FATA Birth Registration Strategy (2014-2019) a...

A better future starts here!FATA Birth Registration Strategy (2014-2019)

a betterFUTUREstarts here!

… right from the start,

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FEDERALLY ADMINISTEREDTRIBAL AREAS OF PAKISTAN

“Birth Registration Strategy”2014-19

Envisioned by the FATA Secretariat, Government ofPakistan in partnership with the United Nations

Children's Fund


STARTING IT RIGHT!

During the last few years, we have witnessed considerable development taking place acrossthis gifted land, known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.However, so little progress has been made in ensuring the registration of all children whenthey are born. During policy discussions at the Federal and Secretariat levels, it echoes asone of the core issues, which still remains a predicament for the progress of our present andfuture generations.

So what makes birth registration so important? To frame policies and plans to improve thesocioeconomic conditions in which our children will grow and flourish, we first need to knowwho is in need of what. Thus, birth registration serves as a vital statistics system which willserve as the cornerstone of FATA’s development infrastructure. We won’t be able to plan ourpolicies and allocate our resources unless we have accurate demographic data.

Birth registration not only aids children and their families, but the overall communities andcountries. In addition to contributing to a country’s civil registry, birth registration alsostrengthens the quality of vital statistics, improving development planning and governanceefficiency. The dilapidated state of birth registration isour collective problem as FATAregisters some of the lowest cases of birth registration in the world.

This calls for a ‘birth registration emergency’ to be declared with measures and resourcesallocated to overcoming underlying barriers to birth registration. The first ever birthregistration strategy for FATA, a better future starts here, affirms our determination andpledge in making birth registration facilities and services accessible so that the tribalcommunities are able to secure the future of their children, which is part of our vision 2020.

Having said that, it is equally important for us torecognise that the entire responsibility ofimproving birth registration practices and statistics does not only fall under the functions ofthecivil administration of FATA. Parents of the children, members of the civil society, tribalclan leaders, progressive religious scholars, international development partners, local mediarepresentatives - all have key roles to perform to sustain our efforts in moving away from thisstate of indifference to a life of prominence.

We can continue to invest in a myriad of health, education, economic and other socialdevelopment programs that are not very well coordinated and have limited impact - or wecan begin to consolidate and leverage our resources around the most equitable, effective,and efficient initiatives, backed by evidence. As we prepare for the implementation of thebirth registration strategy in a coherent and focused manner, we ask you to come forward toplay your part in securing a future for our children. Right from the start, let’s start it right.

ARBAB MUHAMMAD ARIFAdditional Chief Secretary, FATA

Abbreviation of Acronyms

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ADP:Annual Development Program (of FATA Secretariat)

CNIC:Computerized National Identity Card (issued by NADRA)

CPU:Child Protection Unit (working under FATA Child Protection Wing)

FATA:Federally Administered Tribal Areas (of Pakistan)

FC:Frontier Crimes Regulation (a law specific and applicable to FATA)

FR:Frontier Region (small administrative units in FATA)

IDP:Internal Displaced Person (due to human conflict or natural disaster)

LGR:Local Government Regulation (FATA Local Government Regulation 2012)

LG&RD:Local Government and Rural Development (Directorate in FATA Secretariat)

MC:Municipal Committee (to be constituted under FATA LGR 2012 in all Agencies)

MICS: Multiple-Indicator Cluster Survey (was also carried out for FATA separately)

NADRA: National Database and Registration Authority (Federal Government)

NER: Net Enrollment Rate (term generally used in education development context)

SAFRON: Federal Ministry of State and Frontier Region (responsible for FATA affairs)

UBR: Universal Birth Registration (globally used terminology)

UN:United Nations

UNCRC: United Nations Convention on the Right of Child

UNICEF: United Nations Children’s Fund

Description of Contents

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1. Contextual background to the status of birth registration in FATA 051.1 International commitment towards birth registration 051.2 National level regulations towards birth registration 051.3 Universalization of birth registration measures undertaken in FATA 06

2. Influences of low birth registration on FATA under-development 082.1 Provision of primary healthcare 082.2 Admission to basic education 082.3 Formulation of laws to prevent child labor 082.4Preservation of legal rights under FCR reforms 092.5Protection of child rights under armed conflict 092.6Responding to vulnerable children during internal displacement crisis 09

3. FATA birth registration strategy, from idea to implementation 103.1 Process of birth registration strategy formulation 103.2 The long-term vision of the birth registration strategy 113.3 The strategic mission associated with the birth registration strategy 113.4Core values to be endorsed by the birth registration strategy 123.5Visualization of the existing birth registration process in FATA 133.6Bottleneck analysis of birth registration in FATA 153.7Recommendations against bottlenecks to improve birth registration 16

4. Implementation roadmap for FATA birth registration strategy 18

Annexures to the birth registration strategy documentAnnexure 1 Birth registration sample format for computerized certificateAnnexure 2 Template of bottleneck analysis for strategy development workshopAnnexure 3 Template of proposed activities for strategy development workshop

1. Contextual background to the status of birth registration in FATA

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Children are being considered as the future of a nation. Also, it is imperative to protect therights of children and provide them better atmosphere for growth through better education,health and other facilities. However, within the present state of affairs, where birthregistration in FATA fetches the lowest statistics compared to the rest of Pakistan (which alsofalls way behind in terms of globally accepted benchmarks), children remains to beunderserved and vulnerable. According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)1, only1% of the children below 5 years of age in FATA have got their birth registration. Around5.6% of birth registration has been made in urban areas of FATA. It is astonishing that 87.3%have not even heard of birth registration at all.

