Birth registration

Society first acknowledges a child’s existence and identity through birth registration. The right to be recognized as a person before the law is a critical step in ensuring lifelong protection and is a prerequisite for exercising all other rights. Yet the births of one fourth of children under age 5 worldwide have never been officially recorded. A dedicated target (16.9) under Goal 16 of the SDGs aims to provide legal identity for all, including birth registration, by 2030. Functioning civil registration systems are the main vehicles through which a legal identity for all – and target 16.9 – can be achieved. Such systems produce vital statistics, including those on birth registration, which are foundational for achieving sustained human and economic development. While most countries have mechanisms in place for registering births, systematic recording remains a serious challenge, highlighting the urgent need to improve and strengthen civil registration and vital statistics. By providing all children with proof of legal identity from day one, their rights can be protected and universal access to social services can be enabled. If we are to fulfill our promise to leave no one behind, we must ensure that every child is registered at birth and receives a passport to lifelong protection – a birth certificate.