The digital transformation that has defined the past 20 years has brought immense opportunity to the developing world; from e-commerce to digital ID, citizens are more connected to their governments and to each other, and to tools such as financial services to help grow their own businesses, support their lives and livelihoods, and gain greater freedoms and mobility. Digital Public Infrastructure (understood as three components: a digital ID, a digital payment system, and a digital data exchange system) has the potential to further economic development and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the developing world by providing traditionally underrepresented communities, including women and girls, with the tools needed to empower their economic growth.
Despite the potential of this technology, there is no universal operating standard, and countries are approaching DPI in their own way, under their own terms. This presents real challenges in developing international understanding and governance, but it also presents an opportunity for countries to learn from and adapt DPI models to their own needs. This discussion aims to unpack the concept of DPI and how countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America are shaping digital ID, payments systems, and data platforms. In addition, the conversation will address different “DPI models,” such as state-led versus private sector led, and the risks and opportunities associated with those models.
This event is made possible through generous support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
