LatAm nations get EU help on CRVS, digital governance

Digital IDs and digital governance projects continue to be discussed in the Latin American and Caribbean region with players such as the European Union and Taiwan pledging support for their developments.

The European Union has signed an agreement to help El Salvador achieve an accurate digital civil registry, enhancing access to public services and digital identity. The announcement was made after EU’s digital governance experts met with their Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) counterparts in Costa Rica last week at a meeting of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance Policy Dialogue.

The meeting was convened to form an action plan for increasing interoperability and exchanging more data among digital public services between the two sides. A key part of this interoperability is the cross-border use of citizen’s electronic IDs and electronic signatures.

The EU-LAC Digital Alliance Policy Dialogue was launched in March 2023 under the EU’s Global Gateway project. To project is intended to boost cooperation on a wide range of issues, including digital policy, trade, internet and data governance, infrastructure and connectivity, security as well as emerging technologies such as AI. Its total budget is 172 million euros (US$186.8 million).

Digital governance is another area in which the two sides are hoping to work together and the project in El Salvador is one example. The EU plans to assist the Latin American country update its outdated birth and death registration system by sharing its technical and regulatory expertise. The news comes after 5.1 million records of Salvadorans’ personal information, including facial images, were discovered to be leaked on the dark web this month.

Another project discussed at the meeting in Costa Rica is boosting the role of women in GovStack, an initiative that helps governments with limited resources to digitize their services. The initiative was launched by Germany and Estonia as well as organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL).

Barbados will lean on digital IDs during crises

The government of Barbados will use the country’s digital identity to improve responses to vulnerable people during crises such as emergencies and conflicts or in situations such as partner violence and healthcare interventions.

The Ministry of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology, has been working with other government agencies on mapping vulnerable people by using data from the census, the Coastal Zone Management Unit and the Lands and Surveys Department which has developed a building identifier project named Building ID.

“We’re also able through our Digital ID project to be able to put all that information together to understand exactly what groups of people are vulnerable; which groups of people are more vulnerable during crises and insecurity; and importantly, how can we find those people; [and] how can we deliver essential goods and services to those people during a crisis,” says head of the Ministry Marsha Caddle.

Minister Caddle added that the ministry is also developing technology that allows citizens to send alerts during crises, adding that adherence to data protection was critical, the Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS) reports.

St Kitts and Nevis invites creatives to submit digital ID designs

Saint Kitts and Nevis is working on a digital ID project with the help of the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) of Taiwan as the executing agency.

The ICDF is now inviting the Caribbean nation’s creative minds to submit their design for the digital ID. The Digital ID Card Design Competition is open until May 31, 2024. The first prize for the design is 5,000 East Caribbean dollars (US$1850), according to the St. Kitts Nevis Information Service.

The digital ID project is set to be completed by 2026. In March, the agency announced the completion of the core system for the “Digital Identity Authentication Information System,” including the digital ID card production and digital certificate mechanism.

Article Topics

Barbados  |  Caribbean  |  civil registration  |  Costa Rica  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  EU  |  St Kitts and Nevis  |  Taiwan