Component 2: Digital Identification for Improved Online and In-Person Service Delivery

This subcomponent will focus on strengthening legal and regulatory frameworks and institutional capacity for improved data governance. It will finance TA, capacity building, and stakeholder consultations to support the development of legal and regulatory frameworks, roadmaps, standards, toolkits, and similar instruments in areas such as data protection, cybersecurity, electronic transactions, and identification and civil registration. In support of the successful operationalization of these frameworks, the project will also invest in strengthening of cyber incidence response and management capabilities within NCIT and the development of a toolkit and training materials on the proposed legislative frameworks for facilitating compliance among data processors. In addition, TA will be provided to support the development of a government data architecture framework. These interventions will help ensure secure processing of data, foster and maintain trust in digital transactions and services, and mitigate risks. Greater alignment of Maldives’ legal landscape with international good practice will, in turn, help promote the development and transition to digital service delivery and transactions in the public and private sector. Being able to access a wider range of services and transactions online will be particularly impactful for those living on more remote islands, where the nearest physical office or branch of a certain service provide may be located hundreds of kilometers away.

The modernization of the foundational ID system and credentials will help meet growing demand for secure authentication for in-person and offline transactions. The use of legacy systems and the current ID card design limits opportunities for digital identity verification and authentication for in-person transactions. To address these constraints, the project will support an update of DNR’s existing identity management system and the issuance of new ID credentials, including a physical card. To ensure optimal design and sustainability, the modernization of the system will be informed by rigorous analysis of needs and technology choices, complemented by stakeholder engagement. To this end, the project will finance technical assistance and capacity building to support the design and implementation of upgrades to the civil registration and ID system, with a focus on the assessment of ID card design and technology options as well as secure data capture and processing, including the integration of privacy-by-design features, in line with relevant international standards and good practices. The project will also finance investments in new software, hardware, and related system integration services, as needed, for the modernization of civil registration and identity management and to support the issuance of new digitally enabled ID credentials. These updates will enable more efficient, people-centric, and secure registration, data processing, and data storage. In addition, the subcomponent will finance stakeholder engagement and communications related to enhancements of the foundational ID system to promote awareness about the systems' new features and trust in their use, with targeted measures to ensure equal access among women and members of vulnerable groups. This activity may also cover the digital ID platform and will be implemented by MoHST jointly with DNR.

The project will finance the updating of the digital ID platform to facilitate remote service delivery by enabling people to securely prove who they are with a high level of assurance from anywhere, any time. Activities supported by the project will include technical assistance and continuous stakeholder engagement necessary for the successful transition from eFaas to a new digital ID platform, including activities targeted to build trust and promote access and use among women and members of other vulnerable groups. In addition, the project will finance the necessary software, hardware, and system integration services, as necessary, for the upgrading the digital ID platform. This may include the development of an authentication layer/service to enable more streamlined and transparent identity verification and authentication processes for service delivery, a user facing web portal, and a mobile application. These will, inter alia, facilitate the issuance of a virtual version of a person's ID card and enable people to consent to data sharing and authentication requests by service providers in real-time. Activities financed by the project exclude investments directly related to the processing (e.g., collection, de-duplication, 1:1 matching) of biometric data.