2 Years in
‍Progress, learnings and future direction

Building safe and inclusive DPI for societies

Overview

Digital public infrastructure (DPI) is driving innovation to strengthen and expand the digital economy.

Today, more than 150 countries are already building it. In 2024, all 193 UN Member States adopted the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and emphasized the need for inclusive, safe, secure, and user-centred DPI.

The question was never about scale. It was about the foundation of safety and inclusion as an upfront necessity - not an afterthought. Moving from principles to practice, the work of the DPI Safeguards initiative has focused on just that.

Many of you helped to build this from day one. Others joined our journey along the way.

The progress belongs to you.

Our message has been simple: it’s not DPI if it’s not safe and inclusive.
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Digital public infrastructure can accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, but only if it is designed to protect the people it serves. The Digital Public Infrastructure Safeguards Initiative helps countries build systems that are safe, inclusive, and trusted – and I urge Member States to make that the standard everywhere.

António Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations

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As UN Member States deploy DPI to improve public service delivery, reach underserved populations and create new markets, proactive inclusion and risk mitigation measures are a necessary condition for success. The DPI Safeguards Initiative is the key digital cooperation mechanism to ensure this opportunity is realized responsibly and equitably for all.

Amandeep Singh-Gill
United Nations Under-Secretary-General, Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies

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As UN Member States deploy DPI to improve public service delivery, reach underserved populations and create new markets, proactive inclusion and risk mitigation measures are a necessary condition for success. The DPI Safeguards Initiative is the key digital cooperation mechanism to ensure this opportunity is realized responsibly and equitably for all.

Amandeep Singh-Gill
United Nations Under-Secretary-General, Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies

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Digital Public Infrastructure - shared systems like secure IDs and payment platforms - can supercharge progress. But it must be built to be safe, fair, and open to all. Get it right, and it becomes a powerful force for good.

Alexander de Croo
Administrator, United Nations Development Programme

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The DPI Safeguards Initiative has surfaced critical lessons from countries on their digital transformation journey: safeguards are not a hurdle to innovation, but a foundational enabler for its success. The DPI ecosystem must now work together to ensure that privacy, inclusion and people’s rights are at the centre of DPI implementation.

Robert Opp
Chief Digital Officer, UNDP

Progress in numbers

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Countries across 5 regions

pioneered the adoption of the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework and its Principles.

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Additional countries

have requested support with safeguards implementation, signaling that trust is critical to unlock value of DPI in countries.

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International organizations

contributed to the expansion of the DPI Safeguards ecosystem and generated a common language around safeguards implementation.

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Working group members

selected across two cohorts co-created a set of #SafeDPI public knowledge assets for the DPI ecosystem.

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Stakeholders actively engaged

in shaping what responsible DPI looks like in practice through convenings.

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Organizations

represented a plurality of voices and perspectives, shaping the DPI Safeguards Initiative from the ground up.

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Users

across diverse geographies have accessed the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework, using it as a foundational and guiding resource for building safe and inclusive DPI.

Universal Safeguards Champions

It is not DPI if it is not safe and inclusive

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With the launch of the MyMzansi roadmap, South Africa is building integrated digital public infrastructure that connects digital identity, data exchange, payments and services into a single system for accessing government services. We have committed to the Universal DPI Safeguards and are embedding these into the design from the outset, alongside open standards and digital public goods principles. In parallel, we are beginning to formalize more structured engagement with civil society following initial consultations.

~ Melvyn Lubega, Head of the Digital Services Unit, South Africa Presidency

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As countries around the world lay the foundational digital rails that will transform their economies and societies for years to come, they face crucial decisions that will shape the well-being of all people. The UN DPI Safeguards Initiative, alongside several partners, is working with countries to chart a course to a safe, inclusive digital future. Together, we'll help make the safe choice the easy choice for every country embarking on a journey toward a digital future.

