“Birth registration is a fundamental right, recognized by article 24, paragraph 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
“The demographic information provided by a comprehensive civil registration system, including birth registration, is crucial for government planning and decision-making, as well as for the monitoring of programmes for children, families and the broader community. Accurate information gives the State the ability to not only track, counter and prevent abuse against individuals but also to plan service provision for children and their caregivers and to evaluate the impact of policies; for example, ”
“Birth registration should be part of a wider civil registration system that includes the free and universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of key events – births, deaths, adoptions, marriages and divorces – and other civil status events pertaining to the population. These records are the main source of vital statistics; the complete coverage, accuracy and timeliness of civil registration is therefore essential,”