Notes: While it is preferable that information on both parents is provided (in accordance with the CRC), birth registration must be available if the mother cannot or will not name the father, if the father refuses to acknowledge the child, or if no parentage with the second parent has been established for any reason. For instance, in the case of a child born out of wedlock, or where privacy concerns make it desirable that information about the second parent is not included in the certificate (e.g. where extramarital relations are socially unacceptable, or when a child is born from an incestuous relation), procedures should allow for the registration of the single parent’s name, address and nationality. Where the parent is not known or is not included for other reasons, the space should be left blank (see above). Annex 2: Key messages “The Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends that States take all necessary measures to ensure that all children are registered at birth through a universal, well-managed registration system that is accessible to all and free of charge. All children should have access to birth registration in the country where they are born, including non-nationals, asylumseekers, refugees and stateless children.”42 Universal birth registration should be free, accessible to all, and conducted for each newborn child immediately or as soon as possible after birth. 42 43 26 All births that occur in the country – including births to asylum-seekers, refugees, IDPs, stateless persons, and persons at risk of statelessness – must be registered in the civil registration system, just as other births are.43 Children born to asylum-seekers, refugees, IDPs, stateless persons or those at risk of statelessness, should be issued a birth certificate irrespective of the nationality, migration and residence status of their parents. Do not make birth registration contingent on migration status. Promote gender equality and equal access for women to register their children and remove discriminatory provisions that prevent women from registering a birth, such as restrictions on children born out of wedlock or requirement for both parents to be present. Ensure birth registration is available irrespective of parents’ marital status. Ensure the birth certificate contains only minimal information that is in the public domain and does not include any unnecessary, inaccurate, discriminatory or potentially stigmatizing information. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, “Best practices and specific measures to ensure access to birth registration,” September 2018, para. 9. UNDESA, “Guidelines on the legislative framework for civil registration,” (New York, United Nations, 2023), para. 299. Birth registration of forcibly displaced and stateless persons