ID2020 Holds Inaugural Summit at the United Nations

Overview

In May 2016, at the United Nations Headquarters in NY, the inaugural ID2020 Summit brought together over 400 people to discuss how to provide a unique digital identity to everyone on the planet, including the 1.5 billion people living without any form of recognized identification.

Participants included over 150 private sector companies, 11 UN agencies, diverse non-profits, governments, and representatives from academia. This collaborative, multi-sectoral forum explored both the human challenges of life without identity, explored relevant technological innovations, and highlighted opportunities and constraints for scaling up.

Outcomes

• Widespread consensus among ID2020 attendees that identity is both a fundamental human right and a necessary prerequisite for the success of the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Recognition that the private sector has significant expertise and technology that could be transformative in accelerating access to digital identity.
• Broad understanding that no single organization or government can “own” identity, but instead, that a public-private partnership is needed to bring together the broad group of stakeholders, provide coordination, and ensure that the best technological innovations are implemented in ways that are appropriate, secure and sustainable.
• Sweeping commitments from conference attendees to contribute towards the shared goal of universal digital identity. These commitments ranged from individuals pledging their time to corporations offering ongoing financial support.

QUESTIONS?

Please contact: Dakota Gruener, Executive Director of ID2020 dakota.gruener@id2020.org or +1–510–289–3261