1.1 International commitment towards birth registration (also relevant to FATA)

Birth registration is one of the most fundamental and basic human rights of a child. TheConvention on the Rights of the Children (UNCRC Article 7) categorically states and makesit binding upon the States Parties, ratified by Pakistan on 19 November 1990, to undertakeall appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures for a child to be registeredimmediately after birth and have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire anationality and, as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.

In its Concluding Observations on the third and fourth country periodic reports in November2009, submitted by Pakistan in 2007, the UNCRC notes that while many efforts have beenimplemented by the Government of Pakistan to promote timely birth registration, still morethan 70 per cent of children are not registered at birth, especially girls, children belonging toa religious or minority group, refugee children and children living in rural areas.

It, further, recommends that full implementation of measures are needed to removestructural obstacles to birth registration, launch a mass cost-free birth registration campaignand simplify the procedures for birth registration in order to cover all persons in the country,regardless of sex, religion, status or nationality, in accordance with article 7 of theConvention.

1.2 National level regulationsto improve birth registration (applicable to FATA)

Birth registration system in Pakistan’s tribal areas as a whole, is marred by severaldeficiencies, which include, but are not limited to, inhibitive social norms, weak policystructures,inadequate service delivery, insufficient resource allocationsand ineffectivecoordination mechanisms. Low levels of knowledge about the importance and implication ofbirth registration among the tribal masses as well as officials under whose jurisdiction birthregistration comes have also contributed adversely to the overall state of birth registration inFATA.

National Child Policy - Right to Life and Liberty, Name and Nationality: According to Section14, every child has a right to life, liberty, a name and to acquire a nationality.

1http://fata.gov.pk/files/MICS

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http://fata.gov.pk/files/MICS


The National Registration Act 1973:Primarily introduced by the government to implement theissuance of a national identity to every citizen of Pakistan above the age of 18 years. Underthe Act, all citizens of Pakistan, regardless of whether they are in Pakistan or abroad, arerequired to register the births and deaths of their children with the concerned officer.

National Database Registration Authority Ordinance 2000: Stipulates the registration of acitizen under 18 years by his/her parent or guardian, not later than one month after his/herbirth.

FATA Local Government Regulation 2012: The draft regulations to establish and regulatemunicipal bodies in FATA have mandated the municipal committees for child birthregistration as one of its compulsory functions2.

FATA Child Protection Policy: A remarkable step undertaken by the FATA Secretariat, thechild protection policy states under one of its objectives to ‘ensure the right to an identity foreach child, beginning with his/her birth’.

1.3 Universalization of birth registration specific measures undertaken in FATA

In January 2013, then Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Masood Kausar, announcedFATA Child Protection Policy3 with a vision ‘to promote and create a protective environmentfor all children which ensures their protection against all forms of violence, abuse,discrimination, neglect and exploitation’. As specified earlier, the UNCRC states that everychild has the right to have name, nationality, and protection of his/her identity. Birthregistration is an important means of protection of these rights. Unfortunately, birthregistration is not common in FATA.

The Policy has several strategic objectives which have been taken over by the SocialWelfare Department within the FATA Secretariat as a policy framework. One of thesestrategic objectives refers to the issue of birth registration in FATA. Policy Objective 5.1 aimsto ‘ensure the right to an identity for each child beginning with his/her birth’. The Policyfurther states that, at the outset, a child identity is established by registering the child birth.This should happen immediately after birth, meaning within days rather than months.

FATA Child Protection Policy proposes that a system must be developed to ensure theregistration of every child at or shortly after birth, and fulfill his or her right to acquire nameand nationality. Launching of awareness campaigns to sensitize the masses on theimportance of birth registration is one of the key recommendations of the Policy.Furthermore, to clear the stupendous backlog of unregistered births, the Policyrecommendations also allude to setting up special procedures for children without birthregistration or with late birth registration.

At the Agency4 level, the Social Welfare Offices working under the Social WelfareDepartment FATA have been mandated to provide birth registration services as well as

2http://fata.gov.pk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=166&Itemid=154

3http://fata.gov.pk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=156&Itemid=145

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assist in the identification of children without identity records. This mechanism will work withthe coordination of respective political administration5.

In order to supplement the achievement of the policy objective associated with birthregistration in FATA, the Policy also has specified a plan of action as implementationmeasures. The Policy establishes that:

• FATA Secretariat will make efforts to enhance coordination between the AgencyAdministration and NADRA for achieving universal child birth registration in FATA.

• A pilot program for birth registration in FATA will be carried out in steps and stages.At first, two Agencies will be selected for the activity and later on, the same will bereplicated in all other remaining Agencies.

• The medical staff and local representatives including tribal elders of FATA will betrained through workshops, courses and advocacy events on the subject in order toget maximum results.

• Social Welfare Department FATA will ensure the provision of incentives for promptbirth registration, such as basic maternal health kits and sanitation packs.

Unarguably, the FATA Child Protection Policy is a substantial step forward in improving theoverall development outlook of children in FATA, including their registration at birth.However, implementation is still a weak spot and that is where the priorities mustconcentrate from here onwards. FATA Secretariat has set a remarkable precedence as faras child protection is concerned, which is evident from the fact that it became the firstadministrative unit across Pakistan, to frame and approve a Child Protection Policy.

