UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND (UNFPA) DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE UNIVERSAL BIRTH REGISTRATION EKİN KÖSEOĞLU - RESEARCH REPORT
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
RESEARCH REPORT
UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND (UNFPA)
DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE
UNIVERSAL BIRTH REGISTRATION
EKİN KÖSEOĞLU
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development – Research ReportCommittee Name: United Nations Population Fund
Agenda Item: Developing strategies to improve universal birth registration
Student Officer & Role: Ekin Köseoğlu, Deputy Chair
Basic Overview of the Issue
Article 7 of the Convention on the Right of the Child states, "The child shall be registered
immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a
nationality and, as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents."
Unfortunately, millions of children are still not registered at birth. Even though, according to
UNICEF, birth registration has increased by 20% since the last decade, close to 27% of
children under the age of 5 worldwide are not officially recorded. Despite increased efforts to
improve birth registration systems, a significant number of displaced people run into great
obstacles when they wish to register their children. UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta
Fore said that a child not registered at birth is often excluded from health care, other vital
services, and education and is more unguarded against abuse. Successful birth registration
systems are needed to provide protection for children worldwide. The importance of proper
documentation and registration is also highlighted in the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals; SDG 16 includes access to justice for all and effective, accountable and
inclusive institutions at all levels, and this goal can only be achieved if no one is "nonexistent
in the eyes of the government or the law." East Asia and the Pacific holds a great majority of
the world’s unregistered children, approximately 60%. Conflict and poverty hinder the efforts
to resolve the issue in the region.
Explanation of Important Terms
Birth Certificate
"An official document issued to record a person's birth and identify them by name, place,
date of birth, and parentage." (Oxford Dictionaries)
Civil Registration
According to the United Nations, civil registration is "the continuous, permanent,
compulsory and universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of events,
including vital events, pertaining to the population, as provided by decree or regulation, in
accordance with the legal requirements of a country. It therefore provides the ideal source
from which to derive data for vital statistics on a regular basis."
The UN also states that civil registration serves a dual purpose, administrative and
legal, and statistical and health related. Civil registration records should provide essential
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 1Committee Name: United Nations Population Fund
Agenda Item: Developing strategies to improve universal birth registration
Student Officer & Role: Ekin Köseoğlu, Deputy Chair
legal documentation for an individual's identity, such as name, time, place, date of birth,
nationality, sex, and parents' names.
Legal Identity
"Legal identity is defined as the basic characteristics of an individual's identity. e.g., name,
sex, place, and date of birth conferred through registration and the issuance of a certificate
by an authorized civil registration authority following the occurrence of birth." (United Nations
Legal Identity Agenda)
Sustainable Development Goals
"The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more
sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty,
inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. Learn more and
take action." (United Nations)
Detailed Background of the Issue
International Framework Related to Birth Registration
Ever since the adoption of the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1924,
children's rights and freedoms have been a matter of international concern. With new
resolutions regarding children adopted every year, the hope to resolve issues regarding
children's rights grows. The United Nations Member States has signed many human rights-
related documents to this day, aiming to achieve equality and fairness worldwide. Birth
registration is important for the goals of the UN to be carried out, as without legal identity, a
person cannot be recognized by the law, limiting access to many vital services.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone in the history of
human rights and has served as the foundation of every related framework that has been
drafted by the United Nations. The document underlines that everyone is equal, disregarding
their characteristics, and should have access to adequate living standards. It also highlights
the importance of education for all and that all persons are equal before the law. Similar to
the UDHR, International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
recognizes every person's right to education.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the crucial document for all child-
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 2Committee Name: United Nations Population Fund
Agenda Item: Developing strategies to improve universal birth registration
Student Officer & Role: Ekin Köseoğlu, Deputy Chair
related policies. In article 7 of the CRC, it is clearly stated that all children should be
registered at birth. The article also emphasizes children's right to a legal identity, including a
name, nationality, proper documentation, parents' names, etc.
