The following are the outputs of the captioning taken during an IGF intervention. Although it is largely accurate, in some cases it may be incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. It is posted as an aid, but should not be treated as an authoritative record.
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>> SHIVANEE THAPA: The 19th IGF 2024 it is. It is a matter of great privilege, ladies and gentlemen, for me to come in front of you, get on this stage and get the ambience set for this very important panel here at the IGF 2024.
Thanks to Ms. Fatma for the great privilege I have been given. I can see my fellow panelists coming in. I request them to kindly grace us on stage. Yes, as I turn to my esteemed members in the audience, ladies and gentlemen, yes, yes your Highness, if you can kindly be seated here, please join me, ladies and gentlemen, as I introduce my very distinguished panelists his Highness, Prince Bandar bin Abdullah Al Mishari assistant Minister of Interior Technology Affairs Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Warm welcome to you. We have joining us here on the panel Her Excellency Ms. Emma Theofelus Minister of Information Communications and Technology, Namibia, joined in by Mr. Sangbu Kim Vice President for Digital Transformation the World Bank. And we have Mr. Kurtis Lindqvist CEO ICANN and Mr. Siim Sikkut, the managing Partner of Digital Nation, thank you for gracing us at this important occasion.
Ladies and gentlemen, we focus today on a very important topic, a topic of central importance extending digital identity verification to protect Internet transactions.
We all live in an era of online transactions, wherein these online transactions, certainly underpin everything, everything from Global economy, commerce, to public services. Therefore digital identity verification has become the cornerstone of trust in our digital ecosystem.
Now, why is this topic even here amidst us here at the IGF? Because this is not merely a technical issue. It is a multidimensional issue that intersects with innovation, Governance, human rights, inclusion, and the list is pretty long.
So our session here today is carefully curated for us to reap and overall understanding as to why we need to strengthen the digital identity verification, give us an outline on the Global standards and frameworks for identity protection, of course, talk about some Best Practices that we would certainly be focusing on. And also quickly run through the essential element that is the role of multinational collaboration and that is of certain importance, as I said. We're fortunate to have amidst us an illustrious team of members on the panel. I know you bring in a unique set of ideas from the areas that you come from. What I look forward to is exploring the synergies of the insights and perspective that you bring to this Forum.
Thank you, one more time, for gracing us. So without further ado, let us dive in directly to the conversation for which we are here.
We will begin with deceptively very simple question so to say, yet a very complex one.
How do you define trusted digital identity framework? And what are the key elements that make it effective? That this is a blanket question for all of the SD panelists. As I pose this question, I certainly encourage you to reflect on how your unique role and perspective shape your answer. So saying that I will start with Your Excellency, Emma Theofelus Minister of Information Communications and Technology from Namibia. Whose work connects Governance and technology in remarkable ways.
What does it mean, Your Excellency, to have a trusted digital identity framework? What are the indispensable elements that make such a framework effective?
>> EMMA THEOFELUS: Thank you.
Thank you very much, I'm very happy to be here at the IGF. And discussing this very important topic around digital identity systems and how they relate to a broader digital economy.
And I think trust could have a broad definition on a system that is dependable, that is trustworthy. And that a system that can carry the systems and processes that require or depend on digital identity.
But I think the biggest one that I can say is that a trusted digital identity system is one that would ensure its clear who does what and when they do it. And what their limitations are.
Because I think it is very important when dealing with frameworks of this nature, that it is very clear who does what, and very clear what the limitations are of the Authority or body.
Especially when you go further and look into the administration and oversight, who performs the operational functions?
Such as incident management, change and release management, coordination, fraud prevention. It should be very clear on who does what and when and what their limitations are to Nauru there is no issues to trust the system.
This is all underpinned by legislation that puts out clear guidelines and clear regulations around the systems and frameworks. That is very important.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Thank you Your Excellency. May I turn to Mr. Kurtis Lindqvist from ICANN. From ICANN's vantage point, Mr. Kurtis, where ensuring trust in the Internet is so fundamental, how does I mean, well, how does the notion of a trusted digital identity align with the broader challenges of Governance in a decentralized digital world?
>> KURTIS LINDQVIST: Thank you for the question. Let me start with observation. Where we talk about trust or especially trust in identities, in just a technical thought of the trust is the human element of trust. The trust in the system, trust in the system that it works, that is safeguarding and delivering the promise, when we want to do to the entities. This is irregardless of the individual trying to use this going about their daily roles or jobs or in a business context.
