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The Commonwealth Digital Identity Initiative
Through the Commonwealth Digital Identity Initiative, the GSMA Digital Identity programme is partnering with the World Bank ID4D programme and Caribou Digital to help make progress in providing a digitally-enabled identity for every woman and girl in the Commonwealth by 2030.
GSMA’s work will include research on the unique barriers that women and girls face when accessing or using identity systems, delivering projects that test new approaches to overcoming these barriers, and providing advocacy support to countries to bridge the gap on inclusive digital identity systems.
This work is being supported by:
For this reason, UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.9 has set a specific target to provide legal identity for all, including birth registration, by 2030.
This chart shows the percentage of people without legal proof of identity in the countries listed.
Source: World Bank
This chart shows the percentage of people without legal proof of identity in the countries listed.
Source: World Bank
57% of the women and girls without ID in the Commonwealth live in one of the three countries: Nigeria, Pakistan or India.
In Nigeria proof of identity, both the National Identity Card and verification more broadly, are seen to be enablers of a better life. Identity ensures security for children, and society conferred a higher status on individuals with identity documentation.
federal identification systems in Nigeria
of the population do not have a National ID Card
of women see a lack of identity as a barrier to accessing vital services
of the population has been registered at birth
million women do not have a National ID Card
more likely for women to own a phone than an identity card
Source: World Bank ID4D and Findex
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Mobile technology is well placed to offer national governments and other ecosystem players with more inclusive methods of providing unique identities to the underserved – a good example is in Pakistan, where a successful digital birth registration partnership between the Government of Pakistan, UNICEF Pakistan and Telenor Pakistan has given more children a foundation for full participation in society.
of women do not have access to a national ID, compared to 14% of men
of under 5s are registered at birth
more likely for boys to be registered at birth than girls
increase in birth registration after the launch of a mobile-enabled birth registration initiative*
increase in reported female birth registration after the launch of a mobile-enabled birth registration initiative*
biometric ID coverage of the adult population
*in the Thatta district of Sindh, compared to the same time period the year before.
Source: World Bank ID4D and Findex
Proof of identity carries a range of emotional and practical benefits, defining owners as ‘citizens’ and making many adopters feel ‘proud’ or ‘confident’.
As developing countries are digitally transforming their economies, digital identities will help define women and girls as ‘citizens’, ‘empowered’, ‘connected’, ‘respected’ and ‘protected’. We’re working to bring the emotional and practical benefits of ID to all women and girls. The mothers, sisters, daughters, the unemployed, the underserved, everyone.
Across the world proof of identity allows people to be connected, included, free to travel, employed and confident.