OECD countries to render digital identification systems functional and resilient

Countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are set to implement the Council on the Governance of Digital Identity recommendations.

The scope of the recommendations is contained within three pillars. The first addresses the need for systems to be user-centred and integrated with existing non-digital systems. The second focuses on strengthening the governance structure of the existing digital systems to emphasise security and privacy concerns. It also covers the need for alignment with the regulatory and legal environment and the interoperability of systems across jurisdictions within the region. The last pillar is dedicated to cross-border collaborations outside the region, international consensus building and the development of international instruments in the area of digital identity governance.

The recommendations do not explicitly refer to biometrics, nor do they tackle any technical difficulties or propose modifications to the specific schemes that certain countries are planning to adopt.

The recommendations emerged from multiple stakeholders’ perspectives in the public and private domains, intra-regionally and extra-regionally. The Public Governance Committee, an organ within the Council, is tasked with monitoring the project and is expected to report back in 2028 on project implementation, dissemination and relevance.