G20 Declaration Recognises Digital ID’s Importance

Digital ministers from the G20 group of leading world economies met in Trieste, Italy, at the beginning of August to further discuss digitalisation as a key enabler for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals in its three economic, social and environmental dimensions, in line with the G20 priorities for 2021 of People, Planet and Prosperity.

The meeting concluded with a declaration (Leveraging Digitalisation for a Resilient, Strong, Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery) from the ministers urging governments to keep pace with the profound transformation that digitalisation has generated in the economy and society, noting that the pandemic has further highlighted the benefits of digitalisation.

Digital security

Security in the digital economy is identified in the report as a key enabling factor. Companies should strengthen the security of their infrastructure, digital processes, products, and services throughout their supply chain. Security threats can jeopardise the innovation process and slow the adoption of new technologies. Data breaches can undermine public trust in organisations and technology.

Actions such as the use of consensus-based standards and their application strengthening the ICT security industry, risk-based ICT security certification schemes, training of workers, raising security awareness of managers and strengthening industry-research centre collaborations, contribute to a secure digital environment, the declaration notes.

Digital identity

In regards to digital identity, the declaration document acknowledges that easily usable, reliable, secure, trusted, and portable digital identity solutions that guarantee privacy and the protection of personal data, could enable G20 member states to meet the needs and expectations of public and private sector users and, for example, could improve accessibility to social benefits, however provided.

The ministers noted that, during the pandemic, the domestic adoption of digital identity to support access to both public and private sector services accelerated. They support technical solutions that are based on the users’ freely given, specific, and informed consent, and protect citizens’ privacy and personal data, within the domestically applicable legal frameworks.

They further recognise that receiving government services by means of digital identity should not completely replace other means of accessing services, in order for citizens to meaningfully consent to the use of digital identity.

While connectivity remains the main enabler, the group recognised the potential contribution that digital identity solutions may have in supporting countries in the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Target 16.9: ‘to provide legal identity for all’ (see IDN August 2020).

The ministers welcome the opportunity to support international dialogue on digital identity by sharing practices, including through the G20 Collection of Digital Identity practices, developed in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and gathering experiences of interoperable, portable and reusable digital identity as a tool that can transform the capacity of citizens to timely access the benefits and services they are entitled to.

There is a belief that such a learning exercise could provide useful insights to the development and improvement of national eID schemes. They also believe it can contribute to future discussions to encourage harmonising digital identity standards and regulations as a key to achieving interoperability between different platforms and frameworks, with appropriate data protection to prioritise users’ privacy.

Furthermore, the ministers commit themselves to pursue further work to find technology solutions that are suitable in internet-scarce settings, including in humanitarian and emergency scenarios, to provide a digital identity.

Way forward

In its role as the next President of the G20, Indonesia has agreed to continue the work and discussion, on the basis of the Declaration, on post-COVID-19 recovery measures, digital skills and literacy, as well as continuing the discussion on data free flow with trust and cross-border data flow.