KARACHI: Leveraging innovation in technology, Telenor Pakistan and UNICEF have handed over the Digital Birth Registration (DBR) system to the Sindh government.

After its successful launch and implementation in 3 pilot districts, the local government in Sindh is now all set to take over the DBR project and scale it across the province.

The project transfer took place at an event in Karachi, attended by officials from Telenor Pakistan and UNICEF along with Sindh government officials.

Designed with the goal of birth registration for kids under the age of 17, with special focus on children under 5 years of age, the DBR system since its inception in 2016 has already helped recognize the identities of approximately 1.8 million children across Pakistan.

The DBR project ensures that every child gets basic right of identity which would lead to give them better access to education, healthcare, and basic human rights. Together, UNICEF and Telenor Pakistan have facilitated the creation of easy to access, convenient and real time mechanisms bringing birth registration to the doorstep in far flung, hard to reach area; thus, reducing the high opportunity cost and time incurred by the parents. This successful public-private partnership model has shaped regional collaboration in technology and best-practice sharing for the achievement of universal birth registration for children across South Asia.

Commenting on the development, Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO Telenor Pakistan said, “Birth registration is the fundamental right of every child and is a legal proof of their existence. Every life registered through the DBR platform takes the nation another step closer to the fulfillment of the country’s development goals, and even more importantly, plays a vital role in mitigating the effects of inequalities and socio-economic disparities.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021