WASHINGTON, CMC -The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Organization of American = States (OAS) say they plan to build an alliance to disseminate good practices = and raise awareness of the importance of rightfully documented citizens in = the Latin America and the Caribbean.
IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno; Ann Veneman, UNICEF Executive = Director and Jos=E9 Miguel Insulza, Secretary General of the OAS, will hold = announce the new alliance next Tuesday in Colombia.
The alliance seeks to promote the registration of birth certificates as = a vehicle to combat the economic, political and social exclusion of undocumented citizens, and fully aligned with the IDB’s =93Building Opportunity for the Majority initiative.
The IDB launched the initiative in early June to create economic opportunities for the majority of the population in the region and accelerate their access to goods and services.
=93The lack of birth certificates typically leads to a lifetime of invisibility and exclusion for those working and living at the base of = the pyramid, said IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno.
=93Basic identity documents such as birth certificates and national ID = cards are critical for engaging in economic and productive activities and exercising citizenship rights.
Citizens who lack identity documents are excluded from holding formal = sector jobs, accessing credit, opening a savings account and inheriting = property.
Voting and being elected to office may also be restricted.=20
UNICEF Executive Director Ann. M. Veneman said that =93UNICEF, as the = world’s leader for children, keenly understands the importance of children = having an identity =85 a name and a nationality .
Latin America and the Caribbean, at 82 per cent, have the highest rates = of registration among developing regions. =20
But UNICEF officials say this figure hides considerable disparities both between and within countries with countries like Haiti, where there is a = 70 per cent rate still a long way from achieving that goal.
=93Although the Latin America and Caribbean region exceeds world = averages in birth registration, those averages conceal disparities. Rural and = indigenous children are the most likely to be unregistered, said Veneman.
=93In the region, it is estimated that more than one in six children – = or about 2 million children who are born every year – go unregistered.
The Secretary General of the OAS, Jos=E9 Miguel Insulza, said this = coalition will make it easier for citizens of Latin America and the Caribbean to participate in educational, political, social and economic activities = that constitute the basis for development and growth in the region.
Insulza referred to his experience in Haiti, where the OAS carried out significant efforts to increase the number of registered citizens to = ensure their participation in the presidential elections in February.
With the support of OAS and the United Nations national authorities in = Haiti were able to register more than 3.5 million people who until then had no official form of identification.=20
He said this new alliance between the IDB, UNICEF and OAS will greatly contribute to the transparency and institutional consolidation of Latin American and Caribbean societies.