Bolivia

Impact of the universal birth registration campaign

Before the universal birth registration campaign was launched in 2005 

The campaign for UBR started in Bolivia in 2003. When the current campaign started in 2005, 56% of children under 18 were registered – 234,560 children.

Following the campaign 

The proportion of under-18s registered increased to 87% in 2008 - 201,390 children. Fieldwork revealed that the number of non-registered people was higher than initially believed. Although this gap is reducing, there are still people with erroneous records.  

Government policy and practice on birth registration 

• From the beginning of the “Count me too” project (“Identidad para todos”), Plan's work on national and departmental public policies has strengthened registration offices, through the implementation of action to reduce non-registration rates, as well as to guarantee cost-free registration for all under-18s.
• Several laws were approved such as Law No. 2616, which establishes cost-free registration and the issue of the first birth certificate for children up to 12. The law also approved an amnesty providing cost-free services for those up to 18 until December 2006. This involved the allocation of two million Bolivianos from the National Treasury. 
• The Citizens Education Board, which is part of the National Electoral Court (CNE), is working on legal identity as a fundamental citizen’s right to be strengthened by different organisations.
• Strategies developed include:

1. action to promote the right to legal identity; 
2. increasing the rate of under-18s with a birth certificate or personal identification card; 
3. strengthening the services of vital records offices (ORC) – including improving their access, efficiency and quality – and the move from manual to automated recording of all birth certificates, which Plan has supported.  

• Following initiation by Plan, the need to work with mobile brigades to reach faraway places has been identified. The media announces the arrival of the brigade and the requirements to get certificates, so that the local population is prepared when the brigade arrives. The brigade has a photocopier, computers, printers and an electricity generator, and in some cases the local official registration records to verify if somebody is already registered. There is now an agreement between the National Electoral Court and the United Nations (UN) to have a complete team for this job with a permanent, fully equipped mobile unit.
• ORCs institutional strengthening - developed by the government to tackle another weakness. The ORC has been restructured to improve equipment and the location of vital records offices, to create and equip automated offices, and to train staff. 

1. The political constitution of January 2009 established several changes to registration process, as well as the responsibility of government to correct and amend mistakes made by staff. There will be new legislation to improve registration processes. 
2. The political constitution also includes the roll-back of paternity proof, under which it is the mother who indicates who the father of her child is and that it is up to the man to prove that he is not the father. Regulations are needed to enforce this provision.

Universal birth rights campaign strategy

Aim of campaign

The “Count me too” project started in June 2004 and will last until December 2009. The project aims to deal with exclusion issues, specifically for children and adolescents, especially from the indigenous population. It aims to promote the rights of children and adolescents, and the right to an identity for everyone up to 18. Plan's general objectives for the municipalities where we work are to: 

• accomplish the exercise of rights, especially identity rights, of children and adolescents;
• complete their registration at the ORC and issue birth certificates for approximately 58,276 children and adolescents up to 17, reducing the current non-registration rate of that target group at national level; 
• pursue good working conditions in the Child Rights Defence Boards so they can become facilitators and observers to enforce this right.

Strategy

• Agreements. In our programme units, we developed inter-institutional agreements with electoral departmental courts, raised awareness of the project with local partners (in some cases the municipalities), and drew up requirements, fieldwork schedules and certification campaigns. 
• Delivery of certificates. There was close coordination with local authorities to back up the certification campaigns – especially to persuade parents of their obligation to register their newborns as soon as possible - as well as to raise people's awareness of the importance of this document. We developed certification campaigns through mobile brigades, bringing vital records offices to selected communities where certificates were delivered the same day. We supported ORCs to develop their capacities through training and educational material for community awareness-raising campaigns.
• Communication. Mass media and information were used to inform, raise awareness, guide and promote registration and amendment of birth certificates for children and adolescents up to 18. Plan's media communication strategy with UNICEF and the Electoral National Court to promote the right to legal identity for children and adolescents has reached more than 65% of the adult population and more than 70% of under-18s. Plan’s work with other government officials, such as child workers, teachers, health officials and others, has also led to campaigns that they have been developing. Printed and audio-visual material was also produced for the cost-free certification campaign.   
• Intervention. For under-12s, intervention has meant the immediate registration and delivery of the first birth certificate. For 12-18 year olds, intervention helps with administrative procedures – the last intervention was cost-free until December 2006.
• Amendments to birth certificates.  Data modification, correction and adjustment of birth certificates of children and adolescents up to 18. This is a special project with the cost partially assumed by Plan.
• Evaluation and strengthening workshops for ORC staff. These were held in the municipalities where Plan works, directed by the Vital Records Office along with Plan programme unit officer, with participants given reference and training material.
• Studies. Three studies are being supported to support the government's effort to institutionalise the process and make it sustainable: 

