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2026-02-06 1151 AEDT

Feb 6, 2026

UN CEFACT GTR - AEST / PST​

Attendees

  • John Phillips
  • Sankarshan Mukhopadhyay
  • Ann Dao
  • Bree-ana Blazicevic
  • Jo Spencer
  • Mark Lizar

Summary​

Core Definitions and Trust Envelope
The project reaffirmed its commitment to open development and standardized terminology by deciding to use "UN member state" for precision, while clarifying that the Digital Identity Anchor (DIA) is a trust envelope around existing identifiers, not a new ID.

Simplifying Documentation and Scope
The team worked on documentation simplification, reordering the presentation flow to prioritize the economic argument, and discussed complex eligibility criteria regarding sub-jurisdictions and federal versus provincial registrars within UN member states.

Prototype Data Harvesting and Readiness
A prototype pilot was demonstrated, utilizing a resilient data harvesting process that verifies cryptographic signatures from authoritative registrars but operates on a timed update schedule rather than real-time pushing; the team acknowledged the challenge of technical readiness among some member states.

Details​

Decisions

NEEDS FURTHER DISCUSSION

Content Repository Version Freeze For Editing

Content repository version must freeze soon to allow final editorial pass; freezing prevents continuous change of moving target.

Sub-Jurisdictional Registry Inclusion Criteria Investigation

UN member state participants can define authoritative registrars, potentially including sub-jurisdictional registries like provinces; criteria definition requires investigation and checking.

Pilot Architecture Needs Multiple Registrar Key Testing

Pilot architecture must test reflecting multiple state/territory registrars and keys; registrars must link via federal authentication chain of evidence.

ALIGNED

Standardize Terminology To UN Member State

Terminology must standardize to use the phrase UN member state; avoiding terms like nation state prevents confusion.

Document Order Changes In Project Repository

Document ordering changes to prioritize reader understanding; Economic Argument document now first, followed by Legal Governance, then Digital Identity Anchor document.

Grid Must Not Influence Member State Laws

Grid must not dictate laws or influence UN member state decisions regarding recognition of First Nations authority.

Initial Grid Focus Two Registry Types

First Grid release must focus on two registry types for simplification: company/organization and land assets, supporting supply chain and commerce.

Grid Only Requires Authoritative DIA Use

Grid only requires authoritative registrar use of Digital Identity Anchor (DIA); Grid does not restrict non-authoritative entities issuing DIA.

Update DIA Sequence Diagram Step 7

Digital Identity Anchor issuance sequence diagram must remove step 7; registrar pushing public key to Grid must occur only during key updates, not after every DIA issuance.

Schema Must Accommodate Low Digital Readiness

Grid participation schema must accommodate UN member states lacking advanced digital verification capabilities; initial registration checks may use non-digital methods like phone numbers.

More details:

  • Project Introduction and Open Development John Phillips welcomed attendees to the UNC fact global trust registry project meeting, noting the project operates under open development principles, ensuring that the work's outcome will be open source and royalty-free. The agenda included a recap of previous meetings, a review of GitLab issues, a demonstration of the prototype pilot, and discussion of actions [00:00:00].

  • Review of Document Simplification and Feedback The team has been working on simplifying and clarifying project documents, addressing review comments, including those from Brett Highland [00:00:58]. A key decision was made to standardize terminology by using "UN member state" instead of "nation state," "nation," or "country" to be precise. This work is managed within a GitLab environment that automatically builds the web pages for the un.opsource website [00:02:19].

  • Clarification on Identifiers and Trust Envelope A major discussion point reiterated from two weeks prior was the need to explain that the Global Registry Information Directory (GRID) concept and Digital Identity Anchor (DIA) are not new identifiers. John Phillips clarified that the DIA is a "trust envelope" placed around existing identifiers, allowing UN member states to choose their own identifiers, such as an EU ID or LEI [00:00:58].

  • Documentation Reordering and Simplification Sankarshan and John Phillips worked through GitLab issues, leading to significant changes in the content and order of the documentation presented on the live web page [00:03:16]. The document order was reorganized to lead with the economic argument, followed by legal governance, DIA use, and then the registrar data scheme, aiming for a more logical flow [00:04:12]. Sankarshan was specifically recognized for their work in simplifying the economic argument document, making it more accessible to non-technical readers like ministers or economists [00:07:30].