According to the United Nations, ensuring children's rights is dependent on non-
discrimination towards women, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) aims to end gender discrimination. This document
also contains children-related articles.
United Nations Millennium Declaration, adopted in September 2000, set goals for
2015 (Millennium Development Goals), and the achievement of those goals consisted of
improving birth registration among many other sub-goals. When the 8 MDGs lived out their
duration, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 were introduced by the UN,
approved by all Member States, in 2015. These goals are more specific compared to the
MDGs, and SDG 16 especially expresses the need to resolve the issue of birth registration,
though birth registration improvement is necessary for other goals to be achieved as well.
Statistics and Data Regarding Birth Registration
1 out of 4 children under the
age of 5 is not recognized by
governments and the law. Although
73% of all children being registered
worldwide is a remarkable
improvement considering how low it
was ten years ago, it is still not
enough. A child's existence is first
recognized through birth registration,
and due to various conflicts, all over
the world, at this time, we are unable
Figure 1: Percentage of children under five years of age whose births are
to reach the desired 100% of children registered, by region. The data from East Asia and the Pacific was insufficient
to be included.
registered at birth.
Western Europe and North America have the highest percentage of registered children
under the age of 5, with 100% children registered. Following them are Central Asia and Eastern
Europe, with 99% of all children registered. Latin America and the Caribbean follow them, with
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 3Committee Name: United Nations Population Fund
Agenda Item: Developing strategies to improve universal birth registration
Student Officer & Role: Ekin Köseoğlu, Deputy Chair
94% of all births registered. The least number of registered births is in Sub-Saharan Africa,
with around 40% of all births registered.
According to 2015 data, East Asia and the Pacific has 79% birth registration, and
according to the UNICEF report "Unequal at Birth," that is only 1% away from the critical
value of 80%, after which it becomes easier to improve birth registration.
Figure 2: Birth registration rates in East Asia and the Pacific.
As mentioned above, only 79% of all children under the age of 5 are registered at birth
in East Asia and the Pacific region. Data released by UNICEF in 2013 revealed that around
140 million children were unregistered in the region, making up nearly 60% of unregistered
children worldwide. The region has the greatest number of displaced people globally, making
it difficult to get past the 80% registration benchmark. Great displacement in the region arose
due to many factors including floods, storms, and armed conflict. Under the risk of death,
people do not prioritize registering newborns.
The Connection Between Children's Access to Rights and Birth Registration
Education, access to legal counsel, and access to healthcare are all rights of children,
but rights become insignificant if a person is invisible to the government and the law. SDGs
1, 2, and 4 unachievable if 27% of the whole children population is not registered, as, without
proper documentation, it is almost impossible to receive adequate education and healthcare.
If 1 out of every 4 children lacks documentation, that means article 37 of the CRC cannot be
carried out, as, without a legal identity, a child cannot receive legal counsel.
Birth registration also plays an essential role in achieving SDG 10, reduced
inequalities. When a child is not given a legal identity, the child cannot benefit from
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 4Committee Name: United Nations Population Fund
Agenda Item: Developing strategies to improve universal birth registration
Student Officer & Role: Ekin Köseoğlu, Deputy Chair
education, healthcare services, legal counsel, and any other form of service that helps even
the playing field for them.
Not being registered can make a child end up in early marriage or early recruitment to
the army. If a child is not registered, they may be forced to work at a young age violating
article 32 of the CRC.
Registering children at birth and improving civil registration systems carry great
importance for sustainable development as all goals set for sustainable development are
inherently connected. The road to making sure the objectives set by the international
frameworks passes through reformation of local legislation. Regions with low birth
registration percentages tend to have overly complicated and expensive procedures for
registration, which leads to a hesitant approach to registration of children. In East Asia and
the Pacific, there are high numbers of people living under the poverty line of 5.50 US dollars
per day; and expensive procedures prevent them from registering their children.
