The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is in the process of deploying next-generation digital identity systems for refugees, navigating highly complex technological, operational, and political environments. These systems must also interoperate with national, sub-national, and functional identity infrastructures that are rapidly digitizing. With over 120 million forcibly displaced people across more than 130 countries, developing effective, scalable, and inclusive identity strategies has never been more critical.
Two key initiatives launched this year reflect UNHCR’s commitment to digital inclusion and interoperability. The Digital Gateway empowers refugees with direct access to information and services, while PING (PRIMES Interoperability Gateway) facilitates integration between national identity systems and UNHCR’s refugee ID data, enabling secure, cross-system collaboration.
These technologies are being implemented in complex environments across Africa, the Americas, and Asia, where ensuring accessibility, connectivity, reliability, data quality, and privacy protection requires close coordination among international agencies, governments, and industry partners. Unique to UNHCR’s mission is the imperative to meet the diverse needs of people of all ages, genders, and abilities.
In this context, UNHCR continues to work closely with stakeholders and service providers to ensure that digital innovation—anchored in robust Identity and Access Management (IAM)—can deliver meaningful and secure benefits to some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