1. “Institutionalisation of newborn registration”: to be clear on the actions needed to sustain the project and avoid the gap of a non-registered population.
2. “Reengineering of the Vital Records Office agencies”: to reorganise the staff and reduce the number of ORCs, and to improve the training and distribution of staff all over the country.
3. Training curriculum for Vital Records Office staff: to have a general and complete curriculum to train Vital Records Office staff and the ORCs as well as citizens, so they can be part of social monitoring.  
• Freephone number.  A Freephone number, operating from the Vital Records Office national division, to request information on ORC services was launched in June 2009. Plan has supported its equipment, an information campaign about its role, and pays the costs of the person in charge of this service. 

Expenditure per year 

The project is financed by NLNO. When it started, we did not foresee such strong alliance working with CNE and UNICEF and the proposed figures have been exceeded. Plan has supported the institutional strengthening of the national electoral body that allocates resources to hire temporary staff and cover the payment of taxes and duties of ORC personnel. This has guaranteed the cost-free registration campaign for 0 to 18 year olds, achieving more and better results. 

Budget figures cover not only areas where Plan works, but also national communication and training campaigns for Vital Records Office’s staff and material production.

1. 2004 US$ 74,000
2. 2005 US$ 431,000
3. 2006 US$ 244,200
4. 2007 US$ 115,400
5. 2008 US$ 133,164

Outcomes

Policy and legislation changes 

• Under the framework defined by the alliance of the National Electoral Court, UNICEF and Plan, several administrative resolutions were drawn up to help child and adolescent registration. These resolutions were applied in the areas where we worked, were tested and further corrected to make them more effective. 
• The law governing the Vital Records Office has been in force since 1898 and we have not seen any political will to modify it. We have proposed several amendments to benefit the age group with which we are working. 
• In some important changes in the political constitution in force since January 2009, the government has assumed the responsibility of having registered citizens.
• The roll-back of paternity proof is an important achievement because mothers no longer have to demonstrate the fatherhood of their children.
  

Government capacity and practices 

There have been some important changes, such as modernisation of the registration system, automation of ORC agencies and training of ORC staff. 

Monitoring and ensuring the implementation of policy and legislation related to UBR.

• Under the alliance framework, we follow change processes and also have the opportunity to contribute to these.
• At the 2007 UBR regional event, a bigger group was formed to follow up progress in this area. 

Creating incentives to increase the demand for birth registration 

A bonus introduced in October 2006 gives the legal representative or parent of a child studying at a government school a sum of money to help their child stay on at school. Presentation of the child's birth certification is a requirement to get this bonus, and this been an incentive for over-fives to have this personal identity document. 

Waiver/reduction of costs

The first birth registration is cost-free for every child under 12.  

Partnerships, coordination, cooperation, alliances and coalitions 

In 2003, Plan signed an agreement with the Electoral National Court. In 2007, UNICEF joined this agreement, and in 2008, Worldvision also joined.

Community awareness

We have been working strongly on this area, which has been strengthened through community volunteers. Despite their small number relative to the number of communities, volunteers have been trained, are able to advise local people, and help the brigades to perform their job. 

Ownership and sustainability (Have the duty-bearers and the state, taken responsibility? How have rights-holders, communities, and civil society been involved to ensure sustainability?)

The government has allocated money for free registration of the population under 12, to help close the sub-registration gap in the country. Plan has supported significant change in the operation of the Vital Records Office and birth certificate issue, under the recently enforced political constitution. Registration, and the correction of errors in records, has become a government priority, but the future of this depends on the social and political stability of the country.  

