The UK will contribute £15 million to a World Bank initiative designed to help some of the world’s poorest people have better access to essential services such as healthcare and banking, the Chancellor announced today (17 July) as part of a meeting of G7 Finance Ministers in France.
It is estimated that a billion people worldwide, mostly women and children in rural areas in Africa and South Asia, are without an officially-recognised identity. Having a legal proof of identity is vital for accessing essential services such as healthcare, education, and finance. But paper-based systems can be slow and inefficient, especially in countries without existing infrastructure. New digital technologies could help people in developing countries better access the benefits of the digital revolution.
