President Joseph N. Boakai has, by proclamation, declared Monday, September 16, 2024, as National Identification Day.
The day is to be observed throughout the country as a working holiday.
This year’s Identification Day is celebrated under the global theme: “Celebrating the Right to be Visible 2024.”
According to a release from the Foreign Ministry, an indoor program commemorating the day will be held at the Monrovia City Hall, commencing at ten o’clock ante meridian.
The proclamation calls on the National Identification Registry (NIR) and other government agencies, as well as international organizations concerned, to initiate and execute appropriate activities and programs to commemorate the day.
The proclamation also recounted that the International Identification Day for Africa was founded in 2014 and is the only Pan-African movement that helps African nations build their strategic capacity needed for developing robust and responsible identity ecosystems in the service of development and humanitarian action. Since its inception, ID4 has advocated for all, not just as a legal right consistent with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.9, but also as a practical necessity for access to services.
According to the Presidential Proclamation, Identification Day focuses on three fundamentals of identity: inclusion, protection, and unity, and aims to raise awareness about the estimated 850 million people worldwide, particularly in Africa, who lack proof of identity, reaffirming the commitment to achieve total inclusion.
The campaign also reminds individuals with identification to secure their identity against theft and protect their privacy. Furthermore, the ID offers an opportunity for individuals with identification to evaluate how their identity empowers and simplifies their daily lives.
The proclamation adds that Identity Day seeks worldwide recognition of September 16 as “Identity Day” to highlight the importance of having proof of identity. This campaign addresses the lack of a dedicated day for the commemoration of identity, which is a fundamental right and practical necessity in today’s digital age. The chosen date, September 16 (16.9), symbolically references UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, which aims to provide legal identity, including birth registration, to all individuals by 2030.
The proclamation further states that the government of the Republic of Liberia believes that inclusive identity, built on respect for privacy and human rights, is essential for economic growth and the digital transformation of government, and as a member state of the Mano River Union, the Economic Community of West African States, and the African Union.