With the momentum in place now, the birth registration strategy could not come at a bettertime when the Policy has been approved and the political as well as administrativeleaderships of FATA are keen on increasing the numbers of unaccounted births andunregistered children of the tribal areas of Pakistan. The strategy builds up further on theFATA Child Protection Policy in taking up its recommendations and transforming them into arealistic and targeted action plan.

4 Khyber, Bajaur, Mohmand, Orakzai, Kurram, North Waziristan, South Waziristan

5Political Agency, Additional Political Agent, Assistant Political Agent, Tehsildar and Naib Tehsildar

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2. Inferences of low birth registration on FATA under-development

It may be a topic of public discourse that in the absence of several other basic and publicservices, why is there such an imminent need to carry out drastic steps to raise the birthregistration level in FATA. It is now a universally established fact amongst developmentagencies and practitionersthat birth registration system providesthe government a solidfoundation on which economic development and social welfare policies can be raised.

For a region hampered by decades of development turmoil and years of internal armedconflict, it becomes essential to know how many people are born each year in order to havewell-functioning governance systems. The only way to count everyone and to track all birthsis through a birth registration system. Such a system provides the basis for an individual’slegal identity but also allows the FATA administration to identify their most pressing social,economic and public service needs.

When births go uncounted, the governancesystem at every administrative tier (federal,provincial or local) cannot design effective policies to steer basic education, public health,civil infrastructure and other development programs. Birth registration is something that alldeveloped countries have and which developing countries need. Therefore, information onbirths disaggregated by demographic indicators is the cornerstone of public administration.

For the people of FATA, birth registration means multiple benefits. An individual’s right to becounted at birth is fundamental to social inclusion. Apart from being the first legalacknowledgement of a child’s existence, the registration of births is fundamental to therealization of a number of rights and practical needs including:

2.1 Provision ofprimary healthcare:

The FATA MICS report recorded 57.5% of BCG coverage for children in first year of life.BCG coverage is higher in urban (89.6%) than rural (54.7%) areas. The highest percentageof BCG coverage was recorded in FR Kohat6 (77%), while lowest was in FR Dera IsmailKhan (33%). However, these figures are either based on mothers’ recall or were confirmedby the mark on the arm. If FATA had an established and updated birth registration system, itcould largely help in formulating targeted immunization campaigns.

2.2 Admission to basic education:

Birth registration can ensure that children enroll in school at the right age. The FATA MICSresults showed the primary net enrolment rate (NER) was 28.3% for 6-10 years age ofchildren. The net enrolment rate for males was 39.9% and 17.3% for females. The netenrollment rate in urban areas was significantly higher than in rural areas (57.6% vs. 27.2%).In the prevalence of a proper birth registration system in FATA, the data could substantially

6Frontier Regions (abbreviated as FR) are a group of small administrative units in FATA, lying immediately to the east of main tribal agencies and west of settled districts of KP. They are FR Bannu, FR Dera Ismail Khan, FR Kohat, FR Lakki Marwat, FR Peshawar and FR Tank.

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help the FATA Secretariat and the Department of Education FATA in framing policies andprograms which could result in an increase in these enrollment rates.

2.3 Formulation of laws to prevent child labor:

In accordance with the MICA FATA survey data, 17.1% of all children of 5-14 years of agewere child laborers. A gender breakdown of the data shows that 16.4% of male children and18.1% of female children are child laborers. Among them 5.1% were children workingoutside their households and only 1.7% of them were paid for the work they performed.From these stats, it can be determined that the incidence of child labor is quite high in FATA.A proper birth registration system working in FATA can provide key data inputs to the politicaland public administration and assist them in developing mechanisms to effectively counterthis social menace.

2.4 Preservation of legal rights under FCR reforms:

In response to the growing demand for reforms in FATA, in August 2011, the Presidentintroduced the Frontier Crimes (Amendment) Regulation 2011 in FATA. Under the amendedFCR, children below 16 cannot be arrested under the collective responsibility clause of theFCR. However, this clause can only benefit the children of FATA if they have the requireddocumentary evidence, which is the birth certificate.

2.5 Protection of child rights under armed conflict:

The entire region of FATA has experienced unprecedented security turmoil for more than adecade now. Pakistan has emphasized focused efforts to end the use of children in armedconflicts since they infringe the rights of children to life and education. Pakistan’s permanentrepresentative to the UN, Mr. Masood Khan, noted in a Security Council’s debate on‘Children and Armed Conflict” that children were often coerced (by militant groups) to takepart in active hostilities which have been raging in FATA. He also reaffirmed support for themandate, reporting and monitoring procedures to protect the rights of children in armedconflicts. He specified establishment of legal frameworks, age verification mechanisms anduniversal birth registration as the systems which could prevent child recruitment for suchpurposes.

2.6 Action to respond to vulnerable children during internal displacement crisis:

In almost all emergency situations, such as mass population displacements, children canbecome separated from their families or care givers, leaving them especially vulnerable ifthey are unregistered. There are countless reported cases of unregistered children facedwith such dilemmas in different areas of FATA. Similarly, unregistered children areparticularly at risk to exploitation as there is no legal evidence of their existence, making itmore difficult to prosecute perpetrators. It can also be harder for unregistered children toreceive aid, which has been a case in several of the IDPs camps setup for the displacedfamilies hailing from FATA.

In addition to the ones specified above, there are so many other legal, social andeconomic implications associated with the non-registration of children at birth. However,just a few have been elaborated as evidence and validation in order to communicate the

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need for FATA specific birth registration strategy and the implementation of an action planas a result.