Major Parties Involved
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
OHCHR is the leading UN organ regarding human rights. It promotes and protects the rights
and freedoms set by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Office was established
in 1993 and has been working towards reinforcing the foundation of human rights since its
establishment.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
UNDP is a United Nations body active in approximately 170 countries, aiming to carry out the
Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) set to be achieved by 2030. The organization helps
develop policies in order to eradicate hunger, poverty, and inequality worldwide. In 2015,
Member States of the UN agreed to the 17 integrated SDGs and increasing birth registration
is significant to achieving these goals.
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
UNICEF operates in over 190 countries and territories with the goal of protecting the rights of
all children. The UN organ is the world's largest distributor of vaccination and supporter of
children's rights, health, education, and nutrition. It was founded over 70 years ago and has
been fighting for children's well-being since then. The entity has conducted research and
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 5Committee Name: United Nations Population Fund Agenda Item: Developing strategies to improve universal birth registration Student Officer & Role: Ekin Köseoğlu, Deputy Chair published numerous reports regarding birth registration. United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG) The UNSDG is the joint policy formation and decision-making entity consisting of all UN bodies related to sustainable development such as UNDP, UNICEF, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and World Health Organization (WHO). Thailand Although Thailand is among the countries with the highest birth registration levels in East Asia, there is still the issue of minorities being unregistered in the country. The outdated laws were amended by the government in 2008, enabling every child born on Thai soil to receive a birth certificate. However, for a child to be registered, the family should take action in the first 15 days of birth. The lack of knowledge regarding the law in minorities leads to trouble with children accessing their rights. People’s Republic of China China has faced the issue of inadequate birth registration due to overcomplicated policies and harsh regulations. The country has always experienced immense population growth, and in 1979, the government decided to take action against that growth with the one child policy. Although this policy worked partially, it also led to reduction in birth registrations. Due to procedures being complex and expensive, people decided to hide their children from the government instead of reporting births. With the efforts of the NGOs and the abolishing of the one child policy, it is expected that birth registration percentages will increase in China. Myanmar In Myanmar, 1 out of 5 every child born is unregistered. Although the country has seen improvement from 72.4% in 2009 to 81% in 2015, there is still a long way to go. Insurgencies in the country lead to reduced numbers of children being registered at birth as many people are displaced and under the risk of death. MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 6
Committee Name: United Nations Population Fund
Agenda Item: Developing strategies to improve universal birth registration
Student Officer & Role: Ekin Köseoğlu, Deputy Chair
Chronology of Important Events
Date Description of Event
1924 The League of Nations adopts the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of
the Child.
10 December The United Nations General Assembly adopts the Universal Declaration
1948 of Human Rights in Paris.
16 December The UN adopts the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and
1966 Cultural Rights.
18 December Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
1979 Women is adopted.
20 November The Convention on the Rights of the Child is adopted.
1989
8 September United Nations Millennium Declaration is published, and the Millennium
2000 Development Goals (MDGs) are set.
25 September Agenda 2030 is adopted by the General Assembly, and the Sustainable
2015 Development Goals are set for 2030, replacing MDGs.
20 January The United Nations General Assembly adopts the latest resolution
2020 regarding the rights of the child.
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 7Committee Name: United Nations Population Fund
Agenda Item: Developing strategies to improve universal birth registration
Student Officer & Role: Ekin Köseoğlu, Deputy Chair
Relevant International Documents
● The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), 10 December 1948
● International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), 16
December 1966
● Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW), 18 December 1979
● The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), 20 November 1989
● United Nations Millennium Declaration (UNMD), 8 September 2000
● 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 25 September 2015 (A/RES/70/1)
● Latest UNGA Resolution on the Rights of the Child, 20 January 2020, (A/RES/74/133)
● OHCHR report "Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere
as a person before the law," 17 June 2014
Past Attempts to Resolve the Issue
UNICEF has called for improvement in civil registration systems and expressed their
concerns regarding the matter. Although there is still much to do, their combined efforts with
NGOs paid off, increasing worldwide birth registration rates to 73% from 63% in 10 years.
