UNICEF chief congratulates Afghans on birth registration drive

The head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today congratulated the Afghan Transitional Government for an "unparalleled success" in registering the births of 775,000 children under the age of one.

Speaking in the Ministry of Interior during the second day of her visit to Afghanistan, Executive Director Carol Bellamy noted that polio vaccination teams had registered 97 per cent of all children in the target age group - reaching every household in the country - as part of a drive to register all children under the age of one by the end of 2003.

"The registration of each child creates capacity - the capacity for a child to enter education at the right age and the capacity to receive essential health care during those vital early years," Ms. Bellamy said. "And by registering the births of Afghanistan's children, we can enable the Government and its partners to plan future services more effectively. This campaign is therefore a keystone in the development of Afghanistan's children.

"Many people would not have believed that such a success could be possible in a country still emerging from 23 years of conflict. The fact that the Government has made such progress in such a short time-span is a testimony to the commitment and resourcefulness of those involved in the campaign," she added.