3. FATA birth registration strategy, from idea to implementation

The FATA Secretariat through its Directorate of Local Government and Rural Developmentas well as the Social Welfare Department and in consultation and coordinationwiththeUNICEF Child Protection Section has identified birth registration as one of the priorityaction areas for supporting national and provincial child protection systems in Pakistan. TheChild Protection Strategy recognizes birth registration as a human right, which canstrengthen children’s access to legal protection and basic social services.

In November 2013, the FATA Secretariat launched a ‘pilot program’ in collaboration withUNICEF for birth registration in the two tribal agencies of Khyber and Mohmand7. JamrudTehsil in Khyber Agency and Ekaghund Tehsil in Mohmand Agency were identified as pilotareas. Under the institutional development mechanism to kick start formal birth registrationprocess, Social Welfare Department FATA established four child protection units (CPUs) oneeach in Mohmand, Bajaur, Khyber and Orakzai Agencies.

These CPUs are made responsible for creating awareness and foster social mobilization atthe Agency level. In the pilot phase, 10000 birth registration forms were provided to theofficials concerned in Ekaghund and Jamrud. To add more technical and financial support tothe initiative, the Social Welfare Department FATA has signed a tripartite agreement(Memorandum of Understanding - MoU) with UNICEF and NADRA to speed up birthregistration activities in the selected areas of Mohmand and Khyber Agencies.

Despite these efforts, the status of birth registration in FATA remains far less thansatisfactory, as is evident from the earlier narrative. In FATA, birth registration trend is as lowas 1% and is characterized by several deficiencies in terms of knowledge, attitude andpractice both on the supply and demand side of the process. Consequently, as reflected invarious legislative and administrative steps taken in recent past with regards touniversalization of birth registration in Pakistan, and particularly in FATA, there is strongrecognition among concerned decision making circles for taking all necessary measures tosignificantly improve registration rates.

3.1 Process of birth registration strategy formulation:

To develop key inputs of the birth registration strategy, both qualitative and quantitativemethods of data collection and information assessment have been utilized. Data gatheringand analysis with respect to birth registration in FATA was a comparatively demandingprocess compared to other areas of Pakistan due to a virtual absence of secondaryinformation sources. As a matter of fact, this is the first ever comprehensive literature whichis being developed in order to highlight and address the issues pertaining to birth registrationin FATA.

7http://www.dawn.com/news/687271/fata-takes-lead-in-protecting-child-rights-2

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Primary data has been a major source of information which was further assessed to interpretthe prevalent behaviors and mechanisms associated to birth registration in FATA. Thestrategy development process has been methodically consultative and evidence based, inaddition to the review of available material and discussions with key stakeholders. Focusingon all aspects of the system, including, environment, demand, supply and qualitydeterminants, the strategy has been a result of scientific discussions with policy makers atFATA Secretariat level, action planners at the operational level and subject experts from thedevelopment sector.

Through key informant interviews and focus group discussions, individual and group ideashave been generated. Existing legislative frameworks and administrative mechanismsrelated to birth registration in FATA as well as evidence gathered around key bottleneckshave been studied in detail providing vital reference and understanding of policy,administrative, social, economic, technical and other interrelated issues. Primary datacollection was done at various levels through individual and group discussions with therepresentatives of FATA Secretariat. Feedback on the draft strategy was also recorded aftera comprehensive review and validated by relevant professionals before finalization.

3.2 The long-term vision of the birth registration strategy

The FATA birth registration strategy has come about as a result of an extensive andconsultative brainstorming process. Deliberations have taken place with differentstakeholders working at various levels of the birth registration paradigm. Similarly, throughfocus group discussions, ideas have also been collected and documented on how to attainthe strategic vision of “Universal Birth Registration in FATA by 2040”.

Outlining its strategic vision for birth registration, the FATA Secretariat is determined to‘provide mechanisms to sustain a birth registration system which facilitates parents toregister their children at birth, encourages tribal communities to take active part in expandingthe outreach of services and provides a better future for all children in FATA free from allforms of vulnerability, exploitation and discrimination’.

3.3 The strategic mission associated with the birth registration strategy

Due to the overall challenging situation faced by the state and society in FATA, theuniversalization of birth registration is not possible by 2020 for all practical reasons. This wasalso a subject of the stakeholders’ consultative workshop on birth registration strategydevelopment held with the stakeholders in Islamabad8. Therefore, it was collectively andconsultatively ascertained that the vision statement will speak of universalization of birthregistration in FATA by 2040.

However, to attain realization of FATA birth registration vision, several other milestones mustbeaccomplished along the way. While the vision statement provides orientation to the reformmeasures, the mission statement gives the necessary direction on how to get there.

8Stakeholders’ Consultative Workshop: Birth Registration Strategy Development (Islamabad, 13th-14th May, 2014) conducted by Directorate of Local Government and Rural Development FATA in consultation with UNICEF child Protection Section.

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Therefore, the FATA Secretariat has also developed its mission statement for the birthregistration strategy.

Defining its strategic mission for birth registration, the FATA Secretariat will prioritize plansand actions to develop a system which provides accurate, reliable and timely information ofall births occurring within FATAas the basis for the planning and development of the region.The result will be measured in terms of increasing the birth registration rate from 1 percent to35 percent by 2020.

