Zambia's government accepts campaign challenge

The Zambian government pledged its commitment to the birth registration campaign following the launch of the project in the country.

Plan's country director in Zambia, John Morris, pointed out to politicians and media representatives gathered at the launch, that more than 90 per cent of the 1.7 million children under the age of five in Zambia did not have birth certificates. In rural areas that grew to 94 per cent. Morris said: "It is also incumbent upon government to provide sufficient resources to register every child without discrimination and raise awareness through promotional campaigns". He called on the Zambian government to decentralise registration points and build local facilities that were easily accessible to rural communities.

The deputy home affairs minister highlighted the government's plan to turn its birth registration policy into reality by decentralising the issuing of certificates to provincial and district levels and creating a public relations unit to mount rigorous awareness campaigns.

Plan’s national level activities have centred on working with the Zambian government to push for a parliamentary bill to allow for the decentralisation of registration services and adequate staffing.