So when we talk about trust the digital identity framework, we need to encompass all of this and make sure that the system provides this comfort or trust element. At ICANN, we have this conversation very much alive, very much ongoing.
As part of the ICANN ecosystem with domain name and registration data, a lot of the data is no longer available to the general public. We have GDPR requirements.
This is great from a privacy point of view and safeguarding point, it creates an issue with access for enforcement.
The question then becomes when we get this request, how do we validate or safeguard the request that the requester is who they say they are? This is not just a theoretical question, it is with Interpol, Europol and similar questions.
They have tools for their context and not necessarily systems or models that scale to Global level or Global challenge in identity verification.
So that is one challenge to improve the trust of course. And on top of that, there is operational issues of building the systems, how do you do this at scale? But retain the confidence in the system or trust in the model without driving up cost or complexity that hinder access or create uneven adaptation or uneven access to an identity system. That would be again eroding trust in the system.
Then we have technical readiness of technologies and authentication and credential systems are emerging but still very immature and early days. So for this to work and it works most of the time, digital systems has to work all the time for everyone or erode trust in the system.
And ICANN's role in this, we don't build identity systems, especially Global ones, the role is for Governments or institutions that they designate.
Our focus and our role is to safeguard the Internet's infrastructure. So the domain names, IP addresses, that underlines the function of the Internet and provides as you said, the trust in the Internet and Internet model.
You can think about this that we provide the smooth road surface for the cars to drive on top of it, to oversimplify perhaps a little bit, but that sour role.
The ICANN community has a unique role to play in this. There is a space where stakeholders from across all of the spectrums of Civil Society, the business, the technical Sector and community, Civil Society and all come together for policies and discuss them and create Global standards.
This is something we work very much on.
ICANN developed the registration data request service which is a way to handle the registration data and how to provide this in a safe and security manner.
This is a role we see our foundational role ensuring the Internet is stable, secure, and without losing trust and building trust in the higher layer systems. That is what we're working on.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Yes. Thank you, thank you, Mr. Kurtis Lindqvist, we're talking about relate and user confidence. And when there is a blend of both of these, this becomes very tricky. We understand the problems are not the same everywhere.
There are large communities that are still transitioning into the digital age and we all really need to instill that trust again. That is again, another part of the entire scenario. I'm sure we will venture in this later on in the conversation. Allow me to turn to his Highness, Prince Bandar bin Abdullah Al Mishari.
Your Highness, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is at the forefront of the technological innovation. The world is keeping a watch at the advancement and how you embrace the digital world. What is your take on the trust that we're looking at?
>> BANDAR BIN ABDULLAH AL MISHARI: (Off mic) first of all, let me thank the Forum in inviting me to participate in this important panel.
Let me start with saying that digital identity is not a service. It is an infrastructure. It is an infrastructure for Digital Transformation and transactions between individuals, entities, business and Governments, therefore, it is as important as any other infrastructure. It has to be secure and has to be regulated and trusted. In Saudi Arabia, a long time ago, in building the ID or identity in the physical world. We show the digital card, the SIM card with the biometrics, numbers, birthday. Long time ago, 45 years ago, we establish what we call the unified national number, where each citizen or resident has a unique number where we tie the information provided with that number.
This meant to expand the level of the digital identity.
Back to your question. Trust is a broad word. It means a lot of different angles. We have to be trusted in terms of the identity itself. Since the creation of the identity has to reflect the identity of the person himself.
With the high trust from the users. Trust means from the user, the identity holder, he has to trust that his identity, his digital identity is going to help him to access more information everywhere, anytime, across the board, et cetera.
So the trust doesn't mean only secure and private. Doesn't mean it is protected from innovation or insulation.
It means more than this. It means more business, it enables the identity holder to use it for digital transactions.
Framework, framework means ecosystem, which covers the legal, Governments, infrastructure, technical options, et cetera, et cetera.
Of course, in different countries, there are different frameworks. In Saudi Arabia, thanks to God, we started long time ago with the identity itself, the physical identity. When we came to the digital identity, we just upgraded the framework. Not creating a new framework. It is an addition to the current identity. As far as identity, we consider the identity of the individual, business, Government, NGO entities. We have to cover all types of objects, persons, identities and nowadays we're talking about Internet of Things, digital identity. So trusting digital identity framework is a combination of four words that means a lot.