3.4 The core values to be endorsed by the birth registration strategy

The birth registration strategy adheres to the principles stipulated in the international,national and regional policies and plans aimed at universalization of birth registration. TheFATA “birth registration strategy” recognizes these principles fundamental to theimplementation of the strategy, which include:

Commitment towards birth registration: With the formulation of this strategy, the FATASecretariat reaffirms its commitment to make progress towards improvement in the region’sbirth registration outlook. However, equally important and direly needed will be the samecommitment to continue to work with the same dedication and the mission when theimplementation of the strategy gets underway.

Uniformity in registration procedures: In order to encourage parents register their children atbirth by overcoming any confusion about the process, uniformity must be ensured andproperly communicated among the people of FATA. Discussions with stakeholders haverevealed that at present, there is ambiguity on part of service providers as well as servicerecipients on the procedures to be adopted for birth registration. It might be a matter ofperception rather than practice, and therefore, requires complementing measures.

Simplification of the birth registration process: This strategy has worked effectively in othercountries where prevalence of birth registration was comparable with FATA. By making theprocess simple, more and more people came forward to get their children registered.Currently, the process involves a certain level of complexity with multiple actors all of whomare crucial to complete the registration process. By eliminating certain steps within theprocess, favorable results can certainly be accrued.

Prioritized birth registration without any ethnic disparity: The birth registration system mustrespond to the needs of all the citizens of FATA without any discrimination or partiality onethnic grounds. The concept of universal birth registration is a human rights approach andtherefore any form of discrimination in the birth registration system will not lead to itsfulfillment.

Reliability of the system and accuracy of data: The basic foundation of birth registration isstrengthened through the pillars of feeding reliable information and getting accurate data.For the state authorities to make thoughtful planning and development judgments, the onusis also on citizens to provide correct information which can lead to realistic numbers andfigures.

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Gender equality in birth registration: During the stakeholders’ consultative workshop on birthregistration strategy development, it was specified that birth registration in FATA significantlysuffered as a result of gender bias and prejudices that excludes women from birthregistration. There have been recorded cases of parents where the parents did not get theirfemale children registered due to the perception that the registration of a female was notimportant or relevant. This is nothing more than a stereotype, quite inherent in tribal societythough, which has to be done away with once and for all.3.5 Visualization of the existing birth registration process in FATA

There seems to be two parallel structures of birth registration in FATA according torespondents of the focus group discussions. One of the structures is run by Social WelfareDepartment FATA (Child Protection Wing), which has the mandate after the approval of theChild Protection Policy FATA, which states that:

A system shall be developed to ensure the registration of every child at or shortly after birth,and fulfill his or her right to acquire name and nationality. Awareness campaigns shall belaunched to sensitize the masses on the importance of birth registration. Special proceduresfor children without birth registration or with late birth registration shall be put in place. TheAgency Social Welfare Offices with coordination of political administration shall register andprovide identification to children without identity records.

The other equivalent structure is that of the Directorate of Local Government and RuralDevelopment FATA, which has been made the responsible institution to manage and ensurebirth registration related activities in those areas of FATA which demonstrate urbancharacteristics (Municipal Committees). The claim to this task is specifically mentioned in theFATA Local Government Regulation 2012 (draft) as follows:

58. The compulsory functions of the municipal committees shall be as under (among severalother functions): (v) Birth and deaths. Also, the Second Schedule of the FATA LocalGovernment Regulation 2012 specifies the taxes which can be collected by MunicipalCommittees, which also includes, (25) fees for birth registration.

Therefore the mandate of birth registration seems to be split between the Social WelfareDepartment FATA and the Directorate of Local Government and Rural Development FATA.Weak coordination between the two administrative units as well as a total lack of knowledgecreation amongst the people of FATA have resulted in a disorientation as to who isresponsible for providing what sort of services for birth registration.

Incomprehension in terms of the responsible authority has also led to confusion as far as theprocess flow is concerned. However, a concerted effort was made during the ‘stakeholders’consultative workshop on birth registration strategy development’ in order to visualize thebirth registration process in FATA through information and feedback provided by theworkshop participants.

Based on the description of the workshop participants and the diagrams that were drawn onthe pin boards, the birth registration process in FATA is multifarious with several actorsinvolved at different stages. They involve the local political administration (Political Agent andPolitical Tehsildar), the Tribal Malik (recognized and endorsed clan leader), and the AssistantDirector Local Government and Rural Development working at the Agency level. Parents

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and family members of the children intended for registration obviously play a central rolewithin the process chain.

The visualization has beenundertaken in consultation with the participants of the workshopand therefore may have slight variances with actual implementation. Furthermore, during theworkshop, the participants were divided into small focus groups and were assigned multipletasks within group works. One of the group works focused on highlighting the process ofbirth registration which was present on the ground in FATA.

According to one respondent, no birth certificate distribution process existed in FATA otherthan Kurram (the major Town of Parachinar) and Bajaur (the Tehsil of Khar) Agencies, wheresome form of computerized birth certification is carried out. Within the municipal units, thebirth registration system is different compared to the rest of FATA. According to therespondents, the following process is carried out for birth certification in Parachinar andKhar:

• Parents of the children approach the NADRA office for birth registration and to obtainthe computerized birth certificate.

• NADRA office/representative refers them to their respective Municipal Committee fornecessary validation and attestation of birth related data.

• Municipal Committee requires the parents to provide documentary evidence of birthrelated information via medical certificate by a recognized doctor.

• The Municipal Committee either attests the doctor’s certificate or issues birthcertificate on the prescribed form.

