UNHCR, UNICEF and African identity officials call for safeguards, CRVS integration and inclusive digital ID systems<\/p>\n
By Ayang Macdonald<\/p>\n
African governments must accelerate efforts to provide legal and digital identity to refugees and stateless populations, according to speakers at the 2026 ID4Africa Annual General Meeting in Abidjan.<\/p>\n
Officials from identity agencies, civil registration authorities, UN organizations and development institutions called for more inclusive national ID systems, stronger legal safeguards and deeper integration between civil registration and foundational identity infrastructure.<\/p>\n
The discussion comes as an estimated 4.4 million people worldwide remain stateless and roughly 800 million people still lack legal identity, despite years of efforts tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.9 target and the World Bank\u2019s Identity for Development (ID4D) agenda.<\/p>\n
Speakers repeatedly emphasized integration between civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems and national identity platforms, arguing that disconnected systems continue to leave vulnerable populations outside formal identity frameworks.<\/p>\n
Dr Patrick Eba, Deputy Director at the UNHCR\u2019s International Protection and Solutions Division, said governments should prioritize inclusion of refugees and stateless persons in national ID systems, safeguards against discrimination and misuse, accessible correction and redress mechanisms, and stronger integration between civil registration and identity systems.<\/p>\n