CRVS-DPI integration becoming imperative says UNDP

Through its network of partners, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has been making the case for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) and digital public infrastructure (DPI) ecosystems to be integrated.

The UN agency believes doing this will give more meaning to digital transformation efforts and increase the chances of people accessing public services using legal identification, especially as many more countries are undertaking digital ID and DPI projects.

A blog post which makes a résumé of some of the advocacy meetings and discussions so far held on this campaign indicates that there’s need for more action and dialogue among relevant stakeholders in order to make it a reality.

Authors of the blog say the integration of CRVS and DPI “is fast becoming a strategic imperative” as it “holds the potential for improving service delivery and safeguarding human rights, therefore serving as the foundation for accelerating progress towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Having these systems connected, according to the UNDP, is crucial given that many countries have fragmented CRVS systems and this leads to even more problems in the data records of individuals when “a civil registration database and a national ID database are not linked.”

Going by the blog, the major takeaways from a recent consultation by stakeholders of the CRVS and DPI communities on the campaign, can be summarised under three key areas.

The first point reflects the principles of universality and interoperability in the building of CRVS and DPI systems which has many benefits including the ability to “reduce identity fraud and corruption and ensure secure and responsible data exchanges for identity verification processes.”

The second point highlights the need for dedicated funding to develop CRVS systems using the DPI approach, while the third requires that such efforts focus on the people and ensure that their rights are fully respected, namely by making sure people’s identity is established at birth so they don’t stand the risk of having some of their rights violated in the course of their lives.

The authors say while discussions on this issue continue, institutions and countries should bear in mind that “rethinking CRVS systems with a DPI lens, and vice-versa, could yield numerous societal benefits in years to come” and “aligning and making interoperable digital identities can also have some immediate benefits that can be cost-saving.”

The UNDP has been involved in various initiatives in supporting the development of DPI in the Global South.

Article Topics

civil registration  |  CRVS  |  digital ID  |  digital public infrastructure  |  government services  |  national ID  |  SDG 16.9  |  UNDP