• Municipal Committee’s certified form is then submitted to NADRA office for issuanceof computerized birth certificate.

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Existing birthregistrationprocess in

most of FATA Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Step 5: Step 6:


It is evident that variations exist in birth registration, which must be addressed throughunification of the system and simplification of the process. Birth records in Parachinar andKhar are properly maintained by MCs and the data is also shared with respective offices ofNADRA. According to the participants of the workshop, in order to improve the overall statusof birth registration in FATA, certain steps must be taken, such as, proper legislation backedup by strict implementation, uniformity of the process in the entire FATA region, incentivebased mechanisms offered for staff, withdrawal of birth registration fee and verificationauthority extended to any officer (BPS 17 and above) appointed in FATA.

3.6 Bottleneck analysis of the birth registration system in FATA

In order to outline a realistic and practical birth registration strategy which is able to addressthe needs of the people of FATA, bottlenecks were analyzed against with strategicinterventions have also been framed. Using the ‘four determinants model’ of a birthregistration strategy, the bottleneck analysis was carried out within the context of enablingenvironment, supply side determinants, demand side determinants and qualityconsiderations.

Enabling environment to facilitate birth registration processLack of public awareness and mobility about the critical importance of registering childrenor the appropriate channels to do so.Social rejection of birth registration(especially for womenfolk) due to the primitive tribalsociety and propaganda infused disinformation.Perception of hidden agendas associated with birth registration campaigns due to negativeenlightenment by anti-state elements operating in FATA.Implementation mechanism of birth registration under the FATA Child Protection Policy hasnot been developed. Also, most of the people in FATA do not know if a policy exists at all.Birth registration system in FATA works under an informal mechanism, which is also quiterestricted in terms of outreach and access. This system can be formalized on the pattern ofthe one existing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.The economic outlook of FATA registers the lowest income levels in Pakistan which has anintrinsic link with inability to pay registration fee or bear the travel costs to get to the birthregistration facility. Precarious law and order situation which has engulfed the entire FATA region is one of thebiggest stumbling blocks in the way of effective social service delivery including birthregistration.

Supply side determinants of birth registrationFATA’s birth registration landscape is severely hampered by the inadequacy of resources,such as, FATA Secretariat does not have allocation of budget for birth registration activitiesand at the field (Agency) level, there aren’t any appointed or responsible staff to providebirth registration services.Technical and operational incapacities of the existing staff are another major hurdle on thesupply side. Offices of Political Agent and Political Tehsildar are already overburdened withscores of other administrative duties, which infer that either capacities are weak or remainunderutilized.FATA Secretariat has not developed any such mechanism under which work can becoordinated and carried out with the active support of NADRA, which has access todatabases, sophisticated IT system and experienced human resource.

Demand side determinants of birth registration

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People of FATA do not attach high importance to birth registration or towards obtaining abirth certificate, as an essential identity document. Application for birth registration orcertificate is entirely need driven, such as, when needing a passport or applying for aCNIC.People are of the view that it is an arduous and complicated process, and for that matter,they prefer to avoid getting into the registration process at all. This does not have to reflectthe actual status of the process, but then perception becomes reality for people.Since people can apply for an issuance or renewal of CNIC without the pre-condition ofproducing birth registration certificate, therefore, people tend to not feel the need for birthregistration at all.

Quality considerations associated with birth registrationBy law or by policy, the Government has not implemented any such mechanism in FATAwhich warrants the introduction of a proper birth registration system.Monitoring of birth registration related activities and performances is not carried out inFATA. There is no such system that takes into account cases of registered andunregistered newborns in FATA. Even the standard reference document, i.e. FATA MICSreport, has added just a few words on birth registration stats and facts under the ‘birthregistration’ heading.Standardized birth registration forms, computer based registration system, proper printingfacility, imposition of service fee, etc. do not exist at this point in time on the ground.Absence of such essential resources has also aggravated the deplorable situation of birthregistration in FATA.There also remains a considerably high risk of the process being tampered bymalpractices. In the absence of a monitoring mechanism as well as computerized system,malpractices become even a bigger threat.

3.7Recommended actions against bottlenecksto improve birth registration

A comprehensive analysis of underlying bottlenecks towards the universalization of birthregistration in FATA was carried out so that remedial and pragmatic measures could berecommended. FATA birth registration strategy is in fact a step-by-step approach as afacilitation and reference guide for the FATA Secretariat and its implementing partners onhow to effectively take the birth registration improvement agenda forward. The followingdescription consolidates recommendations that were put forth during the focus groupdiscussions and key informant interviews.

Enabling environment to facilitate birth registration processFATA Local Government Regulation 2012 (draft), which has specifically given the mandateof birth registration to Municipal Committees, must be approved instantaneously. Thepassage of the law must then be followed up by swift implementation.Until the time no local government law exists in FATA, an Executive Order by theGovernment of Pakistan may be issued declaring birth registration emergency in FATA anddirecting the authorities to make necessary arrangements in that regard.In most parts of FATA, which were characterized by armed conflicts and internal unrest, theGovernment of Pakistan has been able to establish its administrative control. Thisadvantage must be utilized in the best possible manner as a means of peace-building.A lot of emphasis and focus must be laid down on improving the knowledge of the peopleof FATA regarding the importance of birth registration by highlighting its aspects andbenefits.

