“Make me visible: Birth Registration Matters”

Ambassador Demiralp
Ambassador Ulises Canchola [Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico]
Ms. Lois [Head of Geneva Office, Plan International]
Excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen:

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the opening of this exhibition, highlighting the importance of birth registration for every child. This event has been organized by the Permanent Missions of Mexico and Turkey, in collaboration with Plan International, and I would like to express my appreciation for their involvement. I would also like to thank OHCHR, UNICEF, UNHCR, and WHO, who have also supported the organization of this exhibition.

Official registration at birth is often taken for granted. Yet this common fact of life for many of us is not a reality for an estimated 51 million children every year. Whether unaware of the importance of registration or due to barriers created by poverty, social exclusion or discrimination, some parents remain unable or unwilling to register their children.

Despite these and other challenges, every child has the right to an identity. This right is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Declaration of Human Rights, among other international human rights instruments. Without an identity, children may become vulnerable to exploitation or be denied access to healthcare, education or protection. As they get older, they face new difficulties, including the ability to legally work or travel.

It is clear that birth registration remains an essential issue for the international community. In this respect, I very much welcome the efforts of Mexico and Turkey, as well as Plan International and other partners from within the UN family, to push for action on this matter. It is through these efforts that during its 19th session, the Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution dedicated to birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen:

Through this exhibition, we put faces to the statistics. We see the children who do not officially exist in the eyes of their state. And we see them just outside the Human Rights Council, the UN body entrusted with the protection and promotion of human rights. I hope that this exhibition will serve as a reminder of the need to protect the rights of children and all those without official identities. And that it will also provide an opportunity for the international community to take concrete actions in support of universal birth registration.

Thank you very much.