THE African Union (AU) has partnered with Unicef in a campaign aimed at improving birth registration amid declining figures owing to various factors, chief among them the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the Daily News on Sunday reports. This comes as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) in its latest report indicated that children in Zimbabwe were failing to access justice owing to obtaining lockdown restrictions and delayed access to birth registration during the Covid-19-induced lockdown. “The launch of the campaign is equally timely as concerns rise on the threat of birth registration rates falling behind amid Covid-19 pandemic. “Birth registration in Africa has remained stagnant for a long time, leaving millions of children deprived of their basic right to legal identity. Recent progress has been significant but is not sufficient as only 45 percent of children under 5 are registered.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 20, 2020 12:56 UTC