La Francophonie supports birth registration efforts across Central Africa, Madagascar

The International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), known commonly as La Francophonie, has reiterated its continuous support towards advancing birth registration in Central Africa as well as in other countries on the continent.

In a recent press statement, the inter-governmental organization made up largely of French-speaking countries, outlined some of birth registration strides it has recorded in countries including Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Madagascar.

The statement was issued on the occasion of the 8th edition of the Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day observed in many countries of the continent on August 10.

“In Chad, more than 53,000 children have been registered in the provinces of Tandjilé and Ennedi Est and a second phase is in preparation. In Cameroon, 5,400 children in the Far North have obtained a birth certificate. In the Central African Republic, the project is being launched and aims to issue 3,000 birth certificates to children and young people without civil registration, as well as to train staff and public officials,” the organization disclosed.

The OIF says these achievements have been obtained thanks to the collaboration of the governments of these countries in the implementation of its flagship Civil Registration project which has been in place since 2019.

It mentions that the objective of the project, which focuses on multistakeholder field projects and high-level advocacy actions, is to strengthen national birth registration systems, particularly in rural areas and among vulnerable populations.

“Civil registration is the cornerstone of all fundamental rights. Aware of this fact, the OIF has made it one of its strategic priorities to support its member states and governments in the implementation of inclusive, reliable, and accessible systems for all, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, to provide legal identity for all by 2030,” the OIF emphasized.

Madagascar’s CRVS efforts get OIF push

Apart from Central Africa, the OIF has also significantly supported Madagascar to improve its civil registration and legal ID numbers, the organization reports.

At the close of last month, a symbolic ceremony to hand over birth certificates took place, as part of an exercise that is expected to see the registration of more than 65,000 people without birth certificates between 2024 and 2025.

The project is being implemented in collaboration with the country’s Ministry of Interior, and it seeks to offer institutional support to Madagascar, to enable access to legal ID services especially for women and children. It is also supporting the country’s authorities by mobilising expertize, resources, and partnerships to support far-reaching reforms, including assistance for the operationalization of Madagascar’s personal data protection institution.

The OIF noted that before the handing over ceremony of birth certificates, it had renewed its partnership with the Urban Council of Antananarivo for “an ambitious project” which aims to register 24,000 people without legal identity by the end of 2025. Over 18,000 persons have already had legal identity within the framework of the project launched in 2022.

The OIF says it’s an ardent supporter of Africa CRVS Day and since 2021, it has worked to ensure the civil status registration of more than 500,000 persons mainly women and children, sensitized more than 2.5 million people in five countries to the importance of civil registration, and offered specific training and capacity building to more than 6,100 agents and officials.

Article Topics

Africa  |  birth registration  |  Cameroon  |  Central African Republic  |  Chad  |  civil registration  |  digital identity  |  legal identity  |  Madagascar  |  SDG 16.9