Around the world, the births of 166 million children under the age of 5 have never been recorded. About 1 out of 3 of these children (65 million) live in Asia and the Pacific. Even if children’s births are recorded, many lack proof as there are 237 children under age 5 who do not have birth certificates and among all regions, South Asia is home to the largest number of under-five children who do not have a birth certificate.[1]
Behind the numbers
There is a crucial link between birth registration and certification. The numbers mean lost opportunities and that one’s basic human rights are not being realized. A birth certificate obtained once birth has been registered provides children with proof of legal identity. Providing them with a birth certificate immediately after birth is critical to ensuring that they can claim their rights and access various services.
The process of the government in recording and keeping the data on the “vital” or important events in the life of the people in the country, i.e., birth, marriage, and death of a person, are what the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) System is about. This is an important basis for government planning and decision-making processes that affect, in the broader sense, the full enjoyment of the rights of children and youth. It also has an impact on child rights issues in relation to nationality, education, health, and child marriage, among others. Hence, CRVS has to be universal.
However, challenges remain in ensuring a universal and responsive CRVS System. There is a need to support registration for hard-to-reach areas and marginalized populations; advocate for protection on behalf of at-risk groups like youth, people with disabilities, girls, among other marginalized groups; conduct CRVS-related researches; raise awareness of civil registration among populations needing services, and hold relevant stakeholders accountable. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare these challenges and strengthened the case for a more resilient CRVS.
The Asian and Pacific Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade 2015-2024
In 2014, countries in Asia and the Pacific attending the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) adopted the Ministerial Declaration to “Get Every One in the Picture” and proclaimed 2015-2024 as the “Asian and Pacific CRVS Decade”. This Declaration includes the shared vision that by 2024, all people in Asia and the Pacific will benefit from universal and responsive civil registration and vital statistics systems that facilitate the realization of their rights and support good governance, health, and development.”[2] Such commitment was accompanied by a Regional Action Framework for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific which provides guidance to countries and development partners in the region working to improve CRVS systems.[3]
In 2018, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) at its 74th Session, supported the recommendation of the Regional Steering Group to convene a Second Ministerial Conference on CRVS in Asia and Pacific in 2020 to enable countries in assessing regional progress and in identifying action towards the achievement of the goals and targets in the Regional Action Framework. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the Second Ministerial Conference has been postponed to 16-19 November 2021. Nonetheless, preparations for the Conference, including the conduct of country children and youth consultations, pushed through in 2020 through online and face-to-face means.
Various organizations have been working together to ensure that despite the shift of children’s social interactions to online platforms, their right to participation is still upheld.
The Regional Forum on CRVS: Bringing Together the Voices of Children and Youth
Children and youth play an important role in harnessing political commitments to overcome the challenges in achieving a universal and responsive CRVS. Because this is an issue that affects children, their voices and views should be heard and considered in the political and policymaking process.
As such, the UNESCAP, Child Rights Coalition Asia (CRC Asia), and World Vision International are conducting children and youth consultations in Asia and the Pacific, anchoring on the abovementioned political commitments that have been declared in the past years.
To ensure that the voices of children and youth are included in the discussions and decisions to be made in Second Ministerial Conference, together with the children and youth, country-level consultations were conducted and the consolidated report is being prepared, a joint video statement by children is being developed, and children and youth representatives who will be speakers in the Second Ministerial Conference is being identified through a peer selection process.
As part of the series of participatory processes, on May 29, 2021, World Vision International, CRC Asia, UN ESCAP, in partnership with UNICEF, Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative, and Vital Strategies conducted the Regional Forum of Children and Youth on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) in Asia and the Pacific. It was a follow-up activity to the country-level children and youth consultations conducted from January to April 2021 in 11 countries where children and young people’s experiences and recommendations on issues related to getting birth, marriage, or death certificates were gathered.
The objective of the Forum was to kick-start the development of the joint video statement on CRVS by the children and youth in the region and to facilitate the selection of children and youth representatives who will be part of the Statement Core Group that will finalize the video statement. The 61 children and youth delegates at the Forum were selected during the consultations in 11 countries in East Asia and the Pacific: Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Samoa; and South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
View the Program of the Regional Forum here.
At the virtual plenary hall, the results of the country-level consultations were presented to children by the team of researchers, followed by a question and answer session.
After which, they were divided into workshop groups on their choice, namely, the IMPORTANCE Group (where the group members answered the question, “Why is it important for us to have birth, marriage, and death certificates?”), the CHALLENGES Group (“what are the challenges we face in getting birth, marriage, and death certificates?”) and the RECOMMENDATIONS (“how can the government and other people help us in getting birth, marriage, and death certificates ?”). The inputs of the consulted children and young people during the country-level consultations have guided the design of the regional forum, including the focus of the workshop groups. During the workshop discussions, with the help of their facilitators, documenters, and technical support teams, the children and youth delegates discussed their assigned questions and their plans for the joint video statement. It was also a space for them to recommend follow-up actions after the Regional Forum and select among themselves a representative to the Statement Core Group.
To uphold a child participatory and inclusive process, interpreters of 7 Asian languages were assigned to translate the proceedings for the children. The children and youth delegates were also reminded that when they are selecting representatives to the Statement Core Group, they have to keep in mind that equal opportunities for all gender, ages, background, and place of origin and that a good English-speaking skill is not a requirement.
What are Happening Next?
The Regional Forum is part of the series of participatory preparations for the Second Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific, which is, as mentioned above, scheduled for 16 – 19 November 2021. Stay tuned and know more about the Second Ministerial Conference at www.getinthepicture.org. Participants can register for the Conference at meetings.unescap.org/.
UNESCAP launched Getting Every One in the Picture – A snapshot of progress midway through the Asian and the Pacific Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade on 28 June 2021. This midterm report provides background information for discussions at the Second Ministerial Conference. A child representative from the Regional Forum was one of the speakers at the launch. Download the midterm report here.
A live webcast is also available at https://youtu.be/fg3–V8bgS0.
This launch was followed by four (4) events that provided an opportunity to zero in on the particular challenges faced in each subregion (the Pacific, South and South-West Asia, South-East Asia, and North and Central Asia). These subregional events featured youth active in civil society organizations, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, the Minister of Justice in Kiribati, Secretary of Health in Bhutan, multiple Civil Registrars, and heads of Statistical Agencies in the region, and many more. To see the event recording and the presentations, please visit “PAST EVENTS” at https://getinthepicture.org/event/launch-of-getting-every-one-picture-snapshot-progress-midway.
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[1] Learn more on UNICEF’s Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?
[2] Ministerial Declaration to “Get everyone in the picture” in Asia and the Pacific. (2014). Available at https://getinthepicture.org/sites/default/files/resources/Ministerial.Declaration.English.final__0_0.pdf
[3] Regional Action Framework on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific. Available at https://getinthepicture.org/resource/regional-action-framework-civil-registration-and-vital-statistics-asia-and-pacific.
