We are pleased to announce the launch of the first ever ‘Global Virtual Summit on Digital Identity’, which the UN Refugee Agency is proudly undertaking in partnership with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.
The project aims to facilitate a wider conversation on how digital identity can enable greater empowerment, protection, and solutions for asylum seekers and refugees and contribute to realizing the goals of the Global Compact on Refugees. We hope to engage with a diverse and inclusive group of stakeholders including forcibly displaced persons, host communities, the private sector, students, academics, as well as humanitarian and development actors.
The summit is opening with a call for short written submissions of a maximum of 1500 words, which should be received by 22 April 2019. You can find out more details, including guidance on topics of particular interest and how to participate, on the project’s site: https://www.unhcr.org/idecosystem/
The call for submissions will be followed by three thematic online events, which will examine, in turn, the current digital identity ecosystem for refugees, the importance of privacy, data protection and security, as well as emerging technologies and new developments in digital identity. The project will conclude with a final event in Canada on 12 and 13 June 2019, which will aim to agree on a set of recommendations on digital identity and asylum seekers and refugees.
The organizers will invite the authors of the most interesting, innovative and inspiring papers to present during the virtual events and sponsor their attendance to the final workshop in Canada.
We hope that you will want to join us in this project. For more information, please do not hesitate to email UNHCR at: IDecosystem@unhcr.org