OSCE/ODIHR co-organizes seminar in Manila on developing principles and recommendations for civil registration and identity management

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) co-organized an event on the development of globally applicable principles and recommendations for civil registration and identity management in Manila from 17 to 19 July 2017.

At the technical seminar, organized in partnership with the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD), the Asian Development Bank and the Philippines Statistical Authority, 40 participants from 15 countries and 8 international organizations exchanged information on civil registration and identity management systems, and discussed good practices in their creation and implementation. They also discussed the draft structure and content of the UN Guidelines on the Legislative Framework for Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity Management, providing input and recommendations on the updating of this international guide for implementing authorities around the world.

Participating with ODIHR’s support, representatives of identity management authorities from Armenia and Kyrgyzstan presented their experiences in reforming their national civil registration and civil identification systems.

“Participating in this event has been very valuable – we were able to discuss and learn from others’ experiences – and I will return with a number of suggestions for potential improvements to our national framework for civil registration and identity management,” said Ani Mkhitaryan, Head of the Civil Status Acts Registration Agency within the Armenian Ministry of Justice.

The UNSD is the principal international agency that provides global guidance in the areas of civil registration and identity management.

Srđan Mrkić, Chief of the UNSD Demographic Statistics Section, said: “We are pleased to partner with the ODIHR on this event. ODIHR brings a wealth of experience and assists our work in reaching OSCE countries with the goal of supporting their efforts to reform or improve civil registration systems – ultimately ensuring people’s access to a range of human rights, from rights to identity, education and healthcare to the rights to travel and freedom of movement.”

ODIHR has a long record of co-operation with the UNSD in the area of civil registration, including as a member of the Global Group on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/crvs/globalcrvs.html), which works to develop standards in the area of civil registration and identity management and to facilitate joint initiatives to assist governments in improving their civil registration and identity management systems.