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Glossary of abbreviations and terms

Markdown format for list items

This glossary uses the remarkDefList format for terms and definitions (see https://docusaurus.community/knowledge/markdown/definition-lists/). This uses a specific syntax to create a list that is rendered as a glossary when the HTML pages are built. The structure is:

<term1>
: <definition>

<term2>
: <definition>

Please follow this structure when making changes to the definition lists in this document

List of acronyms​

GRID
Global Registrar Information Directory
GTR
Global Trust Registry
DIA
Digital Identity Anchor
DID
Decentralized Identifier
DMR
Data Management Request
UNTP
United Nations Transparency Protocol
VC
Verifiable Credential

List of terms and definitions​

This is a list of key terms and the definitions used in the project. In many cases, these terms will have other meaning(s) outside of this project. The intent in defining them here is to clarify their meaning and use in the project context. We do not claim that these should be the generally accepted meaning, but within this project, these terms are defined and used as shown below.

Authenticity of Evidence
Supporting documents must be official and verifiable (official gazette, qualified e-signature/seal, certified extract; apostille/legalization where applicable).
Authoritative Register
A register established by law or formal regulation, managed or supervised by a public authority, with the power to create, maintain, and certify official identifiers within a jurisdiction (e.g., legal entities, assets, products, trademarks, facilities, property titles).
Authoritative Registrar
The public authority that supervises or manages an authoritative register
Certificate of Registration
An official document or digital credential issued by the register to attest the existence, validity, or current status of a registration, with evidentiary or enforceable value.
Chain of Title
The chronological record of successive legal holders or rightsholders as reflected in a register, used to establish legitimacy and prevent conflicts or overlapping claims.
Credential Issuer
The authoritative entity (often the registry itself) that issues verifiable credentials or official attestations on the basis of registered information.
Cut-off Date
The date by which GRID-DMRs must be received to be include in a Release. Later requests roll to a subsequent Release, subject to out-of-cycle handling for security. See also "Release" and "GRID Data Maintenance Request"
Decentralized Identifier (DID)
Source: https://glossary.trustoverip.org/\\#term:decentralized-identifier A globally unique persistent identifier that does not require a centralized registration authority and is often generated and/or registered cryptographically. The generic format of a DID is defined in section 3.1 DID Syntax of the W3C Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) 1.0 specification. A specific DID scheme is defined in a DID method specification.
Digital Identity Anchor (DIA)
A verifiable credential issued by an Authoritative Register to a subject (person, company, or asset), linking a registered identifier for the subject controlled by the Authoritative Register to a cryptographic proof of authenticity and integrity. It functions like a digital certificate of ownership for the identifier. A DIA may also contain Decentralized Identifiers provided by the subject and asserted as under their control. This means that a DIA becomes a proof of identity as registered by an Authoritative Register and recognition that the subject of that identity has asserted other identifiers under their control.
Global Registrar Information Directory (GRID)
A working title given by the UN/CEFACT GTR project for the proposed organisation and system that provides a global directory of authoritative registrars.
Global Trust Registry (GTR) Project
The UN/CEFACT project titled "Global Trust Registry" started in April 2025.
GRID Data Maintenance Request (GRID-DMR)
Standardized instrument for lifecycle actions - NEW (listing), UPD(update), COR (correction), SUS (suspension), REA (re-activation), RET (retirement/delisting).
GRID Participant
Are entities admitted to the GRID by UNBODY, see "Participant".
GRID Record
The authoritative, versioned entry for a Scheme in the GRID, including mandatory metadata (resolver templates, Issuer DID(s), lifecycle status and change history).
Issuer DID
The Decentralized Identifier controlled by an Authoritative Registrar and used to issue DIAs
Key Ceremony & Key Rollover
Controlled procedure for generating/rotating/retiring cryptographic keys used in trust-list signing or Issuer DID operations. Key Rollover: managed transition to new keys (pre-announcement, dual-publishing, post-event guidance).
Legal Effect
The recognized consequence under the applicable law that arises from the registration or certification of data, including the creation, confirmation, or enforceability of rights, obligations, or statuses.
List of Trusted Lists (LOTL)
See Trusted List. A list of trusted listed is a meta-listing that signs and references subsidiary TLs.
National Focal Point (NFP)
The competent national authority designated by a Member State as the State’s official interface with UNBODY for admission, updates, suspension and retirement of Schemes.
Operator
The technical operator appointed by UNBODY to run day-to-day GRID services under a Service-Level Agreement (SLA).
Participant
An entity admitted to the GRID by decision of UNBODY in accordance with the Governance Requirements (including Scheme Owners and any other category defined by UNBODY). See also "GRID Participant".
Public Legal Register
A register that is managed or supervised by a public authority and whose entries produce legal effects under national law, including opposability to third parties, legal presumption, or constitutive value. For the purposes of the UN/CEFACT GRID, the registers of interest are those that register supply chain relevant information such as Organisations, Land Assets, Trademarks, Compliance Certificates, Licenses etc.
Register
A set of data typically used to record membership, ownership and/or events. Also the data set maintained by a Registrar.
Registrar
The authority and/or person responsible for a register.
Registry
A term used to describe both the organsation and the registered data maintained by a Registrar. Registry can be a useful term to use when the meaning of both elements is intended.
Release
Scheduled publication of approved GRID changes with a Secretariat Note. See also "Cut Off Date".
Resolver Template
A documented URL construction pattern enabling deterministic retrieval/dereferencing of public information for a Scheme’s identifiers.
Scheme
An identifier system operated by an Authoritative Register under a valid legal mandate.
Scheme Owner
The public authority (or intergovernmental body) mandated to operate a Scheme.
Status (Candidate / Active / Suspended / Delisted)
Lifecycle states of a Scheme’s GRID Record.
Statutory Notice Effect
A legal effect whereby the information recorded in a register is deemed known by third parties, regardless of actual knowledge, enabling legal enforceability and protection against good-faith claims.
Trusted List (TL)
Machine-readable, signed list under UN BODY’s authority enumerating trusted Issuer DID(s) and parameters. LOTL: optional meta-listing that signs and references subsidiary TLs.
UNBODY
Placeholder for the competent United Nations body that is chosen, created to administer and oversee the GRID.
Verifiable Credential (VC)
A verifiable credential is a tamper-evident credential that has authorship that can be cryptographically verified. Verifiable credentials can be used to create verifiable presentations, which can also be cryptographically verified. The claims in a credential can be about different subjects.The GTR project uses the W3C VC Data Model reference for verifiable credentials - https://www.w3.org/TR/vc-data-model-2.0/. Other types of credentials that are cryptographically verifiable exist, such as X.509 certificates (IETF RFC5280), mDocs (ISO 18013-5 and 7) and vLEIs (ISO 17442-3).
Verification Path
Operator checks confirming legal mandate, authenticity, domain/DID control and resolver correctness.