UNDP transforms lives in Namibia with digital legal identification initiative

An Accelerator Laboratory program implemented by UNDP in Namibia is allowing many citizens to enjoy basic services that they were until now deprived of due to lack of legal digital identity.

Through a series of blog posts, UNDP Namibia highlights the impact of the program which began with a pilot in Groot Aub – a poor community on the outskirts of the country’s capital – and was then implemented on a large scale. It is implemented by UNDP Namibia in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Security and Policing (MHAISS), and is said to be the first time that the UNDP model governance framework on digital legal identity has been implemented anywhere in the world. . .

The UNDP defines digital legal identification as a physical or digital credential, as well as the enabling process that seeks to ensure that the credential is recognized and trusted.

In the first part of the blog post, the UN agency narrates how a resident of Groot Aub, Lydia, for many years was unable to enjoy essential basic services because she did not have a legal digital identity. She was among many other citizens who could not access services in different sectors such as health, education and finance.

The lab has navigated a strong partnership with relevant local stakeholders who have shown concerted efforts to make the project successful, the agency says.

These efforts led the lab to obtain funding that was used to “acquire, implement and test a portable and mobile device designed for digital management of identity documents and remote citizen registration.”

The success of the pilot prompted even stronger collaboration and the expansion of a biometric registration process in many more communities across the country, which has gone a long way in opening up opportunities for marginalized people.

According to the UNDP, a good governance framework for digital legal identity is vital to boost inclusion in underserved communities.

The agency emphasizes that, given the risks that digitalization entails, implementing a good governance framework like the model being implemented in Namibia is an important step to mitigate those risks and protect people’s human rights.

Namibia, pioneer

UNDP says Namibia’s pioneering implementation of the model governance framework for digital legal identity will serve as an example for many countries in the region, notes the second part of the blog series.

Since the model was presented to the government in 2023, the process has not been without challenges, according to the agency, but has proven to be a transformative force that is driving the country towards meeting its sustainable development goals.

Details of the process of implementing the digital legal identification governance framework in Namibia and lessons learned will be described in a third blog post.

Last year, Namibian lawmakers considered legislation introducing reforms to the country’s civil status registration and identity management system.

Article topics

Africa | digital identity | identity management | legal identity | Namibia | SDG 16.9 | UNDP