Supply side determinants of birth registrationInsufficient human and financial resources must be addressed by the FATA Secretariat andproper allocations of manpower and budget need to be integrated within its Annual

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Development Program. This will not only ensure sustainability of funds and efforts, but willalso bring birth registration within the priority considerations of stakeholders involved.While a pilot project has been initiated in Khyber and Mohmand Agencies, lessons andexperiences learnt during the pilot implementation must be swiftly extended to other partsof FATA to gather consolidated results. Transparency in recruitment and budgeting must beensured through competitive processes and third-party monitoring.In addition to recruiting new staff for birth registration, capacity development programneeds to be launched for existing staff who are either already working on birth registrationor may have potential roles to take up in the future.

Demand side determinants of birth registrationIn order to create and increase the demand for birth registration services in FATA, atargeted mass awareness campaign needs to be endorsed. FATA’s social structure alreadyhas in-built mechanisms for public participation and such forums can be optimally utilizedin addition to the traditional media forms of radio announcements and printed material inlocal languages.Uniformity in process and formats not only help service providers but will also contribute toovercoming the trust deficit of the people of FATA around service delivery (in this case birthregistration). Clarity of attestation process, standardization of forms, similar conditions fordocumentary evidence and consistency in birth registration process hierarchy must beclearly established and visibly communicated.

Quality considerations associated with birth registrationMonitoring of action measures as well as birth registration data must be initiated. To makeit more accurate, third-party monitoring can be integrated in addition to regular monitoringbeing done by the Directorate of Monitoring FATA and the respective politicaladministrations. The monitoring data will not only provide useful information on theperformance of activities but will also provide accurate statistics on the status of birthregistration in FATA, which is entirely missing right now.FATA Birth Registration Survey, on the pattern of MICS, must be initiated following the firstcompleted round of birth registration emergency campaign. The survey will not only helpprovide the actual status of birth registration but will also help the concerned authorities toanalyze what worked and where improvements are needed.The survey data must be timely shared with the top management of FATA Secretariat andits implementing partners, which will enable the Planning and Development DepartmentFATA to come up with regular programmatic priorities and allocations in the long-run.

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4. The implementation roadmap for FATA birth registration strategy

The birth registration strategy promotes a holistic approach, which is to build up the birth registration structure and mechanism from the scratch bybringing together a combination of policy regulation, institutional building, capacity development and state-society participation mechanisms. Eachunderlying bottlenecks and suggestive recommendation has been taken into consideration during the formulation of strategic interventions. While itis recognized that addressing all the requirements of birth registration would be crucial, based on the series of consultations and analysis ofavailable literature, the strategy focuses on the following prioritized measures for practical and pragmatic reasons over the coming five years(2014-2019).

Strategicintervention

Corresponding bottleneckPerformance indicator Suggestive timeline

Intervention level Budgetary requirement

Passage of the FATALocal Government

Regulation 2012

1. A proper implementationmechanism to address birthregistration has not beendeveloped.

2. Birth registration system inFATA works as an informalmechanism.

FATA LGR 2012 isnotified by the Federal

Government.

An implementationmechanism is also put in

place.

By December 2015.

By December 2015(approved along with the

passage of law).

Federal Government(SAFRON Ministry)

FATA Secretariat(Administration

Infrastructure andCoordination Department)

No cost implication

Mass awareness andoutreach campaign

utilizing publicforums and media

platforms

1. Dismal levels of publicawareness and mobility.

2. Perception of hiddenagendas associated withbirth registration.

3. Social rejection of birthregistration (especially forwomenfolk) mainly due topropaganda disinformation.

4. Reactive approach towardsbirth registration rather thanproactive.

Awareness level of thepeople in FATA has risen

by x%.

X% of people considersbirth registration

favorably without anystrings attached.

Mass awareness campaignto be launched two weeksbefore every emergency

birth registration campaign(first campaign proposed in

January 2015).

FATA Secretariat (ChildProtection Wing)

Agency Level (PoliticalAgents’ Office)

PKR 10 million for firstcampaign (including

Secretariat level as wellas Agency level

implementation costs)

FATA AnnualDevelopment

Program (2015onwards) covers thetechnical, financial

and humanrequirements of birth

registration

1. Informal birth registrationsystem at work.

2. FATA Secretariat does nothave allocation of budget forbirth registration activities.

3. No mechanism exists inFATA which can warrant theintroduction of a proper birth

FATA ADP 2015-2016and henceforth has

assigned budgetallocations for birth

registration.

Necessary allocations andpriorities are set in the ADP

2015-2016.

FATA Child Protection Cell toprovide technical inputs toPlanning and DevelopmentDepartment FATA by March

Federal Government(SAFRON Ministry)

FATA Secretariat(Planning and

Development Department,Finance Department)

No cost implication

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registration system. 2015.

Extending the reachand focus of birthregistration ‘pilot

project’ throughoutFATA

1. Law and order situationdrives the urge of betterservice delivery acrossFATA.

2. At the Agency level, there isno appointed staff to providebirth registration services.

FATA birth registrationpilot project is also

extended to the other 5Agencies in addition toKhyber and Mohmand

Agencies.

Lessons learnt, successstories and field experiences

of the 1st pilot shared byJanuary 2015.

2nd pilot design prepared byMarch 2015.

FATA Secretariat(Directorate of Projects,Child Protection Wing)

As per the budgeting ofthe pilot project

calculated on the basis ofone Agency and then

accumulated for sevenAgencies

Capacitydevelopment

trainings for newrecruits and existingstaff to work on birth

registration

1. Technical incapacities of theexisting staff are anothermajor hurdle on the supplyside.

2. Agency level politicaladministration is alreadyburdened with scores ofadministrative functions.

Capacity developmenttrainings are designed

and delivered toconcerned staff (new and

existing) on the birthregistration process, birthregistration online system

and the reportingmechanisms for

information.