It means trusted infrastructure for Digital Transformation.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: That is beautifully put. I believe certainly it is not a service, it is an infrastructure. That adds a lot of value and mean think to how you will catch or carve the way forward.
I'm sure in the variations, there will be lot of lessons from the initiatives underway here in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh for the IGF participants to see and to help guide us, the creations that they would want to embrace in the near future.
Thank you, your Highness. We move to Mr. Siim Sikkut. What is your take on this.
>> SIIM SIKKUT: Back to my own background in Estonia, and now we clearly see one thing, Digital Transformation is just a key. So you talk about thrust in digital identity and trust in the digital identity and one is the key, does that work?
And secondly, how is the usage of the key secure and trusted. So from my perspective and we had to build a lot.
We have to build a lot, the whole rest of the components around it, like his Highness said, the framework is wider than that.
For example, elements like personal data management of how users have control and consent start to matter more for that trust in the digital entity, even the key itself.
With that in mind, what I see as an element that we have to think about when we talk about trust in digital identity things, are the users using it? Ultimately it is trusted if users are using it. There are two elements, one, we have to build the framework to make sure it is reliable, et cetera.
At the same time, we can't forget the usability of things. How to make it work, make sure people are using it, how to build safeguards in a way so that is easy to use them, there is no extra effort, for example, that I have to go through to make sure that now my transaction can be trusted. It has to be easy. It has to be easy, people will use it and the trust is there and the influx is there.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Coming to Mr. Kim, Mr. Kim, the World Bank operating at the digital identity. How do you define the digital identity framework and distance the elements that make them effective?
>> SANGBU KIM: As other panelists provides, a lot of insight for the digital identity, I would like to add more point that digital identity as many people said, it is fundamental infrastructure. But at the same time, it is just how we encourage our people to use the digital service more frequently and more comfortably in a safe way.
So it is a matter, if we can just keep secure data protection through the digital ID and, you know, save some space so that people can trust the system, maybe we can encourage the people to use more the digital services. So that is one point.
On the other hand, actually, it is very beginning, it is a starting point for every services, if you see another commercial services in many provided by many in the Global company and some tech company, you know, sign up process is a starting point, you know, to register your identity or account or user name and password is the starting point.
Actually digital identity is beyond that. It is much more complicated system. Anyhow, know your customer, know your people from the Government services is the starting point.
That can, you know, provide throughout the identity, we can provide the social protection services and the financial services and so many Government services much more easily through this ID system, I think.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Thank you. Thank you. What a rich start to our discussion already. Thank you all.
Now, while we understand what constitutes trusted framework, let us head on to address the tightrope walk that every nation is having to face, that is balancing enhanced security with the protection of user privacy.
My second question would be in this regard. I would want to begin with Mr. Siim Sikkut. How can we enhance the need to balance protection of identity without providing oversurveillance?
>> SIIM SIKKUT: For me, I move away from talking about balancing. They both can be advanced at the same time as a lot of experience and recording show. It is not the question of one or the other, but how to advance both.
In the beginning point as with any transformation, to say that, let's define the certain core principles we will always adhere to. I make an argument, if you want trust in the digital entity, one to have assurance and privacy, based on the values, we define the principles, it should always be held, then we have a chance, now how to do security within the confines based on the values and so forth. It is a balancing act, defining what other things we observe and figuring out how to do the rest around it.
For example, privacy and the emphasis.
Things that have worked technologically, that is for example, a really strong argument for distributed systems, data sharing, et cetera. But practically speaking, really going through the exercise, yeah, principle based approach to help solve this and lastly, in why this matters, the devil is in the details. This is why this is why the administrations have to make the call. Again for them it is easier if this is a clear base for the principles that we will not steer away from clearly set in the start.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Let me come to the Minister, particularly that it is acute in Regions with limited data protection, Emma Theofelus.
>> EMMA THEOFELUS: It is a school of thought around the oversight and independent body or Authority to manage the system to ensure that the data of the users is used particularly first reading what is going beyond and above the Authority of the data processes.
So I think perhaps around having an oversight Authority, would we perhaps, one of the practical ways to ensure the system is efficiently managed and administered and that there would be no need to have competing interest. The balancing act can be carried forward by both keeping the privacy of the user ensuring. If the privacy certainly on two sides of the same coin yet constantly conflict, it can be tricky, it is pretty optimistic from your side. Let's shift from today to in the emerging technologies such as blockchain and biometrics that is the food for the discourse, it is defining the digital identity space at the moment, how can we leverage this advancement without falling to the hype and risk. That this is a burning question or concern at all tiers among all the stakeholders, let's hear from our panelists, you have three minutes each to answer this question. Beginning with his Highness Prince Bandar bin Abdullah Al Mishari with emerging technologies like blockchain and biometrics, what do you see as the future of digital identity verification?
