Meetings
Schedule
Meetings occur every second Tuesday at 9:00am CET. Advance notice will be provided for any changes.
Join
- Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82645920209?pwd=VD2EsPFaPajLq0Tfw2oRPe6QpJRPz9.1
- Calendar: https://www.addevent.com/calendar/2h0rbdqvjmhs
History
January 13, 2026
Meeting summary
Quick recap
The UNVTD team meeting focused on reviewing and approving pull requests for their specification repository, which contains standards for verifiable trade documents like invoices and shipping manifests. The team discussed technical aspects of document identification, data validation, and the balance between W3C and IETF standards for verifiable credentials. They agreed to support both technologies while avoiding unnecessary complexity. The group also addressed the need for business-focused content, including sections on trade finance and customs, and discussed creating business value propositions to demonstrate the benefits of their specifications. Several team members expressed interest in contributing to these business-focused efforts, including Alina and Benedict. The conversation ended with a reminder about the upcoming two-week interval before the next meeting.
Next steps
Nis: Merge outstanding pull requests with conflicts and resolve merge conflicts offline Nis: Add screenshots of specification changes to future pull requests for better clarity Nis: Create a new issue/section to discuss and document the node-carrying aspect of linked data in documents (per discussion with Steven) Steven: Write initial text/content for the customs section, particularly regarding how verifiable documents support new customs authority use cases Nis: Write initial text for the section on balancing technical recommendations regarding W3C vs IETF approaches (with input from Hans) Hans: Provide input on balancing technical recommendations, particularly regarding IETF/SD-JOIN approaches All interested parties: Email Steven to express interest in contributing to the business value/impact assessment document Alina: Contribute to writing a section on business/legal aspects (specific section to be determined) Benedict: Send email to mailing list to express interest in participating in business value/impact assessment Steven: Create/organize a Google Docs library for business value propositions/impact stories (for non-technical contributors) Summary
UNVTD Trade Document Standards Kickoff
The meeting served as a kickoff for the UNVTD team, emphasizing the development of standards and tests for a library of verifiable trade documents, such as invoices, waybills, and shipping manifests. Steven explained the project’s focus on creating an implementable toolkit based on the UN vocabulary and ICC Digital Standards Initiatives, highlighting its connection to decentralized architectures and identity verification. He noted the involvement of Spain and India as committed implementers and the complementary nature of the project with another initiative focused on trust and identity. Nis and Sin Yong were set to discuss technical and business issues, with Nis planning to share their screen for further details.
Trade Document Trust Registry Update
The meeting began with introductions from participants, including Phil Archer from GS1, Benedict Itegbe from the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, and Abhijit Muite, a maritime expert. Steven explained the connection between three related projects: the commercial and logistics trade documents, the Identity Trust Register, and the United Nations Transparency Protocol. Nis discussed a pull request related to the trust registry and proposed merging it, despite some previous comments, as no additional changes were suggested. The group agreed to move forward with merging the pull request, with any further issues to be addressed in subsequent discussions.
Pull Request Merge and Design Discussion
The team discussed merging a pull request, with Steven suggesting that it’s generally acceptable to merge at this stage unless there’s substantial disagreement. They also talked about the importance of designing documents with graph-based data relationships in mind, particularly for UN/CEFACT projects. Nis agreed to merge the pull request and mentioned that a separate discussion about identifier design would be more appropriate. The team then approved some rules for decentralized identifiers and agreed to add a page for capturing meeting notes and recordings.
KTDDE Document Review Process
The team discussed the importance of reviewing open issues and merge requests before meetings to facilitate more productive discussions. Nis explained the current focus on eight initial documents from KTDDE’s first batch and clarified that the project is structured like a website, with changes tracked through merge requests that update the specification site. Alina sought clarification on the issuer identifier concept, which Steven elaborated on by explaining its link to decentralized identifiers and its role in associating business parties with documents. Nis also mentioned the need to include screenshots to better illustrate changes to the specification in future discussions.
Validating Trade Document Definitions
The team discussed the importance of ensuring that published documents are technically valid in both schema and linked data vocabulary senses. Nis provided an example of how combining different data elements leads to a description, and mentioned adding rudimentary references to the trust registry. Steven suggested publishing the work and collaborating with Alina to contribute meaningful content. They also discussed the need for every data element in a trade document to reference a formal definition, with most pointing to UN vocabulary definitions. Nis emphasized the distinction between documents and JSON data objects, and proposed introducing a node-carrying aspect alongside the current text-focused approach.
Technical Specifications for Verifiable Documents
The meeting focused on technical specifications for verifiable documents, particularly invoices and customs declarations. Participants discussed the balance between technical details and business requirements, emphasizing the need for simplicity and interoperability. Steve highlighted the importance of business value propositions to drive adoption, and invited contributions from experts in various sectors. The group agreed to support both W3C verifiable credentials and IETF signed envelopes, while Hans and Mikael raised questions about semantic interoperability. The conversation ended with a call for volunteers to contribute to the business impact assessment section.