The integration of the issue of birth registration with other programmes, such as maternal health

The Ministry of Health and the National Electoral Court have signed an agreement to register every child not yet registered when they attend health centres or during vaccination campaigns. 

Registering the most marginalised and hard to reach communities (ethnic minorities, nomadic groups, orphans, street children, migrants and refugees etc.)

The project has focused on reaching the most isolated communities of the country. There has been no work on birth rights with other damaged groups.  

Tackling the related issues of migration, nationality and statelessness

These problems have not been yet identified in Bolivia and there has been no action in this area. 

Involving children in the UBR campaign

Although children are the main targets, they have not participated actively as it is the government who has developed the project. 

Good practice

• The importance of involving authorities and valuable persons from the community. It is necessary to keep them very well informed about the law and the purpose of the project so they can give more effective support it. 
• The alliance has made a greater impact than working separately, and applying good practice from various institutions has enhanced the strategy. 
• It has been important to talk with the donor to adjust the intervention to improve coverage and impact. For example, initially we did not consider supporting parents' registration, but during fieldwork, we realised that if parents do not have this document, children would not get it either. Thus, it was agreed to widen the work.
• The coordination of fieldwork with ORC staff to get correct, error-free registration records. 
• We worked with all involved parties to develop new regulations, to include different points of view and cover all possibilities.
• Coordination of work with other sectors of the community with their own resources, such as local government bodies, to develop the project and know the dynamics and resources for future developments.
• The training of ORC staff, and developing the effectiveness of frontline supervision staff. 
• When planning, take into consideration any social issues affecting the project, which might cause delays in its development.
• Involve others in the monitoring of the project - children and adolescents from other municipalities, important authorities in the communities, local government and administrative authorities. 
• The need to raise awareness permanently within the population, and especially within the authorities, on the importance of having the conditions to exercise the right to a legal identity. 
• Massive dissemination of information through awareness campaigns on the importance of exercising and respecting all rights. 
• The need to support partners to reach the communities – this lesson was learned as most central government organisations do not reach the communities, but just the municipalities. 

Challenges, gaps and barriers 

• To achieve coordination at national level and support the National Electoral Court in the preparation of a bill that supports appropriate legislation to enforce the new political constitution. 
• To prioritise the roll-out of the agreement between the National Electoral Court and the health system to support early and timely registration. 
• To support the development of birth registration campaigns, working closely with civil society organisations, municipalities and departmental courts. 
• Coordination with directors of schools in the municipalities to plan activities and events to raise awareness of identity rights and citizens' education. 
• To spread campaigns through the mass media and community leaders. 
• To develop mobile campaigns with electoral departmental courts to complete the registration and training programmes led by staff of the citizens' education and courts divisions. 
• To support the electoral departmental court's work on constant visits and controls, including the departmental inspectors of the vital resources office division, inspectors hired specifically for the project, and vital resources office staff. 
• To keep the project’s independence and make it clear that it stands apart from any political party. 
• Dissemination of the electoral departmental court's programme needs to be strengthened through radio jingles and activities with children on the cost-free campaign. 

National level recommendations 

• There should be participative consultations to prepare regulations on birth registration and citizens' education, with regulations that are relevant to the country’s current reality and context. 
• The ORC should carry out a national process to correct mistakes, during a period when there are no elections, to deal with the large number of people who have reported problems with their registration records. Children often lack birth certificates because their parents do not have their documents corrected, and this work has to reach all members of the family at a time when there is no political interest, and far away from election periods. 

Future activities 

• Following the development, validity and dissemination of the new regulations on the Vital Records Office, to meet the government’s political constitution framework, we will support the process of correction of records at national level. 
• Support to strengthen the work of the National Electoral Court and the Ministry of Health to aid the early registration of children and adolescents. 
• Work on getting a new grant to keep the process going. 
• To ensure that the sub-registration gap does not open again, the government has allocated resources to register those up to 18, and will be watching the response to the joint work on registration by the National Electoral Court and the Ministry of Health. 

Do you have any high-profile supporters of Plan’s UBR campaign? 

Jos van Heijningen from Plan Netherlands is in charge of the campaign.