Photo copyright ©UNICC/Denian Ouyang

New York, 13 June 2025. The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) and United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC) jointly presented the UNJSPF Digital Certificate of Entitlement and the UN Digital ID, two pioneering examples of innovation in the UN system for their staff and retirees.

Held in the context of the UN 2.0 Week, the hybrid session reflected on the solutions’ conceptualization, implementation journey and learning curve, as well as current status and future outlook.

Dino Dell’Accio, Chief Information Officer at the UNJSPF, highlighted: “The UNJSPF digital identity solution, which leverages blockchain, biometrics, artificial intelligence, and geo-localization technologies, has revolutionized the process of verifying pension beneficiaries' existence.”

The solution successfully streamlined what was previously a lengthy, error-prone manual process. Panelists recognized the critical aspects of trust and assurance, discussing how the UNJSPF has worked to ensure the reliability and security of the solution through external audits and certifications, including ISO standards.

Building on the UNJSPF’s Digital Certificate of Entitlement, the UN Digital ID unites a decentralized workforce under one vision.

In the words of Massimiliano Merelli, Programme Director of the UN Digital ID at UNICC: “The UN Digital ID programme goes beyond efficiency, it signifies cultural evolution, aiming at a world where every UN staff, regardless of agency or nationality, accesses opportunities and shares expertise through a single digital handshake.”

The UNJSPF and UNICC solutions demonstrated their scalability and potential interoperability and are concrete example of “one UN family” and drivers of transformation across the UN system and beyond.

The recording of the session, which was moderated by Margherita Capellino, Special Assistant to the Chief Executive of Pension Administration, is available here.