Leaving No One Behind: A Digital Path Towards Counting Everyone

The Vital Talk highlights the global issue of unregistered births and deaths. About 25% of births and 40% of deaths are still unrecorded, leaving many people without legal identity—this lack of documentation limits access to essential rights, services, and protections. During a United Nations event, experts discussed the importance of digitalised civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems to ensure everyone is counted, aligning with the UN’s mandate to record every birth and death globally.

Organisations like UNICEF, Vital Strategies, and Bloomberg Philanthropies emphasise that digital solutions can drive inclusion and equity, helping to address the gaps in registration. The missing data mainly affects policymakers’ ability to address emerging health challenges and provide necessary protections.

Momentum is building globally, with governments increasingly committed to improving CRVS systems. Child Identity Protection (CHIP) supports initiatives to enhance global civil registration systems and ensure legal identity for all. Based on CHIP’s submission to OHCHR, digitalisation helps reinforce such systems as long as human rights are integrated into their development.

Source : https://www.vitaltalks.org/leaving-no-one-behind-a-digital-path-toward-counting-everyone/

See also CHIP’s submission to OHCHR’s upcoming report on birth registration and digital solutions. https://www.child-identity.org/expert-meeting-on-birth-registration-and-digital-technologies/