"Every SDG Target Needs a Form of Identification"

The CGD Podcast
Date: November 3, 2015
Host: Rajesh Merchandani (B)
Guests: Alan Gelb (A) – Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development
Mariana Dahan (C) – World Bank

Overview

This episode of the CGD Podcast explores the critical role of legal identification in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Host Rajesh Merchandani speaks with Alan Gelb and Mariana Dahan, authors of a CGD paper, about why identification systems are foundational for development, how lack of ID disproportionately affects women and children, and the innovations and challenges in expanding access to legal identity globally.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Scale and Scope of the Identification Gap

• 2 Billion Without ID:
  • Globally, over 2 billion people—650 million of whom are children—lack any recognized legal identification.
  • "The fact that so many people do not legally exist makes difficult for us to even know how many they are. Data does not exist for us to be able to count them." (Mariana, 01:38)
• Disproportionate Impact:
  • The problem especially affects the poor, rural populations in Africa and South Asia, and disproportionately women and children.

Identity as Both a Right and an Enabler

• Beyond a Right:
  • Legal identity isn’t just a right, but a gateway to full participation in society—accessing education, social protection, financial services, voting, and disaster relief.
  • “We identified at least 10 of the sustainable Development goals and targets where without people having id, it is very difficult to see how these goals and targets can be achieved.” (Alan, 03:02)
• Interconnection with SDGs:
  • Almost every SDG target (of 169) can be linked to identification; it's foundational for delivering rights and services.
  • “I really see identification as a red thread through the entire 2030 agenda.” (Mariana, 05:46)
• Gender Equality:
  • Lack of ID prevents women from asserting rights, accessing property, or inheriting assets.
  • Example: In Malawi, fingerprint-based bank IDs prevent relatives from taking over women's savings after the husband’s death, ensuring financial empowerment for women. (06:42)

The Birth Registration Challenge

• Registration ≠ Identification:
  • Many children are registered at birth but do not possess certificates to prove it; records are often missing or poorly kept.
  • “Children are often registered, but then they don't receive a certificate, so they can't prove that they've been registered.” (Alan, 08:23)
• Systems Need Integration:
  • There’s often a disconnect between birth registration, civil identity, and adulthood credentials.
  • “In many countries, the birth registration process is not properly integrated into an identification process, which matters more as people grow older.” (Alan, 08:59)

New Solutions: Biometrics and System Integration

• Biometric Identification:
  • Biometric systems are “leapfrogging” traditional registries in countries lacking strong administrative systems and becoming the norm in new ID programs.
  • “It is a very useful technology, especially when you don't have very well organized civil registries...almost all of the new systems which are going in now...have used it in some way or another.” (Alan, 10:24)
• World Bank’s ID4D Initiative:
  • A cross-sectoral effort mobilizing 12+ World Bank sections to support countries in building integrated identification systems, supporting both foundational and functional uses.
  • “We would like to help set up a platform that would be an identification system supporting foundational restoration, but also functional uses, meaning multisectoral applications of the IDs.” (Mariana, 13:37)

Is Progress Being Made?

• Signs of Hope:
  • Large-scale programs like India's Aadhaar (over 920 million enrolled) and Uganda's rapid ID rollout show momentum.
  • Focus now should be not just on expanding IDs, but ensuring integration with services (bank accounts, health, education).
  • “If one has data for time, you will see the number is going up. But the important thing now is to make sure that investment is well used and integrated into the programs.” (Alan, 15:37)
• Measurement Gap:
  • While birth registration has defined metrics, there’s a lack of standard indicators for legal identity coverage, complicating progress tracking.

Takeaways for Policymakers

• Shift from Implication to Focus:
  • “The problem at hand today is less the lack of implication and more the lack of focus.” (Mariana, 16:55)
• Strategic Planning Essential:
  • States should treat identity systems as a foundational infrastructure, integrating resources across sectors.
  • “How do you think about this in an integrated way? And how do you use resources...to achieve these goals? I would like it to be a goal driven approach towards providing this for all kinds of applications.” (Alan, 17:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the invisibility crisis:
  • “They do not legally exist. What chance in life do they then have?” (Rajesh, 00:53)
• On gender and ID:
  • “A woman who doesn't have a valid form of identification cannot assert her own rights, but also cannot access property, cannot claim the right to divorce and then to inherit whatever she's entitled to.” (Mariana, 05:46)
• On practical technology leapfrogs:
  • “[Biometrics are] a very useful technology, especially when you don't have very well organized civil registries...almost all of the new systems which are going in now...have used it in some way or another.” (Alan, 10:24)
• On the call to action for policymakers:
  • “...if the policymakers, together with the development community would just focus their efforts towards the attainment of this SDG target, then we can certainly succeed.” (Mariana, 16:55)
• On integrated thinking:
  • “You want to manage the public payroll...you want to make sure that transfers are received by the people...you want to make sure that your people can travel internationally. So how do you think about this in an integrated way?” (Alan, 17:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:05] Introduction to the invisibility crisis and SDG relevance
• [01:38] The magnitude and demographics of those without ID (Mariana)
• [03:02] Why ID matters for the SDGs (Alan)
• [05:46] Connection between gender equality and identification (Mariana)
• [06:42] Malawi bank example: Biometric IDs and women's empowerment (Alan)
• [08:23] Birth registration challenges and limitations (Alan)
• [10:24] The role of biometrics and technology in new ID systems (Alan)
• [11:38] World Bank’s ID4D program and its approach (Mariana)
• [15:37] Measuring progress and the pace of change (Alan)
• [16:55] Takeaways and recommendations for policymakers (Mariana, Alan)

Podcast Tone and Language

The conversation is informed yet accessible, balancing concern for vulnerable populations with optimism about technological and policy solutions. Both guests stress cross-sectoral partnerships and strategic planning, encouraging practical engagement from the international development community and national policymakers.

For further resources and the full paper by Alan Gelb and Mariana Dahan, visit cgdev.org.