Govt plans single digital ID for public services

A single digital identity could soon become the gateway to public services in Bangladesh as the government moves to build an AI-driven digital public infrastructure (DPI), said Prime Minister’s Adviser on Telecommunications and ICT Rehan Asif Asad on Tuesday.

DPI refers to shared digital systems, such as identity, payment and data-exchange platforms, that governments use to deliver public services.

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Bangladesh has already begun developing its system and plans to launch it within the next 18 to 24 months, Asad told The Daily Star following a high-level UN side event in New York.

“We want to implement the world’s best and most secure DPI and ID,” Asad said.

“We started this journey. It will take time -- there is no shortcut -- but we are laying out the foundation for our future.”

The event, jointly organised by the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), brought together ministers and senior officials from different countries and regions to discuss the development and governance of DPI. Bangladesh was the only country from the Asia-Pacific region represented on the panel.

The discussions focused on AI integration, cross-border interoperability, and security, privacy and trust in the use of digital infrastructure.

Bangladesh is also working with Estonia’s X-Road model to develop its infrastructure, Asad said. X-Road is a system for secure data exchange and interoperability between government systems.

The event also highlighted digital infrastructure initiatives in other countries.

Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay are working together on cross-border digital systems, while Rwanda is pursuing digital IDs for access to government services and cross-border identity verification in East Africa.

The European Union is also moving towards interoperable digital identity wallets, under which citizens will be able to verify their identities and share digital documents across borders.

Highlighting the global shift, Asad stressed the importance of international cooperation as digital infrastructure evolves.

“DPI and digital ID will be at the heart of public services going forward,” he said.