Civil Identity Program for the Americas

The Universal Civil Identity Program in the Americas (PUICA) of the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI) promotes the elimination of the obstacles that prevent the civil registration of people. It is dedicated to identifying best practices, criteria and the standards related to civil registration systems, while promoting the standards and practices in the member states of the Organization of American States (OAS). The Program is also devoted to increasing public awareness regarding the need for a legal identity for millions of people, while bearing in mind the existence of vulnerable populations and the rich cultural diversity of the hemisphere.

Objectives

The general objective of the Program Universal Civil Identity Program is to increase the capacity of the OAS in strengthening democracies in the hemisphere, considering the importance of the right for a person in the development as a citizen in a democratic society.

The specific objective is to design and put into practice a program for the universal civil identity in the Americas, whose objectives include the complete eliminatation of the current situation in which people lack civil identities in the hemisphere, a goal that can be achieved by identifying the causes of under-registration in Latin America and the Caribbean, and through the promotion of public policies.

Concerns

Recent UNICEF studies estimate that the births of 18% of children under 5 years of age in Latin America and the Caribbean have not yet been registered. This obstacle to the right to an identity has serious consequence for the well-being of citizens, in the economic, political, or social sense. Unregistered people are more prone to having their rights violated.

Source: Section on Strategic Information, UNICEF New York, 2004.

Beneficiaries

Both the individual and governments benefit from the program, which implies the mutual reciprocity of rights and obligations:

•  The individual: the ability to exercise their legal rights, as well as access to services.

•  The government: the judicial importance of registering individuals, and the statistical benefits for the planning of public policies.