Co-Develop, IDB, and World Bank Announce the ‘LAC Digital Citizen Initiative’ to Advance Cross-Border Services in Latin America and the Caribbean
Washington, D.C. – 21 April 2025 – At the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, Co-Develop, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced a groundbreaking joint initiative to build a Regional Digital Identity Broker across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The project, developed by Red GEALC, will enable secure cross-border authentication, allowing citizens to access digital public services in other countries using their national digital IDs.
Left to right: CV Madhukar (Co-Develop), Sangbu Kim (WB), Aura Cifuentes (Co-Develop), Jose Inostroza (Red GEALC’s President), Emilio Pineda (IDB), Yolanda Martinez (WB).
This first-of-its-kind effort aims to advance regional interoperability and will support at least five countries in its initial phase. The investment is co-funded by Co-Develop, IDB, and the World Bank.
“This initiative is about creating real value for people. It goes beyond technology—it’s about giving individuals the ability to seamlessly access critical services across borders,” said CV Madhukar, CEO of Co-Develop. “Latin America and the Caribbean is a strategic priority for Co-Develop, and this partnership underscores our commitment to supporting country-led, demand-driven digital public infrastructure (DPI) that is secure, inclusive, and scalable.”
The broker will build on successful interoperability pilots led by Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina, enabling use cases in migration, trade, education, health, and tax administration. By relying on federated authentication, open standards, and a regional trust framework, the broker ensures privacy and data protection while simplifying technical integration.
“This project reflects the World Bank’s commitment to strengthening regional integration and digital inclusion through scalable public infrastructure,” said Sangbu Kim, Digital Vice President at the World Bank. “Together with our partners, we are helping lay the foundation for a more connected region—one where secure digital identity empowers individuals and businesses alike.”
The project will be coordinated through Red GEALC and is expected to be formally endorsed at the Red GEALC Ministerial Meeting in Guatemala in October 2025.
More About Red GEALC
Red GEALC (Red de Gobierno Electrónico de América Latina y el Caribe) is a regional network composed of national digital government authorities across the LAC region. Founded in 2003 and supported by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Red GEALC provides a collaborative platform to advance digital transformation, interoperability, and citizen services across the region. Through knowledge-sharing, pilot deployments, and regional coordination, Red GEALC plays a vital role in accelerating government innovation. In recent years, the network has led cutting-edge work on digital signature standards, cross-border authentication, and the development of shared digital infrastructure.
Learn more about Co-Develop’s DPI initiatives at www.co-develop.org, and if you want to know more about Co-Develop’s strategy in Latin America and the Caribbean, reach out to aura@codevelop.fund.