>> BANDAR BIN ABDULLAH AL MISHARI: It brings challenges and opportunities. Biometrics was available a long time ago. It is more than 15 years ago we start using biometrics to identify persons and individuals. Face, fingerprint, it is all of these biometrics are utilized, we started on the initiatives, or the ID initiative in fact.
For blockchain, it is around since the motion or wave, which started maybe more than eight years ago, it came after wave 2. And the necessity for more trusted Internet brought what we call blockchain. And it started with the Bitcoin and then generalized itself by the blockchain.
Blockchain in a nutshell, it is going to represent it is an option to replace the database or central database with distributed ledger, or in a simple word, distributed identity that controlled mainly by the identity holder itself.
It cannot be changed or forged.
He can allow any other user to use the credentials of his identity.
In the end, it needs, identity, a sure identity user.
It is going to solve a problem in some societies who are sensitive to the concept of central database for identity.
Of course, it provides more secure, more privacy more control by the identity holder. What is the future or opportunities? Of course, it will add more options for any country or society or individual who weigh the privacy more than anything else.
Of course, security is part of that. However, it should be evaluated in terms of accessibility, in terms of issues and cost.
All of the aspects have to be assist in order to weigh the value of using blockchain in identity.
Specifically blockchain can be utilized efficiently in identity management.
Not identity issuing for identity I'm sorry. For identity access management. Not for identity issuing or identity management.
What I mean by identity issuing is to clear the identity itself. You have to create it outside of the blockchain and then open in the blockchain. You have to manage the identity in terms of updating the identity, stopping the identity, reinitiating the identity, et cetera.
These are the services around the identity has to be done within the blockchain or outside of the blockchain.
So biometrics, blockchain, I may have AI. And also AI will add more opportunities to protect the identity or create new models of identity.
As technology progress and business models progress, we will have more options, and hopefully this will give more options to other countries, societies, individuals, to start the digital identity as a basic right for each individual in the world. As you know, in the U.N., this is sustainability goals.
One of them is to provide access to the digital services, which this option, that offer itself as a cure for some concerns, and some society we will not be able to achieve this goal.
So hopefully these technologies, biometric and blockchain, AI, BTI, all of them will add more options to the digital identity infrastructure and we'll see one day more than 90% of the blended people here in the planet are having digital identity are enabled to access healthcare, education, opening bank accounts, et cetera.
And this will add a lot of value to the economy, for each world, each society, each individual.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: May I turn to Mr. Kurtis, feel free to add on to what is said by answering how have we been hailing the technology for digital trust, blockchain, which we have been hailing for its revolutionary power.
Now, is this often made out to be or any blind spots to be addressed?
>> KURTIS LINDQVIST: First, I want to follow on to what his Highness said about blockchain. It is one thing that there is fantastic characteristics of blockchain. One thing is you can't revoke what is in there. If you lose a key, you might not be able to access this again. Having this recovery of identity is an important part of any identity system.
I think that is there might be many systems that we can build on a think from the organisation I represent, talking in my own interest, there are existing technologies that will provide similar, maybe even better characteristics, in the system, the DNS, it has a hierarchical system. It is used in identity management, social media platforms like Bluesky use this as a way to verify the users, the engineering Task Force that defines all the standards and technologies on the Internet. Are working to adding new fields and parameters to the structure and use it for the identity verification and management, I think we like to talk about future technology to be something brand new and shiny, sometimes new technologies to be built in what we have, and maybe expanded functions. And as far as keeping in mind, with the future technologies, to enable building, security stable access and security.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Eager to know and trying things out.
>> SIIM SIKKUT: Looking at the emerging technology, especially given our topic here, how do you ensure trust in the framework, from the defense point of view it is a way of doing that. If you talk about the goal of having the digital entity, for everyone globally. Like the disservice, so much proven technology.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: So we explored the what and how to understand the landscape and the experts point of view in how we're looking at the future of the Internet we want, let us address the where request. Where the barriers lie and where the international cooperation can make a big difference. Maybe I turn to Mr. Sangbu Kim with the plethora of experience and the entity you represent, I think you are the right person to begin, what are the key barriers to international cooperation in developing standardized digital identity systems and how can the barriers be addressed?
