Date: 13/06/2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Launch of Birth Registration Unit
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT ZUMA ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCH OF THE BIRTH REGISTRATION UNIT, AT THE PRINCE MSHIYENI MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, Umlazi, Durban, 13 June 2003
The MEC for Health, Dr ZL Mkhize
Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital Manager, Dr Gxagxisa
The Executive Director of UNICEF, Ms Carol Bellamy
Representatives of the Department of Home Affairs and Government at all levels
Distinguished Guests
I am indeed happy to join you in launching the first Birth Registration Unit here at the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital.
We view this as a significant step in the advancement of our children's rights.
I am also very pleased to see today, in practical terms, a real and tangible partnership of government, global organisations like UNICEF, the medical sector and communities.
It is a public display of the extent to which we are all committed to ensure the promotion of children's rights.
Registration at birth does not only benefit children, but also the rest of us as families, communities and government. It is also the first step towards the confirmation of a child's nationality.
Article 28 of our Constitution states that every child has the right to a name and nationality from birth.
This is in concurrence with Article 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that children have the right to be registered immediately after birth, the right to a name, a nationality and, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.
South Africa ratified this Convention in 1995.
Apart from being the first legal acknowledgement of a child's existence, the registration of births is fundamental to the realisation of a number of rights and practical needs including:
* Providing access to health care,
* Ensuring that children enrol in school at the right age,
* Enforcing laws relating to minimum age for employment and to prevent child labour,
* Protecting girl children from forced marriages,
* Ensuring that children in conflict with the law are given special protection.
There are also some uses of a birth certificate which are important, but which we take for granted, such as getting an identity document at a later stage, obtaining a passport, opening a bank account or credit, voting or finding employment.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is significant that we are launching this Unit during Youth Month, during which we are encouraging our youth to seize the opportunities presented by our democratic dispensation.
As government we obviously need to plan properly for such opportunities and need accurate statistics of how many young people we have, hence our call for all children to be registered at birth.
Through access to economic opportunities presented by the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, young people will be able to access finance, business opportunities and requisite education and training opportunities to start and sustain their own business.
Opportunities on offer at the moment include access to procurement opportunities, and contribution towards rural poverty eradication through support for young aspirant farmers.
As part of the national public works programme, government has also availed resources to help the youth to participate in the programme to rehabilitate public buildings to be friendly to people with disabilities.
I am raising these here to illustrate the importance of birth registration in a practical way, as a planning tool.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are indeed encouraged by the commitment of UNICEF, which regards birth registration as a priority among the many of rights of children.
We are specifically heartened by UNICEF's focus on capacity building, building partnerships and integrating birth registration into other health programmes, such as immunisation.
We are also aware of the need to move with the times, and improve our technological capability to improve service delivery. The technological revolution brings with it many challenges, but also many benefits and we do not want to be left behind.
We want to use the new technologies to lighten the logistical and administrative burdens of birth registration processes and other services delivered to citizens.
We are confident that we can reach a target of 100% registration, if we all work together as different sectors to promote this fundamental right of children.
We have made a good start here at Prince Mshiyeni, and need to replicate this service to other areas, to achieve our goals.
Once again, congratulations to all involved in this partnership. It is a step in the right direction towards promoting the right to human dignity and many other rights enshrined in our Constitution.
I thank you.
Issued by The Presidency
13 June 2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Launch of Birth Registration Unit
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT ZUMA ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCH OF THE BIRTH REGISTRATION UNIT, AT THE PRINCE MSHIYENI MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, Umlazi, Durban, 13 June 2003
The MEC for Health, Dr ZL Mkhize
Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital Manager, Dr Gxagxisa
The Executive Director of UNICEF, Ms Carol Bellamy
Representatives of the Department of Home Affairs and Government at all levels
Distinguished Guests
I am indeed happy to join you in launching the first Birth Registration Unit here at the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital.
We view this as a significant step in the advancement of our children's rights.
I am also very pleased to see today, in practical terms, a real and tangible partnership of government, global organisations like UNICEF, the medical sector and communities.
It is a public display of the extent to which we are all committed to ensure the promotion of children's rights.
Registration at birth does not only benefit children, but also the rest of us as families, communities and government. It is also the first step towards the confirmation of a child's nationality.
Article 28 of our Constitution states that every child has the right to a name and nationality from birth.
This is in concurrence with Article 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that children have the right to be registered immediately after birth, the right to a name, a nationality and, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.
South Africa ratified this Convention in 1995.
Apart from being the first legal acknowledgement of a child's existence, the registration of births is fundamental to the realisation of a number of rights and practical needs including:
* Providing access to health care,
* Ensuring that children enrol in school at the right age,
* Enforcing laws relating to minimum age for employment and to prevent child labour,
* Protecting girl children from forced marriages,
* Ensuring that children in conflict with the law are given special protection.
There are also some uses of a birth certificate which are important, but which we take for granted, such as getting an identity document at a later stage, obtaining a passport, opening a bank account or credit, voting or finding employment.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is significant that we are launching this Unit during Youth Month, during which we are encouraging our youth to seize the opportunities presented by our democratic dispensation.
As government we obviously need to plan properly for such opportunities and need accurate statistics of how many young people we have, hence our call for all children to be registered at birth.
Through access to economic opportunities presented by the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, young people will be able to access finance, business opportunities and requisite education and training opportunities to start and sustain their own business.
Opportunities on offer at the moment include access to procurement opportunities, and contribution towards rural poverty eradication through support for young aspirant farmers.
As part of the national public works programme, government has also availed resources to help the youth to participate in the programme to rehabilitate public buildings to be friendly to people with disabilities.
I am raising these here to illustrate the importance of birth registration in a practical way, as a planning tool.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are indeed encouraged by the commitment of UNICEF, which regards birth registration as a priority among the many of rights of children.
We are specifically heartened by UNICEF's focus on capacity building, building partnerships and integrating birth registration into other health programmes, such as immunisation.
We are also aware of the need to move with the times, and improve our technological capability to improve service delivery. The technological revolution brings with it many challenges, but also many benefits and we do not want to be left behind.
We want to use the new technologies to lighten the logistical and administrative burdens of birth registration processes and other services delivered to citizens.
We are confident that we can reach a target of 100% registration, if we all work together as different sectors to promote this fundamental right of children.
We have made a good start here at Prince Mshiyeni, and need to replicate this service to other areas, to achieve our goals.
Once again, congratulations to all involved in this partnership. It is a step in the right direction towards promoting the right to human dignity and many other rights enshrined in our Constitution.
I thank you.
Issued by The Presidency
13 June 2003
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