NRC I Displacement, HLP and access to civil documentation in the north west of the Syrian Arab Republic Part 4: The importance of identity and civil documentation in displacement Right to legal identity and civil documentation43 Civil registration is the continuous, permanent, compulsory and universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events pertaining to the population, as provided through decree or regulation in accordance with the legal requirements in each country. This process establishes and provides legal documentation for such events.44 Civil registration refers to the recording of vital events within a given population. Such vital events are defined as the occurrence of any of the following: birth, still birth, legitimisation, recognition of parenthood, adoption, marriage, annulment of marriage, legal separation, divorce and death. Birth registration is the continuous, permanent and universal recording within the civil registry of the occurrence and characteristics of birth, in accordance with the national legal requirements. It establishes the existence of a person under law, and lays the foundation for safeguarding civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. As such, it is a fundamental means of protecting the human rights of the individual, and of the child in particular, as is clearly stated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.46 Article 24 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: 1. “Every child shall have, without any discrimination as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property or birth, the right to such measures of protection as are required by his status as a minor, on the part of his family, society and the State. 2. 2. Every child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have a name. 3. 3. Every child has the right to acquire a nationality.”45 Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: 1. “The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and, as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents. 2. States Parties shall ensure the implementation of these rights in accordance with their national law and their obligations under the relevant international instruments in this field, in particular where the child would otherwise be stateless.”46 43 See the “The Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) Guide to Legal Identity” (2016). Norwegian Refugee Council. Oslo, Norway. See also “Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement” noting, for example, Principle 1, regarding non-discrimination on the grounds of being internally displaced, and Principle 20 (1): “Every human being has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.” 44 United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System, Revision 3 (2014). 45 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/ UNTS/Volume%20999/v999.pdf 46 Convention on the Rights of the Child 22 I NRC Assessment Report