>> SANGBU KIM: Two barriers I would like to say today is one is still, we are struggling with lack of connectivity and lack of digital ID solutions. From the Internet connectivity point of view, we are still struggling with 2.6 billion people with no access to the Internet. That is huge. On the other hand, 3.3 billion people in the world are living in a country where there are not any ID solutions in the data sharing mechanisms. And even 850 million people are not recognized by the Government, they have no physical identity at all. It is fundamental issue. So still, we are really struggling with Digital Divide across developing country and the country, that is a huge challenge we need to invest more in the fundamental infrastructure. At the same time it is really complicated ecosystem in the Government and many Private Sector big tech and some identity dedicated in a special technology startups and many companies should follow the trend. And people need to understand the how to use this and get trained and some participation by the Academia and also from the NGO are very crucial for the success of this building the ecosystem. It is very complicated ecosystem, too. So the leadership is the key to bring all of the digital ID solution across many stakeholders, and international collaboration is a key to enhance the Regional, you know, interoperable services across the borders.
So many collaboration and leadership are the key solutions for the big challenge of the complication of the digital ID.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Operation is key and central, but after having realized what the Korean is and what needs to be done, things are very difficult in the ground and in lives.
>> EMMA: I think cooperation goes a long way. There needs to be a better understanding of the various context of the various Regions and solutions to address the barriers and challenges. So if we don't understand the existing barriers of a particular Region or area, the solutions around digital identity might not work for a particular agent. For example, the African Region would have a completely different context to the American Region or Ethiopian Region. Or deploy solutions that work for the Region, you can take it and with the digital identity system of framework, that takes care of the context and ensures that we are able to deploy the solutions needed. What is your perspective on the cooperation barriers at the same time, Saudi Arabia's initiatives have been deeply rooted in collaboration. Could you also share with us lessons that can be drawn to inspire partnerships of the context that we're deliberating now.
>> BANDAR BIN ABDULLAH AL MISHARI: What we have right now is an order for the Global digital identity framework, maybe UN or ITU or combination of all the entities has to come forward in a clear responsibility.
Those that have access to the privacy and the link. It has to focus on the gaps between the Global level. As far as the extend of the current success story, we have right now, success stories in the travel business. In the country with the passport, it is standardized and there is international body which is called international civil aviation organisation. And all passports are used in a standard way. They have standard information, most countries are moving to the digital passport. We're very close from Global digital identity. We have to focus on the digital passport, the international standard for digital passport. And extend it to be an option for Global digital identity. And then we have such a story in the services in the telecommunication and GSM.
and by the same token we can identify our digital identity so when you go from country to country, you can activate certain things and the digital identity that you have in your country, would be extended.
So we have such stories in other fields that we should also focus on. And extend it little bit without interfering with the detailed cultures of each country.
In Saudi Arabia we have mature digital identity, thanks to God, we're approaching by the way, soon 28 million, more than 85% of the population.
And if maybe, from the population are the children and the young people, all those who doesn't have any services.
So going to the success story each concerned and building on each success story to extend to other countries, going to expand or overcome the obstacles, so we have a lot of ingredients.
To me, we're not far from the Global digital identity, we are very close to that achievement.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Now to Mr. Siim Sikkut. We talk about the standards in practice. That is an optimistic view to build up on. The standards that face local resistance due to local nuances. How can Nations strike a balance between alignment and sovereignty for the very concern his Highness has raised?
>> SIIM SIKKUT: I'm not going to answer you, for a good reason. What we have seen in European context we try to work and in Estonia, we work on these in a European level, bringing in entities to be mutually usable, exchanging across the border, so forth. All of the other aspects, including those that are voiced can be summed up challenges, alignment of readiness.
Alignment of readiness.
You have different priorities and maturity, different culture context and connectivity, the readiness is different. We have to be pragmatic about it, to the point that still today, I would be targeted that it is still too early to have Global standardization of framework effort. Most countries are not ready for this. Look most of the countries also have teams that are tiny.
To make the people not work in Global stuff, they don't have time to work on domestic things, building up, adopting, scaling, the countries should come first. But, again, coming back to learning from for example, how did we get things going in Europe, we had the same alignment this year. It is okay, if there are different tracks and a two tracked approach.
Those that are still not ready, give them time and support to get ready. Those who are ready and there is more and more countries starting with Saudi Arabia, for example, right?
