UNDP deepens blockchain push for digital identity and DPI

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has officially launched a Blockchain Advisory Group (BAG) tasked with exploring how blockchain could support digital public infrastructure, digital identity and public-sector trust systems.

The UNDP has already implemented blockchain in dozens of public systems worldwide, including digital identity and verification initiatives. The new advisory group will focus on collaboration and exchange between development actors and stakeholders within the blockchain ecosystem, Haoliang Xu, UNDP associate administrator, said during BAG’s inaugural meeting on Wednesday.

“Blockchain technologies are evolving rapidly, but the key question is how these innovations can meaningfully contribute to stronger public systems and better development outcomes for people and the planet,” Xu noted at the Proof of Talk 2026 conference in Paris.

The Blockchain Advisory Group includes 26 members, including Ethereum Foundation, Kraken and multiple organizations active in digital identity infrastructure such as the Partisia Blockchain Foundation, Algorand Foundation, Arbitrum, Cardano Foundation, Celo Foundation, Dfinity Foundation and Sui Foundation.

The group will build on UNDP’s earlier blockchain projects, which cover everything from digital payments and financial inclusion to digital identity, public procurement and public service delivery.​

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, for instance, the organization is supporting a program to issue verifiable digital university diplomas that are stored in a digital wallet compliant with eIDAS standards. In Malawi, the UNDP has developed a blockchain-supported digital verification system to register and verify households in need of humanitarian aid.

Earlier this year, the UNDP published a primer on projects that have successfully integrated tamper-resistant digital ledgers to support development across the world. The study lists 42 blockchain use cases, including seven that involve digital identity and data.

The UN is also implementing blockchain in its own organization: The blockchain-based Digital Certificate of Entitlement (DCE) was used to modernize pension verification for more than 70,000 beneficiaries. Aside from blockchain, the system is powered by biometrics, AI and geo-location technologies.

The initiative reflects growing interest among international development organizations in using blockchain-based infrastructure to support verifiable credentials, digital wallets, aid distribution and trusted public-sector digital services.

Article Topics

blockchain  |  digital identity  |  digital public infrastructure  |  UNDP