Conference of African Ministers responsible for Civil Registration

1. Theme: Reforming and Improving Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems in Africa Conference of African Ministers responsible for Civil Registration Need for Improved Civil Registration and Vital Systems in Africa Mr Yeo Dossina Economic Affairs Department African Union Commission

2. Outline • Background • Legal framework or initiatives • Way forward

3. Background

4. Background • The process of socio-economic, political and cultural integration has always been a core concern of African leaders; • Since 1960 several initiatives and legal frameworks adopted at the highest level have succeeded to accelerate the integration process and to ensure its sons and daughters good quality, economic and social welfare; • For it to fully succeed, many treaties were developed to promote human rights, good governance and the development of quality statistics to evaluate the development outcomes.

5. Legal framework or initiatives

6. Rights and protection • Charter of the OAU (1963), • Freedom, equality, justice and dignity are essential objectives for the achievement of the legitimate aspirations of the African peoples; • Charter (Banjul) on Human and People's Rights, 1981 • Establishment of bodies to promote and protect human and peoples' rights"; • Taking into consideration cultural and the values of African civilization which should inspire and characterize their reflection on the concept of human and peoples' rights;

7. Rights and protection • Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights on Women in Africa, 2003 • Recognition and protection of women human and legal rights; • Right to dignity inherent in a human • State parties to adopt legislative, administrative, social and economic measures to ensure the prevention, punishment and eradication of all forms of violence against women;

8. Rights and protection • African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance, 2007; • Promote adherence to the universal values and principles of democracy and respect for human rights; • Promote and enhance adherence to the principle of the rule of law • African Union Convention for the protection and assistance of internally displaced persons in Africa (Kampala Convention), 2009 • Respect and ensure respect and protection of the human rights of internally displaced persons, including humane treatment, nondiscrimination, equality and equal protection of law;

9. Rights and protection • African Charter on the rights and welfare of the child, 1990 • This Children's Charter is a comprehensive instrument that sets out rights and defines universal principles and norms for the status of children; • Charter for child in Africa (affected by all types of abuse: socio-economic, political, cultural, traditional, natural disasters, access to health, armed conflicts exploitation and hunger, early marriage, differences between urban and rural areas etc. • Child requires legal protection in conditions of freedom, dignity and security;

10. Rights and protection • African Charter on the rights and welfare of the child, 1990 • Article 6: • Every child shall have the right from his birth no a name; • Every child shall be registered immediately after birth; • Every child has the right to acquire a nationality; • MS undertake to ensure that their Constitutional legislation recognize the principles according to which a child shall acquire the nationality of the State in the territory of which he has been born if, at the time of the child's birth, he is not granted nationality by any other State in accordance with its laws.

11. Rights and protection • African Charter on the rights and welfare of the child • Creation of an African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (Committee of Experts); • Its mission is to: • to promote and protect the rights established by the ACRWC; • to practice applying these rights; and • to interpret the disposition of the ACRWC as required of party states, AU institutions, or all other institutions recognized by AU or by a member state.

12. Improved quality statistics • African Charter on Statistics • Political instrument at the service of statistics development and coordination at all levels; • Relation between members of the African statistics system • Sum of values for African statisticians; • Build statistical capacities and statistical renaissance; • Commitment of Member States for the promotion of statistics to support development planning and monitoring/evaluation.

13. Improved quality statistics • Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA) • Objective is to : to generate timely, reliable and harmonised statistical information, covering all aspects of political, economic, social and cultural integration for Africa • Its pillars: • To Produce Quality Statistics for Africa; • To Coordinate the Production of Quality Statistics for Africa; • To Build sustainable Institutional Capacity of the African Statistical System; and • To Inculcate a Culture of Quality Decision-making.

14. Way forward

15. Way Forward • Develop and adopt an Action Plan on civil registration and vital statistics as a pillar of the SHASA; • Strong advocacy at the highest level for accelerated universal birth registration ; • Ensure its integration in the national statistics development plans; • Mobilize resources for the implementation of the Action Plan; • Ensure updating of civil registration laws and regulations of civil registration systems • Strengthen coordination among national, regional and continental partners

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