กรุงเทพฯ--3 ก.ย.--ESCAP
In November, a high-level meeting of senior government ministers is taking place here in Bangkok. Hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), ministers from across Asia will convene in Bangkok to make regional and domestic commitments on civil registration and vital statistics in their countries, including every child’s right to birth registration and a legal identity.
Around the world, 230 million children have not been registered, which can leave them unable to access the services and opportunities that come with having a legal identity and being a citizen of a country. At particular risk are already vulnerable groups, like indigenous communities, migrants and stateless peoples.
This is a major problem in Asia and the Pacific, where 135 million children under five have not been registered. More than 100 developing countries around the world still don’t have functioning systems that can support efficient registrations of births and other major life events.
With such a significant meeting taking place in Bangkok, ESCAP would like to invite friends and colleagues from the media to attend a one hour briefing specifically for journalists on why this is important and what it means for the region’s children, governments and economies.
The briefing will explore why this is an issue that requires the urgent attention of the international community as we look beyond the Millennium Development Goals to the post-2015 development agenda.