UNICEF joined forces with PLAN International to create the Unregistered Children Project for
Southeast Asia, raising awareness regarding the issue taking action to counter it. China was
among the greatest problems for birth registration in East Asia and the Pacific. Due to high
fees and complicated processing, more and more people were discouraged from registering
their child. There was an attempt to resolve this issue by PLAN International, which was a
pilot project to simplify the process of birth registration. The installation of regional offices in
Qishan County led to an increase from 47% to 98% in birth registrations in the county in one
year.
There has been much action to raise awareness, and events have been organized by
many organizations such as WHO and UNFPA. The organizations' efforts include organizing
seminars and workshops, along with policy-making support and recommendations for civil
registration and vital statistics systems.
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 8Committee Name: United Nations Population Fund
Agenda Item: Developing strategies to improve universal birth registration
Student Officer & Role: Ekin Köseoğlu, Deputy Chair
Solution Alternatives
The lack of civil registration mostly stems from developing countries. To tackle the
issue, committees can be established under the already existing UN organs in order to
create more country-specific solutions.
Research indicates that the regions with lower birth registration levels usually have
outdated laws regarding birth registration and identification. Countries such as Indonesia in
the East Asia and the Pacific are among countries with inadequate legislation. These laws
should be reformed under the standards of the CRC and related documents. If countries
have not ratified related documents, they should be encouraged to do so.
Processes of birth registration can often be too complicated and time-consuming;
encouraging states to re-shape them may be useful. Connecting services such as protection
the State has to offer to birth registration is also a sufficient incentive.
Some countries may have scattered institutions with partially undefined missions;
centralization should be supported to get civil registration in order.
Launching awareness campaigns to remind the importance of birth registration and to
explain the procedures can also prove to be effective. Either local ministries or UN organs
can lead the campaign with collaboration from the other.
Establishing civil registry offices to target groups with low child registration rates is an
idea to be considered. Utilizing local or international NGOs' resources and data for the
establishment of the offices would surely make them yield more fruitful results.
School curricula should also be altered immediately to raise awareness regarding the
matter to see better results in the long run.
Useful Links
Unequal at Birth: Disparities in Birth Registration in East Asia and the Pacific - UNICEF
Despite significant increase in birth registration, a quarter of the world's children remain
'invisible' – UNICEF
The Government of Japan and UNICEF join hands to enhance birth registration system in
Timor-Leste – UNICEF
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 9Committee Name: United Nations Population Fund
Agenda Item: Developing strategies to improve universal birth registration
Student Officer & Role: Ekin Köseoğlu, Deputy Chair
Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track? – UNICEF
A fair chance for every child – UNICEF
For every child, reimagine – UNICEF
Bibliography
“A/RES/74/133.” A/RES/74/133 - E - A/RES/74/133 -Desktop, undocs.org/en/A/RES/74/133.
“About Us.” UNDP, www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/about-us.html.
Author UNICEF East Asia & Pacific, and UNICEF East Asia & Pacific. “Unequal at Birth.”
UNICEF East Asia and Pacific, 1 Feb. 2015, www.unicef.org/eap/reports/unequal-birth.
Author UNICEF, and Unicef. “UNICEF Annual Report 2019.” UNICEF, 1 June 2020,
www.unicef.org/reports/annual-report-2019.
“Birth Registration Can Accelerate Children's Access to Justice; African Union and UNICEF
Launch the ‘No Name Campaign.’” Birth Registration Can Accelerate Children's Access
to Justice; African Union and UNICEF Launch the "No Name Campaign" | African
Union, 24 Dec. 2020, au.int/ar/node/38710.
“Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are We on Track?” UNICEF DATA, 4 Aug. 2020,
data.unicef.org/resources/birth-registration-for-every-child-by-2030/.
