ID4Africa, a global spot for convergence of government representatives, civil society, and identity experts, has highlighted the security and inclusion that must be sought for refugees and stateless persons to belong within national digital identity schemes. Whilst the WHO organisations reports approximately 7.15 billion people worldwide own a formal legal identification, the statistic leaves 850 million people who lack an official ID.
THe UNHCR who had a presence at ID4Africa called for universal recognition and inclusion for these citizens of the world, and stateless citizens, in national digital foundation ID systems. National ID initiatives are boosting countries’ digital infrastructure across both private and public sectors, from addressing government onboarding to facilitating the freedom to have digital and physical ID for access to any service.
As governments are issuing reliable foundational digital IDs, inclusion must be at the forefront. The session called, “Identity for Refugees and Stateless Persons” explored how systems can be “responsibly and sustainably extend trusted identity credentials to refugees, stateless persons, and individuals at risk of statelessness who are habitually residents in the country”.
Several use cases of countries dealing with high rates of statelessness were used in considering the legal, institutional and operational legislations and protections to ensure digital ID systems are inclusive by design.
“Universality is the defining test of any digital public ecosystem,” said Patrick Eba, Deputy Director of UNHCR’s Division of International Protection and Solutions, who delivered the opening address. “If a system cannot recognise all habitual residents on the territory, it cannot fully serve everyone. And if it cannot serve everyone, it cannot be fully trusted. Universality is not a feature to add later: it is the foundation of system integrity.”
One panel explored the concept of statelessness-sensitive ID systems and Namibia’s 2024 Civil Registration and Identification Act, which created a legal pathway to identifying children when their nationality is unknown and referring them to authorities within 6 months.
The other panel focused on the inclusion of refugees in national digital ID systems as a “sustainable solution” and “creating an equal footing” with national citizens.
UNHCR reports that over 4.4 million people are reported as stateless, and refugees and asylum seekers are often included in the global statistics of those who lack an ID.
