Dominican Republic commits to inclusive DPI development, joins 50-in-5 campaign

The Dominican Republic has become the latest country to join the 50-in-5 advocacy campaign as a first-mover nation following the launch of the initiative last November.

The 50-in-5 advocacy campaign is a project supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and other multilateral partners to help 50 developing nations set up secure, inclusive and interoperable digital public infrastructure (DPI) in the next five years.

In an announcement, the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Development of the Caribbean nation said the move signifies a major step forward in the government’s digital transformation chapter as it believes the proper implementation of a DPI ecosystem is a precursor to reaching the objectives of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“By taking advantage of and implementing digital public infrastructures and platforms, we will improve socio-economic development planning and develop capacities throughout the state,” says Armando Manzueta, director of information and communication technology of the Economy ministry.

“Being a pioneering country in the 50-in-5 campaign means embracing digital cooperation and learning from others while sharing our own experiences, which will help us meet our own ambitions, and at the same time, support other countries,” Manzueta adds, as quoted in a post on the 50-in-5 advocacy campaign website.

“Through the campaign, we will foster more innovative and inclusive economies and make frameworks, learnings, and technologies available which can benefit all countries.”

Countries participating in the initiative aim to support one another in their different undertakings on the design and deployment of at least one of the three components of DPI, which are a digital ID system, an instant digital payment platform and an interoperable data-sharing mechanism.

The goals of the campaign include sharing experience, cutting implementation cost and maximizing DPI’s impact on users.

A UK researchers accused the Dominican Republic of using digital ID to exclude people of Haitian descent in 2021.

Article Topics

50-in-5  |  digital ID  |  digital public infrastructure  |  Dominican Republic  |  SDG 16.9  |  UNDP