Cameroon begins campaign to issue 500k birth certificates to undocumented children
Published: 29/Aug/2023
Source: Biometric Update
By Ayang Macdonald
The pilot phase of a project is underway to issue 500,000 birth certificates to children who do not yet have the foundational identity document in Cameroon.
The project was launched recently in Batouri, a town in the East Region noted for low birth registration.
Decentralisation and Local Development Minister Georges Elanga Obam launched the project as the country joined the rest of the continent to celebrate the Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day earlier this month.
The special campaign, which kicked off with the symbolic issuance of 100 birth certificates to some children in the area, is taking place on the instructions of the President of the Republic, Pau Biya, Obam said.
Statistics from Cameroon’s National Civil Status Registration Office (BUNEC) show the rate of birth certificate issuance for children five years of age and below stands at 65 percent. Analysts say the figures need to be improved given the high birth rate in the country, and UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.9 targets 100 percent birth registration.
Read further: https://www.biometricupdate.com/202308/cameroon-begins-campaign-to-issue-500k-birth-certificates-to-undocumented-children