The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Secure Identity Alliance (SIA) announced they have signed a memo to unite in supporting developing nations as they implement digital identity systems.

The partnership follows best practices in public procurement by promoting open standards and interoperability, the groups say, which prevents systems from being tied to a single vendor. This partnered commitment will help bring legal identity to all, which is outlined as a basic human right in Article 6 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

Digital legal identity is also essential to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals, says UNDP Associate Administrator Haoliang Xu.

He notes that “over the past few decades, many Member States haven’t been able to leverage the full potential of technology,” however, “with this project, UNDP and SIA highlight the significance of open standards in achieving sustainable and cost-effective digital technologies around legal identity systems.”