Timor-Leste Birth Registration Baseline Assessment 2018 Timor-Leste: Birth Registration Baseline Assessment 2018 Acknowledgement: This document was developed with funding support from the Government of Japan (GoJ) to provide a baseline for the Project for the Development of a Birth Registration System in Timor- Leste: Foundation for a Child’s Life and Good Governance funded by the GoJ. Data was based on the existing database from the 2015 Timor-Leste Population and Housing Census and 2016 Timor-Leste Demographic and Health Survey. Methodology: The report was produced based on the existing literature and data obtained by nationwide surveys, particularly the 2015 Population and Housing Census and the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey. Disaggregated analysis was conducted whenever needed to gain a better understanding on birth registration coverage at local level. Contributors (By alphabetical order): The report drafting team was composed by the General Directorate of Statistics (GDS), UNICEF and UNFPA. Elias dos Santos Ferreira (GDS); Cesar Martins Melito (GDS); Ricardo dos Santos Cruz (GDS); Silvino Lopes (GDS); Nicholas McTurk (UNFPA); Domingos da Costa Sousa (UNICEF); Joao da Costa (UNICEF); Jose Cabral (UNICEF), Toshiko Takahashi (UNICEF). Disclaimer: The contents expressed in this document are those of the authors/contributors and do not represent the views of the donor or organization. Contents List of Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Map of Timor-Leste ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Note on Terminology .................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 5 Birth Registration and the Convention on the Rights of the Child ........................................................... 5 Birth Registration and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ............................................................... 7 Commitment related to Birth Registration ............................................................................................... 8 2. Progress and Bottlenecks around Birth Registration in Timor-Leste ........................................................ 9 3. Birth Registration Coverage .................................................................................................................... 13 Birth Registration Coverage by National Level ....................................................................................... 13 Birth Registration Coverage by District/Municipality ............................................................................. 15 Birth Registration Coverage by Administrative Post/Sub-District .......................................................... 17 Birth Registration Coverage by Suco (village) ......................................................................................... 24 4. Conclusion and Way Forward ................................................................................................................. 39 Annex 1. Birth Registration by Age, Status, Municipality, Administrative Post ...................................... 41 Annex 2. List of References ..................................................................................................................... 86 ................................................................................................................................................................ 87 1 Table of Tables and Figures Table 1: Children aged 0-4 years with birth registered (by sex, urban/rural/ age) ...................................... 13 Table 2: Children aged 0-4 years with birth certificate (by sex, urban/rural/ age) ...................................... 14 Figure 1: Percentage of Children under 5 years with Birth Registered by Municipality ............................. 15 Figure 2: Percentage of Children Aged 0-4 Years Old with Birth Certificate by Municipality ..................... 15 Figure 3: Percentage of Children Aged 0-4 Years Old with Birth Registered by Municipality .................... 16 Figure 4: Birth Registration Coverage in Aileu and Ainaro ......................................................................... 17 Figure 5: Birth Registration Coverage in Baucau and Bobonaro ................................................................ 18 Figure 6: Birth Registration Coverage in Covalima and Dili ........................................................................ 19 Figure 7: Birth Registration Coverage in Ermera and Lautem .................................................................... 20 Figure 8: Birth Registration Coverage in Liquica and Manatuto ................................................................. 21 Figure 9: Birth Registration Coverage in Manufahi and Oecusse............................................................... 22 Figure 10: Birth Registration Coverage in Viqueque .................................................................................. 23 Figure 11: Birth Registration Coverage (0-4 years old) by Suco (Census 2015) ....................................... 24 Figure 12: Birth Certificate Coverage (0-4 years old) by Suco (Census 2015) .......................................... 25 Figure 13: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Aileu.......... 26 Figure 14: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Ainaro ....... 27 Figure 15: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Baucau ..... 28 Figure 16: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Bobonaro .. 29 Figure 17: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Covalima .. 30 Figure 18: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Dili ............. 31 Figure 19: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Ermera ...... 32 Figure 20: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Lautem...... 33 Figure 21: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Liquica ...... 34 Figure 22: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Manatuto .. 35 Figure 23: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Manufahi ... 36 Figure 24: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Oecusse ... 37 Figure 25: Percentage of children aged 0-4 years with birth registered/certificate by Suco in Viqueque .. 38 Annex 1 Tables Table 1. 1: Birth registration by age, status at country level (Timor-Leste) ................................................ 41 Table 1. 2: Birth registration by age, status at municipality level ................................................................ 42 Table 1. 3: Birth registration by age, status at administrative post level ..................................................... 45 Table 1. 4: Birth registration by age, status at municipality and administrative post level .......................... 64 2 List of Abbreviations ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Countries CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child CRVS Civil Registration and Vital Statistics CSO Civil Society Organization DHS Demographic and Health Survey DPs Development Partners GDS General Directorate of Statistics GoJ Government of Japan GoTL Government of Timor-Leste IMNCI Integrated Management of Newborn and Childhood Illnesses LISIO Livrinho Saude Inan ho Oan (Mother and Child Health Booklet) MoPF Ministry of Planning and Finance MoH Ministry of Health MoJ Ministry of Justice MSA Ministry of State Administration NAPC National Action Plan for Children NP National Parliament SDGs Sustainable Development Goals UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNTL National University of Timor-Leste WHO World Health Organization 3 Map of Timor-Leste Timor-Leste is administratively divided into 12 municipalities and the special administrative region of Oecusse. The next, lower administrative units within municipalities are administrative posts; the 65 administrative posts are made up of the lowest formal administrative units, 442 sucos (villages) and 2,225 aldeias (sub-villages). Note on Terminology The Government of Timor-Leste has made some changes to the terms applied to the different administrative divisions in the country. In relation to those and the related terms that are used in this report, the following are the changes that have been made: Previous term/name New term District Municipality (Municipio) Sub-District Administrative Post 4 1. Introduction Birth Registration and the Convention on the Rights of the Child A name and nationality is every child’s right, enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and other international treaties. Yet globally, the births of around a quarter of children under the age of 5 have never been recorded1. The percentage of children registered for birth is considerably low in Timor-Leste, at around 60 per