“Good Digital Identity” a New Chapter in the Social Contract

Every year heads of States come to New York City for the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA). The presence of so many leaders is the backdrop for many side events. Hence, the World Economic Forum (WEF) convened on 26 September its network of specialists from public and private sectors for an Impact Summit. A high level panel – which included UNHCR’s Deputy High Commissioner, Ms. Kelly Clements – discussed on what WEF has labelled good digital identity.

In the wake of the summit, WEF had published “The Platform for Good Digital Identity” focusing on six key areas:

1. Moving the emphasis beyond identity for all, to identities that deliver user value
2. Creating metrics and accountability for good identity
3. Building new governance models for digital identity ecosystems
4. Promoting stewardship of good identity
5. Encouraging partnerships around best practices and interoperability where appropriate
6. Innovating with technologies and models and building a library of successful pilots

UNHCR is contributing to the platform with the objective to secure access to legal identity for asylum seekers, refugees, other forcibly displaced persons, as well as stateless populations and those at risk of statelessness.

Kelly Clements explained: “Refugees and asylum seekers have the same rights as citizens to the protection of their data. Safe, secure and reliable platforms will enable individuals to exercise basic rights and access education and health services but also promote socio-economic inclusion”.

Together with the new platform WEF issued a new report on Identity in a Digital World: A new chapter in the social contract by a diverse group of experts, policy-makers, business executives, practitioners, rights advocates, humanitarian organizations and civil society reflecting the collective insights and exploring ideas on how to manage identity-related data that empowers rather than excludes or curtails freedoms. It outlines what we’ve learnt to date on what user-centricity means and how to uphold it in practice. One could call the report the first stage in collective learning and the creation of shared goals and paths.