UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

Published purpose

This project seeks to increase the registration of children under the age of five, and improve the availability, quality, timeliness, and use of health information to assist in the planning of effective activities to improve maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH). The project also seeks to improve the availability and quality of information on child mortality to better inform planning and resource allocation, and increase accountability to MNCH efforts. The project assists developing countries to increase number of birth registrations by addressing access barriers, including reaching those who live in rural areas by mobilizing community health workers in the birth registration process. The project also seeks to use innovations, such as SMS technologies, to increase the number of births being registered. This project supports two key recommendations from the United Nations Commission on Information and Accountability for Women and Children's Health: (i) to take significant steps to establish a system for registration of births, deaths and causes of death, and have well-functioning health information systems; and (ii) to integrate the use of information and communication technologies in national health management information systems and health infrastructure.