Identification for Development (ID4D) : Building Statelessness-Sensitive ID Systems

Overview & Synopsis

This publication provides policymakers, practitioners, and development partners with practical guidance for integrating statelessness considerations into the planning, design, and implementation of foundational identification systems. As countries accelerate the development of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), including digital identification (ID), millions of stateless people risk being excluded or further marginalized due to legal and administrative barriers and other challenges. To help address these risks, the publication sets out concrete measures to make ID systems more inclusive for stateless people - such as incorporating statelessness assessments during project preparation, adapting enrollment procedures to overcome legal and documentation barriers, strengthening birth registration systems, ensuring data protection and due process safeguards, and aligning national frameworks with international standards to prevent and reduce statelessness. By embedding statelessness-sensitive approaches into ID system design and implementation, governments and partners can advance the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 16.9) of legal identity for all and help ensure that no one is left behind in the digital transformation.