New office space for Civil Registration
The
Government’s Civil Registration Office of the Ministry of Home Affairs has a
new home which now provides convenient and efficient civil registration and
vital statics services to the public.
The
Minister of Home Affairs, Manasseh Maelanga formally opened the new office on
Wednesday 28 September, which is located at the second floor of the Anthony
Saru building in central Honiara.
The
establishment of the office is a result of the cordial partnership between the
Solomon Islands Government, UNICEF, WHO and Bloomberg to fulfill the civil
registration needs of Solomon Islands.
“I
would like to thank all stakeholders, especially, UNICEF, WHO and Bloomberg for
their efforts in assisting us to achieve this very important responsibility of
our Government,” Mr Maelanga said.
He
also acknowledged the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund (SINPF) Board and
Management for kindly allocating the office space for the Government to
administer the civil registration process.
Civil
registration provides individuals and the State with legal recognition that a
birth, death or marriage has taken place. It is the basis on which a person
establishes their legal identity, including their name, their age, where they
were born and who their family is.
It
is also the preferred source of counting how many births and deaths have taken
place, as well as statistics on characteristics like life expectancy or the
causes of those deaths which is a fundamental function and responsibility of
government.
Data
and Statistics kept by the Civil Registration Office will provide more
efficient policy decision making and could form the basis for ensuring the
integrity of voter registration and building a national identification system
in the future.
Chief
of the UNICEF Field Office in Solomon Islands, Mr Yun Jong Kang said the
improvement of civil registration will satisfy the right of every child in
Solomon Islands to be registered and be legally recognized by the State.
“It
is pleasing that we have achieved one of our important goals to ensure the
right of every child to be registered and legally recognized by the State,” Mr
Kang said.
The
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Office will undertake a nation-wide
awareness campaign early next year to educate people about the functions of the
Office.
People
wishing to collect birth or death certificates are strongly encouraged to visit
the new office on Level 2 at the Anthony Building.
ENDS///
Minister Maelanga
(center) with Development Partner representatives and Staff of the Ministry of
Home Affairs at the opening ceremony
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