UNICEF hands over equipment to the Ministry of Justice to strengthen birth registration system in the country

Dili, 7 January 2025 - In a commendable move to increase access to birth registration, including through issuance of birth certificates from the civil authority, UNICEF handed over ICT (information and communication technology) equipment to the Ministry of Justice. The equipment consists of Main server (2 units) Rack server (1 unit), Server monitoring screen (2 units) backup storage (2 units), Laptops (8 units), LCD screen for networking monitoring (4 units), printers (4 units), scanners (6 units), firewall (2 units), fingerprint (21 units).

The handover is part of a package of comprehensive reforms to promote birth registration with certificates, consisting of mobile birth registration, strengthening of the demographic management information system, training of relevant officers and local authorities who provide birth registration service, as well as policy reform.

‘Timor-Leste has a functional civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system, that provides birth registration at the municipality level. Timor-Leste’s efforts to provide an integrated birth registration system is well recognized in the region. This equipment will be very useful for the Ministry to continue to reach more children with birth registration and certificates and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal on birth registration’ Said the Minister of Justice H.E. Sérgio de Jesus Fernandes da Costa Hornai.

According to current data, almost 90 % of Timorese children are registered, but only 30% have a birth certificate.  This exposes them to many vulnerabilities and excludes them from accessing support to their education, health and protection.    

‘Birth registration is fundamental to fulfil a child’s right to a name, nationality and identity. Registering a child at birth (with a certificate) is crucial, both for access to essential services as well as protection of the child in the event of separation, abandonment or abuse,’ said the Deputy UNICEF Representative, Ainhoa Jaureguibeitia.

Apart from the ICT equipment, UNICEF has also supported efforts to improve birth registration coverage through supporting MoJ to conduct mobile birth registration with the support of Catalpa and Hamnasa.

‘A mobile birth registration campaign, that was launched in September 2023 by the President of Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos Horta, targeting five municipalities and a national media campaign in Timor-Leste is drawing thousands of parents to register their kids and receive a birth certificate.  This handover of equipment is to support the Ministry of Justice officials to provide this crucial service at the local level, said Deputy UNICEF Representative, Ainhoa Jaureguibeitia.

Led by the Ministry of justice with close collaboration from the Ministry of Health and supported by DFAT, UNICEF is partnering with local NGOs Catalpa and Hamnasa to implement this programme.

Over the past decade, UNICEF has partnered with MoJ to make critical reforms in the area of birth registration.
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For more information, please contact:
Ministry of Justice:
Marcelino Bata, Media Gebinete Ministro, Ministériu da Justisa, Telefone: 75433977.

UNICEF:
Tapuwa Loreen Mutseyekwa, Advocacy and Communication Specialist, [email protected] ; Phone: +670 77231103  
Antonio Gomez, Communication Officer, email [email protected] ; Phone: +670 77322441

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Tetun:

UNICEF entrega ekipamentu ba Ministériu Justisa hodi reforsa sistema rejistu moris 
iha rai laran

Dili, 7 Janeiru 2025 - Iha movimentu ida ne'ebé louvável hodi hasa'e asesu ba rejistu moris nian, inklui liuhosi emisaun sertidaun moris nian hosi autoridade sivíl, UNICEF entrega ekipamentu TIC (teknolojia informasaun no komunikasaun) nian ba Ministériu Justisa. Ekipamentu sira kompostu husi Server prinsipál (unidade 2) Estante Server (unidade 1), Ekran/monitor server (unidade 2) armazenamentu kopia seguransa (unidade 2), Laptop (unidade 8), ekran LCD ba monitorizasaun rede-ian (unidade 4), printer (unidade 4), eskaner (unidade 6), firewall (unidade 2), impresaun dijital (unidade 21).

Serionia entrega ne'e halo parte iha pakote reforma abranjente ida hodi promove rejistu moris ho sertidaun sira, ne'ebé kompostu hosi rejistu moris móvel, reforsu hosi sistema informasaun jestaun demográfiku nian, formasaun ba ofisiál relevante sira no autoridade lokál sira ne'ebé maka presta servisu rejistu moris nian, nune'e mós reforma polítika nian.

‘Timor-Leste iha sistema funsionál rejistu sivíl no estatístika vital (CRVS), ne’ebé fornese rejistu moris iha nível munisípiu. Timor-Leste nia esforsu atu fornese sistema rejistu moris ne’ebé integradu hetan rekoñesimentu di’ak iha rejiaun ne’e. Ekipamentu ne’e sei util tebes ba Ministériu hodi kontinua alkansa labarik barak liu tan ho rejistu moris no sertidaun no kontribui ba atinjimentu Objetivu Dezenvolvimentu Sustentável kona-ba rejistu moris’ hateten Ministru Justisa S.E. Sérgio de Jesus Fernandes da Costa Hornai.

Tuir dadus atuál, kuaze 90 % hosi labarik timoroan sira rejistadu, maibé 30% de'it maka iha sertidaun moris. Ida-ne'e tau sira ba vulnerabilidade barak no esklui sira hosi asesu ba apoiu ba sira nia edukasaun, saúde no protesaun.

‘Rejistu moris maka fundamentál atu kumpre labarik ida nia direitu ba naran, nasionalidade no identidade. Rejistu labarik ida bainhira moris (ho sertidaun) maka krusiál, tantu ba asesu ba servisu esensiál sira no mós protesaun ba labarik iha kazu separasaun, abandonu ka abuzu,’ hatete Vise Reprezentante UNICEF, Ainhoa Jaureguibeitia.

Aleinde ekipamentu ICT, UNICEF mós apoia ona esforsu sira hodi hadi'a kobertura rejistu moris liuhosi apoiu Ministeriu Justisa hodi hala'o rejistu moris móvel ho apoiu hosi Catalpa no Hamnasa.

'Kampaña rejistu moris móvel ida, ne'ebé lansa iha Setembru 2023 hosi Prezidente Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos Horta, ho alvu ba munisípiu lima no kampaña mídia nasionál ida iha Timor-Leste atrai inan-aman rihun ba rihun atu rejista sira nia oan sira no simu sertidaun moris. Entrega ekipamentu ne’e atu fó apoiu ba ofisiál Ministériu Justisa hodi presta servisu krusiál ne’e iha nível lokál, dehan Vise Reprezentante UNICEF, Ainhoa Jaureguibeitia.

Lidera hosi Ministériu Justisa ho kolaborasaun besik hosi Ministériu Saúde no hetan apoiu hosi DFAT, UNICEF halo parseria ho ONG lokál Catalpa no Hamnasa hodi implementa programa ne’e.

Durante dékada liubá, UNICEF halo parseria ho Ministeriu Justisa hodi halo reforma krítiku sira iha área rejistu moris nian.

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Ba informasau detallu be kontaktu:
Ministeriu Justisa:
Marcelino Bata, Media Gebinete Ministro, Ministériu da Justisa, Telefone: 75433977

UNICEF:
Tapuwa Loreen Mutseyekwa, Advocacy and Communication Specialist, [email protected] ; Phone: +670 77231103  
Antonio Gomez, Communication Officer, email [email protected] ; Phone: +670 77322441