Opening ceremony at 2018 id4africa event calls for legal identity for all, including birth registrations, by 2030.
Spartanburg, South Carolina (USA). Identity means something very different in the developing world. For too many individuals, the lack of provable identity prevents life benefits that the developed world takes for granted.
In the eyes of governments, people without verifiable identity do not exist. They receive few benefits or aid. Their earnings, when they have any, are not taxed. When serviced by aid organizations, these individuals cannot validate who they are or document their movements across borders.
According to Dr. Joseph J. Atick, Executive Chairman of ID4Africa, “The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the important role identity plays in empowering individuals to exercise their rights and responsibilities fairly and equitably in a modern society. Many causes have special days of observances, except identity. The time has come for the world to recognize one of the most important assets a human can possess, their legal identity.”
In short, identity is fundamental for human rights, quality of life, and economic development. For that reason, Integrated Biometrics proudly supports ID4Africa’s call for recognizing September 16 as International Identity Day. Integrated Biometrics challenges on other biometric solutions providers to join in the effort and encourages individuals to sign the same petition provided to attendees at ID4Africa’s annual meeting at www.id-day.org. The meeting took place on April 24, 2018, in Abuja, Nigeria.
Adds Stephen Thies, Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Biometrics, “Identity is a birthright. People in all nations are born with and deserve to keep their unique identity, whether it is to pass their history to future generations or to gain access to their rights as members of society. We applaud ID4Africa for raising the urgency of identity through their efforts to establish International Identity Day.”
Click here for more information on ID4Africa and International Identity Day, or contact Shauna Taylor at s.taylor@id4africa.com. Discover more about Integrated Biometrics and the company’s comprehensive line of rugged, low-power, compact fingerprint scanners at integratedbiometrics.com.
About ID4Africa
ID4Africa is an ID-4-All Movement that accompanies African nations on their journey to develop robust and responsible ID ecosystems around digital identity in the service of development, humanitarian action, security and facilitation. It is a tripartite with representation from African governments, development agencies and industry. The aim is to share experience and establish real-world best practices that set the correct expectations for what is involved in launching and sustaining successful identity programs.
About Integrated Biometrics
Integrated Biometrics (IB), a pioneer in biometric fingerprint technology, designs and manufactures advanced, high-resolution touchless and FBI-certified contact identity solutions for government, law enforcement, military, social services, and a wide range of commercial applications. IB’s lightweight scanners, supported by our patented light-emitting sensor (LES) technology, outperform traditional fingerprint devices in size, power consumption, portability, and reliability. Global organizations rely on IB’s products to enroll and verify identities quickly and accurately, even in remote locations under extreme conditions. Commercial enterprises, government and financial services organizations depend on IB to build innovative, secure applications to establish identity in accordance with national and international standards. For more information, visit: https://www.integratedbiometrics.com.
