The Japan-funded birth registration initiative will expand UNHCR’s ongoing efforts to 50 more municipalities in BARMM and Sulu, enhancing access to vital birth documentation for marginalized populations.
This birth registration initiative gives everyone a chance to say #IBelong — including Sama Bajaus, unregistered children in the context of forced displacement due to armed conflict, and decommissioned combatants and their families.
Joel Telin, a Local Civil Registrar (LCR) staff based in Cotabato City, views birth registration as a means of improving the way of life in the Bangsamoro region. For many years, he has dedicated his time advocating for birth registration to be better appreciated in his community.
“I’ve been working in civil registration for many years now, a green form means a birth certificate, pink is for marriage, blue for death, and after so long, the routine can make it easy to lose sight of the real value behind our work. But through this training, I’ve been reminded of the profound importance behind each piece of paper we process. After so many years, the significance of birth registration has truly hit home for me again,” he said.
All provinces in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are at the bottom ten of the lowest proportion of registered births in the country. Compared to the 96.6% birth registration rate at the national level in the Philippines, the 77% rate in the BARMM shows the need for sustained and concerted birth registration advocacy.
Following a recent engagement with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Joel has found a renewed sense of hope and purpose as he looks forward to increased awareness and acceptance of birth registration in his community and the rest of the region.
“In Cotabato City, we often handle birth records in batches from birthing homes and hospitals, with very little interaction with the parents or registrants themselves. Documents are just delivered, processed, and then sent back without us ever meeting the families or the people whose lives we’re documenting. This initiative is different. It gives us a chance to help them feel seen and supported in a process that’s crucial to their identity and their rights,” Joel added.
Strong commitment of LGUs, key to success of initiative
Birth registration support will be given to 50 priority municipalities over 30 months. UNHCR and its partners will assist through digitizing processes, capacity-building, and advocacy activities to raise awareness.
Minister Mohagher Iqbal, chair of the MILF Peace Implementing Panel, shares a historical background of the Bangsamoro Peace Process during the courtesy visit by UNHCR and partners for the Japan-funded birth registration initiative.
UNHCR, UNICEF, and Community and Family Services International (CFSI) conduct a courtesy visit to the Local Government Unit of Languyan, Tawi-Tawi for the Initiative for Promoting Digital Birth Registration in BARMM.
Governor Abdusakur Mahail Tan emphasized during a meeting with UNHCR and its partners at the Sulu Provincial Capitol the importance of civil documentation in the efforts of the local government to serve its people.
Tawi-Tawi Governor Yshmael Sali shared that they welcome the engagement with their local government for the initiative, especially because it helps their Sama Bajau communities.
“A birth certificate is needed so that a child can have access to education. Likewise, most government services now require birth certificates to be presented, so it is very important to ensure access to birth registration, especially for Sama Bajaus. We are grateful to UNHCR and its partners for this initiative,” he said.
Likewise, Sulu Governor Abdusakur Mahail Tan welcomed the initiative and shared that “because of the conflict, access to birth certificates has been affected. But we recognize that it is a very important document.”
“One of these days, all offices will require birth certificates as a way for us to better monitor and serve our people. All initiatives for the betterment of our people are always welcome,” he said during a coordination meeting with UNHCR and its partners.
UNHCR, together with its partners Community and Family Services International (CFSI), Relief International (RI), and UNICEF and in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) – BARMM, and Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPRU), have engaged 12 priority municipalities for the initial phase of the Japan-funded initiative which seeks to expand the reach of digital birth registration efforts in the BARMM and Sulu. To date, all 12 municipalities have responded favorably and have expressed their commitment to the initiative.
A total of 50 priority municipalities will be given birth registration support within 30 months by the initiative. UNHCR and its partners will be providing support through digitization of processes at the LCR level, capacity building of partners, and advocacy activities highlighting the importance of birth registration.
The initiative seeks to strengthen the protection space for the Sama Bajaus and unregistered children within the context of forcible displacement due to armed conflict who have been previously identified by the Philippine Government as populations at risk of statelessness. Similarly, the initiative will also cover decommissioned combatants and their families as part of the efforts to complement the normalization efforts of the Philippine Government.
Capacities enhanced with training on digital birth registration
Women community leaders from Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, and Lanao del Sur collaborate on strategies to encourage unregistered individuals in their community to secure their right to nationality through birth registration.
