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Everyone has the right to be recognized as a person before the law, as enshrined in Article 6 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. To strengthen access to legal identity1 , the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development established a specific target within the Sustainable Development Goals – Target 16.9: “By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration”.
As civil registration, and particularly birth registration, provides an official record of the existence of a person and the recognition of that individual before the law, it has been the fundamental means of granting legal identity. The right for all to be registered at birth is included in various human rights instruments. Despite this, the births of many children around the world go unregistered. Refugees, other displaced people, and stateless populations face particular barriers in accessing birth registration for their children. Children without birth registration are more vulnerable to protection risks, may have limited access to services and could be at risk of statelessness if they have problems proving their links to a State. The risk of statelessness is especially high for those without a birth certificate who belong to a minority group, a cross-border population or are descendants of migrants and refugees as their ties to a state are more likely to be challenged.