UNICEF-Liberia is calling for a concerted effort to address birth registration challenges in Liberia.
By Lewis S. Teh
Grand Bassa County, Liberia, August 13, 2024 – UNICEF Officer in Charge and Deputy Representative to Liberia Ahmad Shahvez has called for a concerted effort to strengthen and address Liberian children’s birth registration issues.
Speaking on behalf of UNICEF Country Representative to Liberia, Mr. Andy Brooks, at a celebration of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day held in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, over the weekend, Mr. Shahvez said Liberia continues to experience challenges that are strangulating birth registration progress, so there’s an urgent commitment to addressing the issue.
“As we celebrate this year’s African Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Day, we are hopeful that we can strengthen our collaborative efforts and renew our commitments to address the above challenges and to promote the integration of all civil registration and vital statistics systems,” he noted.
The celebration was held under the theme: “Strengthening the linkage of civil registration and vital statistics to legal identity systems through digitalization for enhanced inclusion.”
He stressed that the collaborative efforts will highlight digital linkages, which ensure accurate and timely data on births, deaths, and marriages. This will empower the government to make informed decisions on critical issues like healthcare, education, and social welfare.
The UNICEF official added that linking systems allow the country to verify identities and provide targeted services more effectively to reduce waste and duplication.
Mr. Shahvez said legal identity is a fundamental right that is essential for accessing education, healthcare, and participating in society, especially for children.
“These are just a few of the reasons why strengthening the linkages of systems is crucial,” he underscored.
At the same time, he urged everyone to work together to ensure universal coverage for birth registration, saying, “We must act now.”
He called on the Liberian government and development partners to roll up their sleeves and work together, stressing that a newborn child needs the full set of vaccinations to be registered and to obtain a birth certificate, which he described as a passport to life.
He revealed that under the leadership of the Minister of Health, UNICEF continues to advocate for the inclusion of birth registration services in essential and routine health service delivery packages.
According to him, this coordinated approach enhances the interoperability of immunization and birth registration services.
“Streamlining health services will ensure efficiency in service delivery and sustainability. Working together will make us stronger and help us achieve legal identity for all”.
He outlined key achievements with the support of UNICEF along with the Swedish, French, and Japanese Governments.
He noted that under Decentralization, birth registration has been extended to all 15 counties, including health facilities across Liberia, covering 98% of the health districts.
Also touching on integration, the UNICEF Officer-in-Charge and Deputy Country Rep. indicated that the Birth Registration Information Management System has been integrated into the District Health Information Systems (DHIS2) platform for real-time reporting.
“Birth registration processes have been digitized through the use of tablets and a system that facilitates online registration and the issuance of digital birth certificates as far digitalization is concerned,” he said.
