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2025-09-19 0856 AEST

Sep 19, 2025

UN CEFACT GTR - AEST / PST​

Invited Steve Capell John Phillips Alina Nica Gales Jo Spencer

Attachments UN CEFACT GTR - AEST / PST

Meeting records Recording

Summary​

John Phillips introduced the UN/CEFACT Global Trust Registry project, providing updates on pilot discussions and examples like ICAO Public Key Directory and UN/CEFACT Location Code to illustrate different operational models. He emphasized key principles for governance, sustainability, and interoperability, noting that the project would acknowledge existing practices rather than dictate new standards. Ann Dao questioned the imposition of standards, while Paul Templeman highlighted the complexities of cryptographic elements and governance, leading to a discussion on a tiered adoption approach and addressing potential resistance from Europe.

Details​

  • UN/CEFACT Global Trust Registry Project Introduction John Phillips introduced the UN/CEFACT Global Trust Registry project, highlighting that the session was being recorded and would generate a transcript and minutes. He noted the AI's difficulty in spelling "UN/CEFACT" and explained the project's formal code of conduct and intellectual property rights policy, emphasizing open-source contributions.

  • Meeting Updates and Pilot Discussions John Phillips provided updates from Alina, who was attending a World Trade conference in Geneva, noting shared interests and connections being made. He also mentioned that the project is openly soliciting use cases, perceived benefits, and volunteers for pilot programs, with interest already shown from Canada, Spain, India, South America, and the Netherlands.

  • Pre-Parade Mindset for Success John Phillips encouraged a "pre-parade" mindset for the project, urging participants to imagine a successful project outcome and consider what actions and conditions would be necessary to achieve that success. This approach aims to focus on positive steps and ensure all necessary elements for success are considered upfront.

  • ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD) as an Example John Phillips presented ICAO PKD as an example of an existing, similar system, highlighting its centralized approach to public key management which simplifies trust relationships between countries. He explained that the PKD, established in 2007 by a UN agency, is self-sustaining through fees and has a robust governance structure, with plans to expand beyond passport keys to other trusted credentials like health credentials.

  • ICAO PKD Operations and Sustainability John Phillips detailed ICAO PKD's operational model, including its reliance on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that is only 12 pages long and clear procedural documents. He noted that participants provide public keys and revocation lists, with updates occurring frequently, and annual fees are relatively low, contributing to its sustainability.

  • UN/CEFACT Location Code (LOCODE) as a Contrasting Example John Phillips discussed UN/CEFACT LOCODE as another system, highlighting its management of 103,000 locations primarily for shipping, where countries are responsible for maintenance. He noted that LOCODE updates are less frequent (every six months, possibly annually in the future) due to resource and funding dilemmas, and its free availability has led to a commercial ecosystem offering more sophisticated access and updates.

  • Key Principles for Governance and Operations John Phillips outlined principles for the project's governance, including anchoring to a UN body, simplicity, technical neutrality, minimal cost, and maximal value. Alina's observations emphasized the need for a UN anchoring and mandate, separation of roles, inclusivity, and representation for all countries, regardless of their digital maturity.

  • Sustainability, Interoperability, and Change Management John Phillips emphasized the importance of sustainability and affordability, noting that fee structures must account for future operations and anticipated technological changes. Ann Dao raised a question about whether the new body would dictate standards for member states' registries, to which John Phillips clarified that the project would acknowledge existing practices and standards rather than imposing new ones, focusing on recording what those systems do.

  • Scope and Minimum Requirements for Registries John Phillips confirmed that the project's registry would link to authoritative registries but not store their actual data, allowing for flexibility in how countries manage their registrations. He clarified that the project would list nation-state authoritative registers with a legal basis for registration, focusing on trade-related entities as a starting point.

  • Tiered Adoption and Cryptographic Complexity John Phillips discussed a potential tiered approach for adoption, starting with basic registration and progressing to recording public keys for digital credentials and eventually issuing UN/CEFACT-recognized certificates. Paul Templeman highlighted that governance and assurance processes, particularly for cryptographic elements, can be time-consuming and complex, potentially leading to scaling problems if not carefully managed.

  • Addressing Resistance and Future Outlook John Phillips acknowledged potential resistance from Europe due to their existing investments in EIDAS and related initiatives, stressing the need for clarity on how the UN/CEFACT project differs and complements these efforts. He concluded by outlining remaining questions regarding the UN's role, inclusivity management, and the economic model for sustainability, suggesting that the project should be lightweight and cost-effective.

Suggested next steps​

No suggested next steps were found for this meeting.