Lusaka – The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Assembly has urged governments in the world to guarantee the rights to legal identity for infants by removing barriers to birth registration, a statement said on Wednesday.
The resolutions were adopted by the Members of Parliament from 130 countries attending the 134th IPU Assembly in Lusaka.
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It identified a series of measures that parliaments could take to facilitate the issuance of birth certificates free of charge or at minimum costs.
According to the resolutions, it is estimated that 230 million children under the age of five are unregistered at birth and one in every seven registered children does not have a birth certificate.
“The IPU is currently working with parliaments in East Africa, Latin America and South Asia to raise awareness on importance of birth registration among Members of Parliament and supporting outreach to rural communities.’’
The meeting also highlighted the impact on access to education, health, welfare services and other basic rights on unregistered children.
“Socially marginalised, these children are even more vulnerable to human trafficking and forced labour, particularly during humanitarian crises’’, the statement said.
The meeting called for implementation of mobile applications to allow authorised people to register births.
It added that registry offices would be set close to people’s homes as making it possible for women to be able to register children and registration to be digitalised.
“Goal number 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals includes a target on providing legal identity and birth registration for all by 2030’’, it stressed. (Xinhua/NAN)