Capacity developmenttrainings provided separately

to existing staff and newinductions.

First training to be providedto present staff in Nov-Dec

2015.


Agency level (PoliticalAgents’ Office)

PKR 2.5 million for firstbatch of training (5 days,

50 participants)

Possible training partner:Pakistan Academy forRural Development,

Peshawar or Institute ofManagement Sciences,

PeshawarIntroduction and

adoption of standardbirth registration

forms

1. Absence of standardizedbirth registration forms hasalso aggravated the statusof birth registration in FATA.

Birth registration formsare standardized on thepattern of NADRA andsufficient availability isensured at every Tehsil

level.

Standard registration formatswith the help of NADRA.

At least 2000 registrationforms provided to each birthregistration related staff in

every Tehsil.


Tehsil level (AssistantPolitical Agents’ Office)

NADRA Regional Office

PKR 1 million for printingand delivery of standardbirth registration forms

(calculated on the basisof 49 tehsils with 2000forms provided in each

tehsil)Computerized birth

registration countersestablished in every

Tehsil of FATA

1. Computer based system ofregistration and properprinting facility do not existat this point in time on theground.

Computer equipment aswell as operational

trainings are provided tothe staff responsible for

birth registration at everyTehsil level.

Computer equipment with aprinter and software

provided to every Tehsil byJune 2015.


Tehsil level (AssistantPolitical Agents’ Office)

NADRA Regional Office

Rs 5 million for astandard desktopcomputer with the

customized software andoffice printer (one set foreach of the 49 tehsils)

Monitoringmechanism

introduced to keepcheck on birth

registration relatedactivities andexpenditures

1. FATA Secretariat has notdeveloped a mechanismunder which work can becoordinated and carried outwith NADRA.

2. Monitoring of activities andperformances vis-à-vis birthregistration is not carried outin FATA.

Regular monitoringchecks are conducted in

all the Agencies andAgency wise reports aregenerated for submissionto FATA Secretariat andthe respective Political

Agents.

First quarterly monitoringvisit to take place in March

2014.

Ensuing visits to beconducted regularly at an

interval of 3 months.

FATA Secretariat(Directorate of Monitoring

FATA)

Agency level (PoliticalAgents’ Office)

Rs. 13 million (20quarterly visits during 5

years across eachAgency and FR)

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Undertake the annualFATA Birth

Registration Surveyand share resultswith stakeholdersand implementing

partners

1. There is no such systemthat takes into accountcases of registered andunregistered newborns inFATA. Even the keyreference document, i.e.FATA MICS report, hasadded just a few words onbirth registration relatedfigures.

FATA Annual BirthRegistration Survey is

documented anddisseminated every year.

Inaugural FATA BirthRegistration Survey to begin

in June 2015.

Results to be compiled,documented and

disseminated by Oct-Nov2015.

FATA Secretariat(Directorate of Monitoring

FATA)

PKR 2.5 million(calculated on the basis

of one annual reportevery year for 5 years

with 1000 printed copieseach to provide basis forinformation, discussion

and planning)

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Annexure 1Birth registration sample format for computerized certificate

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Annexure 2Template of bottleneck analysis for strategy development workshop

Guidelines for activity number IAmong your team, please identify, review, discuss and analyze the bottlenecks provided. Foryour convenience, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bottlenecks analysis filled-in template isprovided as an example.

Guidelines for activity IIUsing a separate flip chart, kindly prioritize the bottlenecks on the basis of criteria providedbelow:

Prioritization Criteria1. Is it causing hindrance to progress (yes / no)2. Severity of hindrance:

a. How impactful is overcoming the bottleneck?b. How challenging is overcoming the bottleneck?c. How much progress has been made in overcoming the bottlenecks?d. How resource intensive is overcoming the bottleneck?

Ranking Marks: 0: None, 1: Little, 2: Some What, 3: Medium, 4: High, 5: Critical

Time allocated for this session is 90 minutes.Enabling EnvironmentHindrance (yes / no)

Bottlenecks Severity / MarksA B C D

SupplyHindrance (yes / no)


DemandHindrance (yes / no)


QualityHindrance (yes / no)


Annexure 3Template of proposed actions for strategy development workshop

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Guidelines for activity number IAmong your team, please identify, review, discuss and analyze strategic actions. For yourconvenience, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa strategic actions filled-in template is provided as anexample.

Guidelines for activity IIUsing a separate flip chart, kindly prioritize the strategic actions areas on the basis of criteriaprovided below:

Prioritization Criteria1. Timeline (1, 2, 3 or more years required for implementation of intervention)2. Level of intervention (province, district, village / neighborhood council)3. Data source4. Indicator5. Reporting frequency

Time allocated for this session is 90 minutes.Enabling EnvironmentStrategic action recommendations Prioritization (as appropriate)

1 2 3 4 5

SupplyStrategic action recommendations Prioritization (as appropriate)

1 2 3 4 5

DemandStrategic action recommendations Prioritization (as appropriate)

1 2 3 4 5

QualityStrategic action recommendations Prioritization (as appropriate)

1 2 3 4 5

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The potential of carving out a better futurefor our children is contained in the presentmoment.

a betterFUTUREstarts here!

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