~ CV Madhukar, CEO, Co-Develop

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The DPI Safeguards Initiative ensures that digital public infrastructure is developed in ways that protect openness, trust, and userrights. As DPI systems scale globally, success will depend not only on sound public governance, but also on the meaningful participation of private sector actors that operate critical digital infrastructure.

~ Ashley Olson Onyango, Head of Financial Inclusion and AgriTech, GSMA

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As Uganda accelerates the rollout of digital public infrastructure, our key concern has been that digital systems are advancing faster than safeguards, public understanding, and meaningful participation. Through ourengagement in the DPI Safeguards Initiative, we have recognised the critical importance of strengthening the capacity of civil society actors and facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogue on digital rights and safeguards. Thi shas enhanced more confident engagement with duty bearers on implementation gaps and is contributing to the emergence of a stronger, more coordinated civil society movement advocating for inclusive, accountable, and rights-centred digital transformation.

~ Jackson Leviticus Wandera, Program Officer, Economic Justice & Social Protection, Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER)

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We want digital public infrastructure to address and reduce existing inequalities, particularly for women and disadvantaged groups. For this reason, GovStack’s ‘Womenin GovTech Challenge’ promotes a human centered, inclusive approach to building digital public infrastructure. Consequently, the DPI Safeguards Initiative is our natural partner and has helped our participants to develop their solutions in line with responsible standards from the outset – not merely as a matter of fairness, but as a prerequisite for building systems that truly serve everyone.

~ Katharina Mänz, Deputy Head of Division Digital Technologies, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

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By leveraging digital public infrastructure, Brazil is strengthening a set of crucial government policies such as the digital ID, the Unified Registry for social programmes, and the innovative Rural Environmental Registry, therefore promoting citizenship, eradicating poverty and enabling a sustainable future. We are committed to building such infrastructure safely and inclusively, benefiting from the active engagement of our vibrant civil society.

~ Esther Dweck, Minister of Management and Innovation in Public Services of Brazil

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Digital public infrastructure will only deliver on its promise if people trust it. That’s why the DPI Safeguards Initiative is so critical - it embeds safety, inclusion, and accountability from the start. When safeguards are foundational, nation‑led DPI can scale responsibly, reach the most underserved, and become a powerful driver of equitable growth and sustainable development.

~ Sanjay Jain, Director DPI, Gates Foundation

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Digital public infrastructure is rapidly reshaping the way people access and use financial services. Through the Global DPI Insights Community, the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion is exploring risks to user experience and trust, as these systems roll out across the world. This work is taking place alongside technical partners GSMA, CCAF, the UN Safeguards Initiative and Integral Governance Solutions, and with support from the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. The UN’s Universal DPI Safeguards Initiative is playing a vital role by turning lessons into practical guidance for those building DPI. Together, we are helping policymakers and leaders create DPI systems that are secure, affordable, and able to reach underserved people at scale.

~ Michael Schlein, President & CEO, Accion

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Countries are at different stages of their DPI journeys, but the need for safeguards is universal. DPI must be safe and inclusive to earn user trust and achieve widespread adoption. By promoting the use of the DPG Standard as part of the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework and through our collaboration on the Safeguards Accelerator program, we provide countries and organizations practical pathways from commitment to action.

~ Liv Marte Nordhaug, Secretariat CEO, Digital Public Goods Alliance

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The Universal DPI Safeguards Framework provides us with a structured, rights-based language and methodology to strengthen our advocacy for a hybrid system — one that includes non-digital pathways as a right. This aligns with digital public infrastructure principles to promote trust, accountability, and human rights in digital transformation. As the South African government moves swiftly toward the digitisation of other permanent grants and social services, the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework is becoming increasingly significant to our work.

