Germany joins the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty: openIMIS recognized as key instrument to achieve digital transformation in social protection systems

Germany's recent commitment to the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty signifies a powerful step towards strengthening social safety nets and social protection worldwide.

A proposal from the G20 Brazil presidency, one of the alliance’s aims is to “raise resources and knowledge for implementation of public policies and social technologies that are proven to be effective in reducing hunger and poverty,” through policy instruments that can reach those facing inequalities and that can fill gaps in resourcing and technical support at country level.

Significantly, the “policy basket” of the alliance has recognized the role of Digital Public Goods (DPGs) in digital transformation of social protection information systems and poverty reduction, citing the ability to adopt innovative solutions while avoiding high costs and vendor-lock-in. Additionally, the interoperability of systems was cited as a key point in the digitalization and harmonization process of social protection systems, with many standards being developed by the Digital Convergence Initiative.

Digital Public Goods can support countries in advancing the process of digitalising their social protection administration by providing critical infrastructure for building scalable, interoperable, and inclusive social information systems, especially in developing countries.

Wiki of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty

Beneficiaries in Nepal

openIMIS in Nepal

openIMIS is a digital public good which powers versatile solutions for the management of health financing and social protection programs. It can be easily configured to support various workflows across the social protection delivery chain. Designed to be interoperable with other information systems, openIMIS draws upon and contributes to Digital Public Infrastructure. Being open-source removes licensing fees and fosters a collaborative development environment, making it highly adaptable and affordable for developing countries. It is currently implemented in 13 countries.Nepal serves as a compelling example of DPGs and the ability to scale up. As displayed in the GAHP Policy Basket Country Example, the implementation of openIMIS in Nepal through both the Health Insurance Board (HIB) and the Social Security Fund (SSF) have now reached over 13 million people.

The software is being used by both institutions to manage various processes including enrolment, verification, health service provision and claims management, and data analysis.

Many people from vulnerable groups in Nepal, including smallholder farmers and day laborers, now have essential health coverage, and claims efficiency has increased as a result of the software.

Implementation is managed and developed by local teams, which also fosters local business development and economic growth. Recently, an AI-supported module was developed to increase efficiency in pre-checking invoices, leading to faster access to care and reimbursements.

Germany's participation in the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, and the recognition of the role of DPGs, represents a significant move towards a future where technology empowers social protection systems to address inequalities.

openIMIS is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the European Union (EU).