A legal identity is not just about opening a bank account ; your access to healthcare and your right to vote may depend on it. But about 1 billion people in the world can’t prove who they are, according to the World Bank.
To overcome this problem Tech entrepreneur Joseph Thompson and his start-up AID:Tech team has created a digital app that allows people without official documents to create a personal legal identity. Ensuring everyone has a legal identity, including birth registration, by 2030 is one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The latest data from the Bank shows there are over 987 million people in the world who have no legal identity. The majority live in low-income countries where almost 45% of women and 28% of men lack a legal ID. Almost 80 million people forced to flee their homes by war or persecution last year. Identity documents are often lost in the confusion and yet they can be vital to the success of their claim for refugee status. Hence, Thompson’s app comes as of great use.