Local government leaders in action: Officials from the Municipality of Masiu collaborate to develop a comprehensive workplan for the rollout of the birth registration initiative in line with the Municipality's commitment to contribute to the national goal of ending statelessness.
Social workers from the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) engage in a training on the critical link between birth registration and the right to nationality. The session aims to enhance their capacity to identify unregistered individuals, navigate legal frameworks, and implement inclusive strategies to uphold this fundamental right.
Local civil registrars and government personnel from Marawi City, Butig, and Masiu participate in a 3-day intensive training on birth registration, adopting a holistic, rights-based, and protection-centered approach. This training is a key preparatory step for the rollout of a province-wide birth registration campaign in Lanao del Sur, targeting the registration of 1,800 unregistered individuals for the first phase of the initiative.
Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo, Head of National Office of UNHCR Philippines, highlights the pivotal role of local government units in ensuring accessible and efficient birth registration services, linking this effort to the principles of good governance and the local government’s mandate to protect every individual’s right to nationality.
In preparation for the roll-out of birth registration activities, UNHCR and its partners in collaboration with the BARMM Government through the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) embarked on a series of trainings on birth registration in October. The training sessions prepared local government units (LGUs) and LCRs of the pilot municipalities, including those of Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Mastura, and Cotabato City in Maguindanao; Butig, Masiu, and Marawi City in Lanao del Sur; Luuk, Omar, and Talipao in Sulu; Maluso in Basilan; and Languyan and South Ubian in Tawi-Tawi.
Similar trainings were also undertaken to prepare focal persons from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the priority municipalities to be covered by the project. The trainings enhanced their knowledge on the birth registration processes and skills to support birth registration activities planned for their respective municipalities in Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao.
Birth registration seen to complement normalization efforts
With the full support and participation of all partners and the 12 municipalities, this Japan-funded birth registration initiative will help safeguard the rights of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations.
The implementation of the initiative will bring mobile birth registration to the priority municipalities, capacity building and digitization support to Local Civil Registrars, and sustainable livelihood opportunities for select communities.
Suharto Guiamel advocates for access to birth certificates of decommissioned combatants and their families during a session from the series of birth registration trainings held by UNHCR and its partners for focal persons of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the priority municipalities identified under the Japan-funded initiative.
Representatives from Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Mastura, and Cotabato City engage in a 3-day capacity-building workshop focused on enhancing birth registration practices, equipping participants with tools to address documentation gaps and promote accessibility for underserved populations in Maguindanao.
Speaking at the training for MILF focals in General Santos City last October, Suharto Guiamel, a community leader from Maguindanao emphasized the importance of birth registration for decommissioned combatants and their families.
“Civil documentation is important for us to prove our identity. This is the symbol of the new beginning as we integrate and make efforts to serve and contribute to society. We are now members of Philippine and Bangsamoro society. It is our fundamental right to have access to birth registration and we encourage everyone to register their birth for a brighter, safer, and more secure future,” said Suharto.
“UNHCR welcomes the positive reception and strong commitment for the initiative conveyed by the local government units of the 12 pilot municipalities and the MILF. We are confident that with their full support and participation, the initiative will be successfully activated and effective in raising awareness on the importance of birth registration and ensuring the rights of those furthest behind are protected and promoted,” said UNHCR Philippines Head of National Office Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo.
“The initiative operates with the goal of ensuring that everyone can live in safety and dignity. Providing access to birth registration contributes to strengthened relationship with LGUs, improved access to essential services, and mechanisms that minimize risks of further harm due to the lack of documentation during displacement,” she added.
In 2022 the Philippines became the 78th country to accede to the 1961 Convention and remains the first and only country in the Asia-Pacific region to have adopted the 1954 Convention. The initiative supports the Philippines in its contributions to these key international conventions in addressing statelessness, to its own National Action Plan to End Statelessness, global initiatives to end statelessness, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.9 to provide legal identity for all, including birth registration by 2030, and the principle of leaving no one behind.
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ABOUT UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We lead international action to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. We deliver life-saving assistance, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place called home where they can build a better future. We also work to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality. We work in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions.
In the Philippines, UNHCR has maintained a presence for over 40 years, working on providing durable solutions to refugees, ending and reducing statelessness, and empowering displaced families.
For more information, please contact:
Karen Cepeda
External Relations Associate
[email protected]
(02) 88172398
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