Page 15 T he CTU has been promoting throughout the region the principles of 21st Century Government which, being citizen-centric and seamless, clearly demonstrate the value, in particular, of countries adopting an enabling national digital identity system and its beneficial effects on national development. This is especially true for Caribbean countries, where the digitalisation of services can advance economic recovery, increase competitiveness and efficiency, and enhance functional cooperation, entrepreneurialism, innovation and citizens’ welfare. The notion of digital identity is gaining significant traction in international fora and entities such as the United Nations and the World Bank are now promoting the use of digital identity systems, globally. Several Caribbean countries have commenced, or are currently in the process of initiating projects to implement digital identity systems, for example, the OECS Digital Transformation Project which involves Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and initiatives in other countries such as Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. However significant strengthening of institutional capacity, robust governance structures and system integration will be required to support the provisioning of planned national digital identity systems and mutual recognition of digital identities among Caribbean countries. The fundamental step towards adopting an effective national digital identity system, as outlined in the CTU’s Handbook for the Implementation of Digital Identification Systems in the Caribbean, is the development of a clear, implementable framework that is relevant to the local and regional context. This is of the utmost importance, as it provides the structure around which the entire digital identity system is planned, designed, implemented, operated and improved. The Caribbean has suffered in the past from approaches to the adoption of technology that ultimately proved ineffective, having neglected to pay sufficient attention to the analysis of its local and regional context and the relevant frameworks that would effectively guide its implementation. Assessment of the local context should include, among other things, the supporting legal and regulatory frameworks and the main demography to be served. This would identify issues that may arise from gaps in existing regulations and laws that can potentially impact the adoption of a digital identity system. Effective measures for amending applicable regulations and laws to address any such gaps must be instituted prior to officially pursuing and implementing digital identities, given that a number of jurisdictions have seen legal challenges to the constitutionality of mandatory ID systems. Appropriate legal controls for security, data protection and privacy, as well as cyber security must also be in place. Robust legal and trust frameworks are important factors in providing adequate levels of assurance for users and to facilitate interoperability and harmonisation of common cross-border systems. Additionally, technical system design will need to consider a number of factors, including the number of citizens expected to use the digital identity system, how often they might do so, and the total number of services provided within the digital identity system. Success will depend very much on the correct assessment of these factors. Equally important, are national multi-stakeholder consultations and assessments to foster acceptance and adoption of the new models by end-users as well as various government and private-sector institutions that would rely on the digital identity systems. It is recommended that governments • Continues on next page
16 Publizr Home