Foreign Policy Blogs

UN Pushes for Birth Registration

UN Pushes for Birth Registration

Mother in Liberia holding up her child's new birth certificate. Photo Credit: Plan

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced its partnership with the global children’s rights organization Plan International for a worldwide push to ensure that children, especially those at risk of statelessness, are registered at birth. There are some 12 million stateless people across the world, half of which are children, according to the UN agency.  UNICEF estimates that 51 million babies each year, more than two fifths of those born worldwide, are not registered at birth.  Furthermore, many parents are not registered themselves, often a requirement for child registration.  Halting this vicious cycle is key to ending exploitation and the denial of human rights worldwide.

The announcement of this new partnership is vital to ensuring that children and adults are given not only their basic rights to identity and state, but that they are not placed at risk for exploitation and trafficking. Plan’s Chief Executive Officer Nigel Chapman stated that the “failure to document a person’s legal existence beginning from birth can prevent the effective realization of a range of human rights, including the right of every child to acquire a nationality. Children’s right to identity therefore lies at the center of all efforts to prevent child statelessness” (AlertNet/Plan International). A child’s first access to human rights comes with their birth registration, it is the key to the future.  Without a birth certificate a child is left to wander through life vulnerable to abuse and victimization.  In developing countries, the number birth registrations is often low. 

As I mentioned in my post last year, The Battle Against Satelessness, on December 7th the largest conference on refugees and stateless people in UNHCR’s 60 years was held, during the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. UNHCR then made increasing birth registration rates a global strategic priority for 2012-13.   Many issues were brought to light at this landmark meeting, and seeing UNHCR and Plan unite to increase birth registration and win the fight against statelessness demonstrates that the global community is on the right path to safeguarding children’s rights across the globe.

Partnering with Plan is a perfect fit for tackling this problem on an international level, as they have been leading the global campaign Count Every Child for universal birth registration since 2005. So far, the initiative has facilitated the registration of more than 40 million, mostly children, in 32 countries.  In addition, Plan’s advocacy on the issue has helped to improve laws in 10 countries and allowed 153 million children to be eligible for free birth certificates.  UNHCR and Plan’s partnership will also work closely with UNICEF and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) to begin with the identification of priority countries, where they will then work to ensure that every child is registered at birth.

Addressing statelessness and birth registration is key in the battle to protect the basic human rights of millions and brings us a step closer to ending modern slavery.  The simple recognition of birth and state can safeguard the most vital of all human rights and end the abuse and exploitation of men, women and children.  Without birth registration or recognition by a state, children are without an official identity; they have no recognized name or nationality- in legal terms they do not exist. Without document to provide proof of their age or who they are, children are likely to be discriminated against and denied access to basic services such as health and education.

 

Author

Cassandra Clifford

Cassandra Clifford is the Founder and Executive Director of Bridge to Freedom Foundation, which works to enhance and improve the services and opportunities available to survivors of modern slavery. She holds an M.A., International Relations from Dublin City University in Ireland, as well as a B.A., Marketing and A.S., Fashion Merchandise/Marketing from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Cassandra has previously worked in both the corporate and charity sector for various industries and causes, including; Child Trafficking, Learning Disabilities, Publishing, Marketing, Public Relations and Fashion. Currently Cassandra is conducting independent research on the use of rape as a weapon of war, as well as America’s Pimp Culture and its Impact on Modern Slavery. In addition to her many purists Cassandra is also working to develop a series of children’s books.

Cassandra currently resides in the Washington, D.C. metro area, where she also writes for the Examiner, as the DC Human Rights Examiner, and serves as an active leadership member of DC Stop Modern Slavery.


Areas of Focus:
Children's Rights; Human Rights; Conflict