  • Tracking Progress and Editorial Pass Sankarshan explained that feedback, such as Brett Highland’s input, was converted into specific issues to ensure scope bounding and transparency in closing processes. Some issues remain open for a final editorial pass, as some topics may no longer be present due to continuous iterations of changes [00:06:15]. The team plans to freeze a version of the content repository soon for an editorial pass before continuing with changes [00:07:30].

  • Eligibility Criteria for Participants and Definitional Clarity Discussions centered on the eligibility criteria for participants, reaffirming that UN member states are the primary negotiating block and can voluntarily propose their authoritative registrars [00:10:01]. Bree-Ana Blazicevic raised a point about the distinction between "registrar" (the authority/person responsible for the list) and "register" (the manifestation of the list), which John Phillips confirmed was a deliberate effort for precision [00:11:02]. They also discussed whether other known registries like Dun and Bradstreet's, Glyfe, or GS1 should be included, with the current criteria focusing on UN member state authoritative registrars [00:16:50].

  • Challenges with Sub-Jurisdictions and Federal/Provincial Registries The conversation explored the complexities of accommodating sub-jurisdictions, such as British Columbia, which is not a UN member state, but maintains its own business registry [00:11:02] [00:13:38]. Ann Dao highlighted that in Canada, companies can incorporate at the provincial or federal level, and federal registries may not automatically include all provincial-level corporations, posing a potential issue for the grid's national approach [00:24:06]. John Phillips suggested that if a UN member state, like Canada, specifies that their registration for commercial entities is handled by provincial registrars, then the grid can accept those as authoritative within the federal umbrella [00:15:22].

  • Inclusion of First Nations and Land Registries Bree-Ana Blazicevic inquired about the commitment to First Nations governments and their interactions [00:18:07]. John Phillips stated that the grid would accept recognition of First Nations registration processes if the respective UN member state recognizes their authority. The team is trying to simplify the initial scope of the grid by focusing on registries for companies/organizations and land, which are crucial for supply chain and commerce assertions [00:19:22]. The participants of the grid will decide on the inclusion of new registry types, such as marine assets, once the system is operational [00:21:55].

  • Prototype Pilot Model and Data Harvesting John Phillips presented the pilot system, which is a prototype designed for learning and feeding back into the specification, rather than running perfect code [00:30:56]. The pilot model involves a resilient harvesting process where the grid reads data published by participants—sovereign entities describing their authoritative registrars and registers—and performs a cryptographic check to verify the data was signed by the declared authority [00:31:55]. The prototype uses a Git environment for managing data updates, allowing the owner to update and commit changes signed with their keys [00:34:07].

  • Clarification on DIA Issuance and Grid Updates Bree-Ana Blazicevic pointed out an inconsistency in the DIA issue sequence diagram, suggesting a final step was a "push" to the grid [00:37:09]. John Phillips clarified that step seven in the schematic is an error; the grid is not constantly updated every time a registrar issues a DIA for an applicant. Instead, the grid only needs updates when the registrar updates their keys [00:38:12]. The harvester currently operates on a simple timed basis, following a model similar to EKO-PKD, with a daily update schedule to avoid creating dependencies where one system failure causes another to fail [00:39:12].

  • Complexity of Key Management for Registrars Bree-Ana Blazicevic and Jo Spencer discussed the complexity of key management if every single registrar under a UN member state needed a separate key. John Phillips noted that while having separate keys for different registries (e.g., land and business) would be possible, it adds complexity for pilot participants [00:42:18]. Jo Spencer emphasized the need to recognize multiple registrars under a national umbrella without creating excessive overhead, and that maintenance of the registry content must remain the registrar's responsibility [00:43:35] [00:45:34].

  • Addressing Technical Readiness of Member States Bree-Ana Blazicevic raised concerns about the technical readiness of many member states to implement cryptographically verifiable issuance [00:48:51]. John Phillips responded that the grid anticipates this, and for less digitally advanced states, participation could initially involve a link to a website or a description of their registration authority and checking process, which might not be digital. The essential requirement is a description from the UN member state stating, "we are the authority to register for this nation state," and how a registration can be checked [00:49:49].

Suggested next steps​

  • John Phillips will raise an issue about the complexities of business registration being at both the provincial and federal level for some UN Member States - for example levels in Canada and Australia.

  • The group needs to do some work to find out how the federal and provincial registration complexities for Canada will affect the Global Trust Registry (GTR).