IOM releases Digital Identity Toolkit for policymakers, practitioners

The International Organization for Migration has released the IOM Digital Identity Toolkit so that decision-makers and policymakers have a better understanding of key concepts of digital identity.

The 135-page document is designed to strengthen stakeholders’s understanding of how to establish and implement digital identity systems — with an emphasis on human rights, privacy, security and key technological considerations.

The IOM Digital Identity Toolkit is intended as a practical resource for policymakers and practitioners looking to operationalize and implement digital identity frameworks.

Its contents include sections on identity management and biometrics, different types of identity credentials, functionality of digital ID applications, business models and financing.

It goes into depth on use cases of digital identity – such as government and private sector use cases – and challenges, along with detailed elaboration on multiple factors related to project set-up and implementation of digital identity.

For those seeking knowledge and more information on key aspects of digital identity, the IOM Digital Identity Toolkit is a free resource. It can be downloaded from the IOM website here.

The release of the Digital Identity Toolkit comes on the heels of the recently concluded 2025 edition of ID4Africa where Biometric Update was on site to report on the latest developments. One of the main takeaways from the latest AGM, which was staged in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, was that biometrics experience, policy and tools must converge in order to transform lives.

Speakers from dozens of African governments, development agencies like the World Bank and UNDP, and biometrics technology providers offered insights and debated how best to handle common challenges. Biometric Update’s reporting on the event is collected here.

Development agencies, biometrics providers, digital identity stakeholders, and government leaders also converged at MOSIP Connect 2025 in Manila, Philippines, in March, to share insights, challenges and progress reports.

The MOSIP-backed event, which is a nonprofit organization mentioned in The IOM Digital Identity Toolkit, revealed advancements made in digital identity in Asia and Africa with countries such as the Philippines and Ethiopia among the highlights.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  human rights  |  Identification for Development (ID4D)  |  International Organization for Migration (IOM)  |  IOM Digital Identity Toolkit