Population Registers, Ethics and Human Rights

A key challenge for scholars and practitioners who work on and with population register systems is managing the promises of more inclusive societies via digitized population data against the potential risks of systemic exclusion and discrimination towards vulnerable subpopulations, resulting in denial of basic rights and essential services. The political interests driving population registration in the Global South are mobilizing a broad set of concerns about national security, financial and societal inclusion, global migration and a renewed interest in welfare and state building. In many countries, national population registers and digitized ID systems are increasingly underpinning delivery of social services.

This panel seeks to expand the knowledge base on the intersection of population register systems, ethics and human rights, and augment existing research and advocacy efforts to shape the attendant legal and policy discussions. Critically engaging human rights, alongside adopting an ethical framework, can contribute to the active and informed participation of individuals and communities in ways that can help ensure that as population registers modernize they are just. 

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