Policy-Linked Credentialing

Verifiable Identity, Role, and Performance Architecture Aligned to Global Goals and Agreements

8.6.1 Why SDG/ESG Credentialing Matters

In a world where institutions and individuals are increasingly evaluated by:

• Their contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Their adherence to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards

• Their obligations under international treaties and frameworks

…it becomes essential that roles, actions, and outcomes are not only reported—but cryptographically verified, simulation-backed, and policy-bound.

NSF introduces a verifiable credential architecture that encodes:

• Individual and institutional SDG alignment

• ESG compliance across financial and operational dimensions

• Legal and policy-linked treaty role enforcement

This makes SDG/ESG execution machine verifiable, clause-executable, and DAO-governable.

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8.6.2 Credential Types Supported in NSF

Credential Class	Description
SDG Contributor VC	Credential issued to organizations/DAOs contributing to specific SDGs (e.g., clean water, gender equality)
ESG Impact VC	Generated from clause execution logs and verified simulation outputs (e.g., CO₂ saved, forests restored)
Treaty Role VC	Proof of authorized participation in treaty execution (e.g., NegotiatorVC, MonitorVC, EscalationAgentVC)
Clause Performance VC	Issued when an actor successfully deploys, triggers, or verifies clauses with global development impacts
Simulation Validator VC	Credentials assigned to actors (or institutions) that validate SDG/ESG-aligned simulations

All credentials are W3C-compliant, ZK-compatible, and governed by multi-signature DAOs with transparent delegation.

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8.6.3 SDG Alignment Framework

Each clause and credential includes:

• SDG linkage tag: one or more of the 17 goals

• Target reference: e.g., SDG 13.1 (strengthen resilience to climate disasters)

• Metric bindings: forecast variables, execution outputs (e.g., tons of CO₂ mitigated)

• Simulation validators: peer-reviewed scenario results tied to the SDG clause

• Credential elevation logic: automatic issuance upon contribution thresholds

Example:

{
  "credential_type": "SDGContributorVC",
  "goal": "SDG 6",
  "target": "6.1",
  "metric": "water_access_improvement",
  "issued_by": "UNWaterDAO",
  "proof": "SimulationRunVC#0xabc... → ClauseExecutionLog → VC issuance"
}

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8.6.4 ESG Integration and Verification

Domain	Clause Output
E (Environment)	Biodiversity simulation → Clause execution → VC issued for mitigation
S (Social)	Inclusion-focused clause (e.g., refugee service delivery) → Verified performance → Social Impact VC
G (Governance)	DAO participation and clause audit trails → Governance Practice VC

These credentials are aggregated for:

• Public ESG scoring

• DAO governance weighting

• Access to SDG finance systems

• Institutional audit and transparency dashboards

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8.6.5 Treaty Role Credentialing

Credential logic enforces treaty role constraints. Examples:

Role	Clause-Governed Condition
EnvoyVC	Must hold 2+ SDGContributorVCs in linked jurisdictions
EscalationAgentVC	Valid only under multilateral clause trigger state
TreatyMonitorVC	Must run forecast validation against PactDAO Simulation Templates
AidFlowAuditorVC	Bound to clause execution logs across 3+ treaty-linked clauses
JurisdictionalCoordinatorVC	Must be verified by DAO consensus and clause simulation match

This ensures treaty participation is role-bound, simulation-verified, and dispute-resilient.

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8.6.6 Credential Bundling and Proof Aggregation

To reduce overhead, actors may present bundled proof packages:

• Multiple VCs aggregated into Merkle trees

• Bound to DAO-signed ClaimVCs for review and approval

• Integrated into audit trails for downstream verification (e.g., capital access, clause activation)

ZK attestation paths are supported to preserve privacy while proving credential sufficiency.

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8.6.7 SDG/ESG Credential Usage in Governance

Use	Mechanism
Voting Weight	Clauses and DAOs may weight votes by SDG/ESG credential score
Clause Deployment	Deployment rights may require minimum SDG contribution
Credential Gating	Certain roles (e.g., SimDAO validator) require ESG impact verification
Access Control	Aid disbursement, treaty simulation access, or alerts gated by treaty-linked VCs
Public Reputation	Credential proofs anchor to public dashboards and simulation outcomes

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8.6.8 Institutional Recognition and Cross-Jurisdictional Validity

Credential metadata includes:

• ISO 3166 jurisdiction tags

• Signatures from international bodies (e.g., UNDP DAO, SDG Fund DAO)

• Revocation registries for treaty conflict or non-compliance

• Mapping to World Bank, IMF, and ESG index frameworks

These credentials can be reused across:

• Multilateral agreements

• Sovereign policy networks

• SDG impact reporting frameworks

• ESG-compliant financial systems

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8.6.9 DAO Credential Lifecycle Management

DAOs can:

• Propose, issue, or revoke SDG/ESG-linked credentials

• Set simulation thresholds for issuance eligibility

• Define credential schemas and claim requirements

• Link clause execution logs to credential proofs

• Embed VC verifiers in their governance workflows

This ensures full lifecycle control and traceability.

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8.6.10 Building a Global Credential Infrastructure for Risk and Equity

NSF’s SDG/ESG/treaty credentialing framework enables:

• Verifiable alignment with global goals

• Evidence-based recognition of contribution

• Role enforcement based on performance and trust

• Clause governance rooted in simulation-backed equity metrics

• Institutional visibility into risk-resilient, impact-generating actors

It is not just an access layer—it is the proof layer for planetary-scale governance.

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