivering more effective identification systems; and

• A case study, which highlights the role of unique identifiers in improving health service delivery. This will be part of a series of case studies which ID4D is pursuing to document individual countries’ experiences in implementing ID programs and thematic analysis of linkages between ID and effective service delivery.

“Having a formally recognized form of identity provides the poor and vulnerable with the opportunity to climb out of poverty,” said Vyjayanti Desai, Program Manager for Identification for Development (ID4D) at the World Bank. “This is critical for achieving a wide range of development outcomes: from opening a bank account and paving the way for broader financial inclusion to accessing education services, tracking childhood vaccinations, and empowering women. It can also strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of the state in providing critical digital services, such as digitized government to person (G2P) payments, and reduce unnecessary waste of resources through better targeting.”

DIAL’s work with the World Bank’s ID4D Initiative aims to ensure country projects leverage the most accurate, cost-effective, and novel technological solutions in the design of their identification systems. To learn more about ID4D, and the Principles on Identification, which were facilitated by the World Bank Group and the Center for Global Development, and endorsed by DIAL and others, please visit: http://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/id4d

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About DIAL

The Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) aims to realize a more inclusive digital society in emerging markets, in which all women, men and children benefit from life-enhancing, mobile-based digital services. A partnership among USAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Swedish Government and the United Nations Foundation, DIAL’s efforts help accelerate the collective efforts of government, industry and development organizations to realize this vision. www.digitalimpactalliance.org.

About the World Bank’s ID4D Program

The World Bank Group launched the Identification for Development (ID4D) Initiative to close the global identification gap and make progress toward robust and inclusive identification systems. Recognizing the transformational potential of modern, 21st century identification systems, the initiative aims to bring global knowledge and expertise across multiple sectors and countries to tackle the fundamental challenge of approximately 1.1 billion people who are unable to prove their identity. A multidonor platform, with catalytic support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, focuses on support to developing countries, thought leadership, and global advocacy.

Press Contact
Paul Quirk, DIAL
Tel: +1-202-864-5148
pquirk@digitalimpactalliance.org

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