Let's really allow them to start experimenting and start trying, laying, figuring out the frameworks, also for the reasons that then Best Practices to look at in terms of what could work on an international Global or whatever level. And I really want to say this, again, very much my own Estonia approach is let's not debate before weave we try it out.
In standardization, there is so much talk of trying to regulate and standards ahead of the time. Never seen an elephant, talking about the elephant.
Let's start trying with those who are ready. Then scale with those who are ready as well.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Coming to Mr. Kurtis Lindqvist, building on the statement that Mr. Siim Sikkut build on. On the Internet Governance, how do you navigate the different priorities while advancing collaborative solutions?
>> SIIM SIKKUT: I think what was said by the panelists before, what was just said is the national priorities are what they are. They have to be before in the pace. They can be incentivized, those priorities and I will come back to something that was said that is when we define the frameworks, we define the solutions, it is important that they become actually universally, implementable, so we don't come up with technological solutions or frameworks that become so expensive or burdensome to implement that you start leaving Regions or communities or users, in the system. And the priority has to be that you have to adopt this readiness and it is a phased approach, on the national level or Regional level, user application level.
What it may be, but it has to be a phased approach that is inclusive and allow everyone to follow.
That should be the priority, to have enablement and be phased approach. Not wait for everyone to join at the same time, because then we'll never get there.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: It has been an incredible and enabling discussion from this esteemed panel. Before we conclude, panelists please share a thought on the key takeaways to give on this important topic. I could extend a minute to each panelists, even though we are running out of time. We can give a minute. To begin with Mr. Siim Sikkut.
>> SIIM SIKKUT: I will be short. We will talk about how to build trust and the trusted framework. The whole point, it is more than a key. The whole thing around it, the policies, the fundamentally the technology is the easy part in the Digital Transformation, how we transform ourselves, with the proper change management, that is a key point. What is the biggest challenge is build up the leadership and the capability of the Governance for that.
That is what I really believe we should all be investing more into within countries to donors and internationally.
Secondly, to go into the last point ... even if yes everyone is not ready, experiment more, try more, think about how to really build something like a Global framework at some point even if everyone is not ready, experimentation is the way to start.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Mr. Kurtis Lindqvist.
>> KURTIS LINDQVIST: Remember, digital identity is as much about people and system and tools and technologies. To make sure they become inclusive on all layers and all intersections.
So it actually becomes usable. I agree with let's experiment and try. To get experience and actually build around the pitfalls.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Mr. Kim.
>> SANGBU KIM: I would like to build on that and many advanced economies like U.S. and EU and Asian countries are giving back to user control and privacy and private data.
It is important to protect the privacy. It is very important.
At the same time, I would like to highlight that we don't need to always every full spectrum of ID in the central server. To secure the authentication or verification process, only small piece of the information will be more than enough.
So we should be very cautious about the privacy factors.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Madam Emma.
>> EMMA: A key takeaway is with digital identity we can accelerate the inclusion of many people marginalized on the peripheries, whether it is Government services or ability to transect especially for a Region I come from like Africa that continues to have some of the gaps.
Secondly, I think there is a lot of room to collaborate and to peer learn from those that have gone before and experimented. Like Mr. Siim Sikkut said and have done a few successes to accelerate the same for other countries that might be left behind.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Your Highness.
>> BANDAR BIN ABDULLAH AL MISHARI: Build on the success story of banking, telecommunication Global cooperation and second consider the digital identity as an infrastructure. Therefore, invest I can say invest bit more. Finally digital identity is a right for everyone.
Every country, every society. It enable it to flourish. The economy, the standards. The education the healthcare, and the COVID 19 is proof for that.
>> SHIVANEE THAPA: Thank you. Thank you so much. Online transactions are forming the backbone of Global commerce and connectivity already. So this is not something that we, you know, limited to our desires.
But something that has become imperative and paramount importance.
As I read from your esteemed panelists, certainly we might be in a different boat, dealing with a different reality, having a different degree of will.
However, the direction that we're headed and the destination certainly is the same. Then there are so many we already have achieved, which can be opportunities or doors of opportunities, which have already been worked on, and that can be built on to work for the future that we all mutually desire.
I think that was in essence what this Forum had to give away to the IGF 2024.
I would want to take a moment and thank you on behalf of the IGF and the host of partners that have set out this very important coming together here in Riyadh. Especially to panelists for gracing us and extending your valuable time, thoughts and experience to this panel.
Said that, I also rest the microphone.
That is all from this panel. Thank you.
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