“Birth Registration.” UNHCR Turkey, help.unhcr.org/turkey/social-economic-and-civil-
matters/birth-registration/.
“Birth Registration.” UNICEF Myanmar, www.unicef.org/myanmar/social-policy/birth-
registration.
“Birth Registration.” UNICEF DATA, 25 Nov. 2020, data.unicef.org/topic/child-
protection/birth-registration/.
“Convention on the Rights of the Child.” OHCHR,
www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx.
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 10Committee Name: United Nations Population Fund
Agenda Item: Developing strategies to improve universal birth registration
Student Officer & Role: Ekin Köseoğlu, Deputy Chair
Count Every Child, 2009,
reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/56D4BFF27FE425B249257671001C075
C-Count%2520Every%2520Child%2520report%25202009.pdf.
“Despite Significant Increase in Birth Registration, a Quarter of the World's Children Remain
'Invisible'.” UNICEF, 21 Dec. 2020, www.unicef.org/press-releases/despite-significant-
increase-birth-registration-quarter-worlds-children-remain.
“Despite Significant Increase in Birth Registration, a Quarter of the World's Children Remain
'Invisible'.” UNICEF, 21 Dec. 2020, www.unicef.org/press-releases/despite-significant-
increase-birth-registration-quarter-worlds-children-remain.
“Eastern Mediterranean Region.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization,
www.emro.who.int/civil-registration-statistics/about/what-are-civil-registration-and-vital-
statistics-crvs-systems.html.
“Evaluation of the Completeness of Birth Registration in China Using Analytical Methods and
Multiple Sources of Data.” United Nations, 2016,
www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/unpd_e
gm_nov2016_s2_chen_2016_birth_registration_in_china.pdf.
“Goal 16 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs.” United Nations, United Nations,
sdgs.un.org/goals/goal16?page=1.
“Home - UN Legal Identity Agenda.” United Nations, United Nations, unstats.un.org/legal-
identity-agenda/.
“Human Rights Bodies.” OHCHR,
www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/Pages/HumanRightsBodies.aspx.
“I Don't Have to Worry Anymore Because I Am Not Registered.” Plan International, plan-
international.org/thailand/birth-registration.
“International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.” OHCHR,
www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/cescr.aspx.
“Overview.” World Bank, www.worldbank.org/en/region/eap/overview#1.
Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System. United Nations, 2014.
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 11Committee Name: United Nations Population Fund
Agenda Item: Developing strategies to improve universal birth registration
Student Officer & Role: Ekin Köseoğlu, Deputy Chair
“Registration: Definition of Registration by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com Also Meaning of
Registration.” Lexico Dictionaries | English, Lexico Dictionaries,
www.lexico.com/definition/registration.
“Sustainable Development Goals.” UNDP, www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-
development-goals.html.
“The Government of Japan and UNICEF Join Hands to Enhance Birth Registration System in
Timor-Leste.” UNICEF, 26 Oct. 2020, www.unicef.org/eap/press-releases/government-
japan-and-unicef-join-hands-enhance-birth-registration-system-timor-leste.
“The State of the World's Children 2016: A Fair Chance for Every Child.” UNICEF, 22 June
2016, www.unicef.org/publications/index_91711.html.
“Take Action for the Sustainable Development Goals – United Nations Sustainable
Development.” United Nations, United Nations,
www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/.
“Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development | Department of
Economic and Social Affairs.” United Nations, United Nations,
sdgs.un.org/2030agenda.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “Birth Registration and the Right of
Everyone to Recognition Everywhere as a Person before the Law : Report of the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.” Refworld,
www.refworld.org/docid/53ff324e4.html.
“United Nations Millennium Declaration.” OHCHR,
www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/Millennium.aspx.
“Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations, United Nations,
www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/.
“UNSDG | About - Who We Are.” United Nations, United Nations, unsdg.un.org/about/who-
we-are.
“Who We Are.” OHCHR, ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/WhoWeAre.aspx.
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 12You can also read
