International ID Day: a Celebration, and a Call to Collaboration

International ID Day, observed on 16 September, is a global initiative aiming to raise awareness about the fundamental human right to legal identity. This annual event is anchored in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.91, which seeks to provide legal identity for all, including birth registration, by 2030.

As a policy-driven initiative, ID Day highlights the role of digital identity systems in addressing global socio- economic challenges and emphasises the need for robust, inclusive identity management solutions.

The thinking behind ID Day

The underlying rationale for International ID Day is straightforward: identity is a human right and a prerequisite for accessing a wide range of critical services.

According to the World Bank2, more than 1 billion people worldwide lack any form of legal identification. This invisible population often struggles to gain access to education, healthcare, financial services, and voting rights. The absence of legal identity disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including women, children, refugees, and migrants, creating a systemic barrier to economic participation and social integration.