~ Evashnee Naidu, KZN Regional Manager; Hoodah Abrahams-Fayker, National Advocacy Manager, Black Sash

Safeguards in Action

Implementing safeguards in practice
Implementing offline digital ID to strengthen inclusion
MALAWI
Malawi is a pioneer in inclusive digital infrastructure and undertook a massive national digital ID campaign, registering 97 percent of its population. However, one in ten people were still unable to access services, blocked by missing smart cards, patchy electricity, and overstretched district offices. In parallel, weak verification created risks of impersonation, including cases where individuals used someone else’s ID card to collect agricultural subsidies – the Farmers Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) – such as fertilizer and seeds. UNDP Malawi worked with the National Registration Bureau under the Ministry of Homeland Security for an offline digital ID approach as a practical safeguards measure to strengthen both inclusion and integrity in service delivery.
This included Malawi rolling out offline digital ID in the form of biometric QR verification that can provide ID confirmation without connectivity, devices, or infrastructure. In 2025-26, approximately 1.1 million people were verified and accessed the FISP by using the digitally signed biometric QR code. Almost 2 million people used the digital QR code to register and vote in the 2025 election. A similar model could be adapted for other public interest use cases, including social cash transfers, public works programmes, healthcare delivery, and SIM registration.
Lesotho’s DPI drive
Building better for every child
LESOTHO
As Lesotho digitalizes its social protection systems, the risks also increase: personal data from families in remote areas is now stored on national platforms. The government is responding by developing DPI safeguards, starting with systems that directly impact children. With support from UNICEF and the Co-Develop Fund, key protections are being integrated into the national social registry, National Information System for Social Assistance (NISSA), which covers over 90 percent of households. This will help prevent exclusion and protect personal data from misuse. For families in remote communities, this means accessing essential services in away that they can trust.

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UNICEF is one of our key partners, especially when it comes to DPI. Even though we are now taking it further by conducting pilots, we are also working closely with UNICEF on DPI safeguards. We will therefore collaborate with them to establish our own local DPI safeguards framework.

~ Kanono Ramashande, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Communication, Lesotho

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Digital transformation must be inclusive from the start. These safeguards ensure that no child is left behind and that families can access services with confidence and dignity.

~ Deepak Bhaskaran, UNICEF Representative in Lesotho

Accelerating DPI with safeguards

The 5C’s of building with safeguards

The DPI Safeguards Initiative has shifted the narrative of safeguards from a compliance checklist to being the heartbeat of DPI. Ensuring that digital transformation empowers rather than excludes, safeguards are a proactive driver for delivering equitabl eprosperity.

Two years of implementing safeguards have shown that moving from political alignment to practical delivery requires:

Commitment
Political leadership is essential. Governments need clear authority at the centre of decision-making and strong coordination across ministries to treat DPI as foundational national infrastructure.

Capacity
Countries must invest in domestic technical expertise to build, adapt and maintain digital systems locally rather than relying indefinitely on external vendors.

Capital
Financing must move beyond short-term projects towards sustained investment across the full lifecycle of DPI systems. Safeguards must be integrated into budget processes and financing decisions.

Community
‍ Trust and sovereignty are essential. People must have confidence that their data is protected, and robust safeguards should be established before scaling high-stakes systems.

Collaboration
DPI works best when governments, the private sector and civil society design systems together, adopting shared standards that enable secure cross-border integration.

Partner with us

The DPI Safeguards Initiative is a project funded by the Digital Cooperation Fund. The Initiative is grateful for the generous support during Phase I from Co-Develop, the European Union and the Gates Foundation. Initial investments have moved the Initiative from pioneering work to global momentum, but more resources are needed to match the growing demand from countries and the scale of the opportunity at hand.
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To truly drive the global mainstreaming that translates political commitment into implementation, we need expanded funding for the Secretariat and the wider ecosystem. Partner Interest Form.

Partner with us to build safe and inclusive societies
Digital Cooperation Fund
DPI Safeguards Secretariat
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DPI Safeguards est une initiative du Bureau de l'Envoyé du Secrétaire général des Nations Unies pour la technologie (OSET) et du Programme des Nations Unies pour le développement (PNUD). © 2024
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