Good governance of Digital Legal ID is a foundational element of digital public infrastructure (DPI). Welcome to UNDPs new framework for navigating towards a rights-based, multi-stakeholder, governance set-up.
A JOINT COLLABORATION OF:

what is?
Governance frameworks can be used to refer to different things, but generally the term is used to refer to how objectives and goals are met in an ethical and accountable manner. A governance framework can be narrow or broad but commonly it includes elements put in place to manage responsibility, risk and accountability of institutions and systems.
Who is it for?
This is intended primarily as a resource for UNDP partners, particularly government and civil society actors, who seek to develop and advocate for rights based, inclusive digital identity systems.
Service Delivery & User Value
Assesses the extent to which digital identity delivers tangible value to citizens through inclusive coverage, accessible and user-friendly services, and effective integration across public and private service delivery.
Coverage & Inclusion
User Experience
Service Integration
User Value
Improvement
Safeguards, Trust & Accountability
Assesses the strength of safeguards protecting individuals’ rights and ensuring responsible use of digital identity, including consent, transparency, redress mechanisms, non-discrimination, and independent oversight.
Consent & Data Minimization
Transparency & Explainability
Accountability & Redress
Inclusion, Non-Discrimination & Human Rights
Independent Oversight
Ecosystem
Assesses the extent to which the digital identity system enables a sustainable ecosystem of private-sector actors, developers, service providers, and cross-border partners to build, integrate, and innovate around its capabilities.
Private Sector Participation
Digital ID Use Cases
Standards & Certification
Developer Ecosystem
Cross-Border Interoperability
Technology & DPI Integration
Assesses the robustness, security, modularity, and interoperability of the digital identity architecture, including its integration with other digital public infrastructure components, such as payment systems and authoritative registries.
ID System Architecture
Data Exchange
DPI Integration
Cybersecurity & Resilience
Digital Public Goods
Legal & Regulatory Foundations
Assesses the adequacy of the legal and regulatory framework underpinning digital identity, including legal recognition of identity, data protection, trust services, electronic signatures, and legal interoperability across systems and jurisdictions.
Legal Identity & Civil Registration
Data Protection & Privacy
Trust Services (eID, Signatures)
Emerging Technology Safeguards
Legal Interoperability
Institutional Capacity
Assesses the capacity of institutions to govern, operate, and sustain the digital identity system over time, including leadership, technical and administrative skills, vendor management, clear accountability arrangements, and sustainable financing.
Leadership & Coordination
Skills & Capacity
Vendor & Technical Management
Institutional Accountability
Data and planning
Procurement & anti-corruption
Transparency and accountable procurement procedures, and effective measures to counter corruption are important elements of the model governance framework for digital legal identity. These structural elements can help ensure that government procurement is based on up to date standards, including those relating to digital public infrastructure, and assess whether the procuring institution has the appropriate expertise. Ensuring that appropriate anti-corruption elements are present in the legal and institutional framework can help ensure that pre-existing concerns are also addressed. The procurement and anti-corruption element has the following sub-elements: Procurement guidelines define system standards; Procedures for procurement of public infrastructure; Expertise; Extent to which there is an effective anti-corruption legal and institutional framework; Existing concerns.
Explore the Framework FurtherProcurement
Anti-corruption
Participation and access to information
The participation and transparency framework element assesses whether digital legal identity systems are inclusive and represent user interests, and whether the impact of identity systems is evaluated and data about its functioning are publicly accessible. This includes ensuring that there are resources and institutional support to encouraging public participation, and accountability to ensure that participation both takes place and the results are incorporated into policy and planning. Participation also includes the role of legislatures, civil society involvement and the media. Ensuring that the impact of digital identity systems is documented and public accessible requires appropriate monitoring and evaluation by the competent institutions, which should include relevant performance guidelines, and access to relevant information by those not involved in managing the system. The participation and transparency element includes the following sub-elements: public participation, monitoring and evaluation and access to information.
Explore the Framework FurtherPublic Participation
Monitoring and evaluation
Access to information
How should I use the framework?
Prepare
Study the Framework. Identify valuable national use cases or purpose of the ID systems.
Customise the framework to meet your needs (defining elements and anchor questions).
Conduct desk based research, and interviews with key informants to map the framework against your findings.
Analyse
Identify gaps in information and /or the need for further research.
Use mapping information to do an analysis identifying strengths and weaknesses.
Engage
Convene a meeting of stakeholders to validate analysis, fill gaps in knowledge and generate recommendations for policy.
Use analysis and workshop outcomes to generate an implementation strategy.
This large language model (LLM)-based chatbot can assist on questions related to rights-based, inclusive digital identity systems. It is based on content used to develop the governance framework and supporting material , from a wide range of recognised organisations and experts in the field of governance of legal digital ID.
You can ask about...
"How can inclusivity be ensured in digital ID implementation?"
"Which guidelines are available on ethical digital ID governance?"
"What are potential risks associated with digital IDs?"
Please note: While the chatbot offers insights grounded in reliable texts and expert opinions, it is essential to remember that it does not replace the need for conducting your own comprehensive research, consulting directly with experts, engaging with a wider community of stakeholders, or referring to specific legal documents and human experiences. We encourage you to use this chatbot as a starting point and to dive deeper into topics that resonate with your objectives and concerns.