Modernization of Haiti's Civil Registry

Results achieved by this project which ended in July 2012 include: More than five million Haitians (50% women) were registered and have received a secure national identification card. This represents about 90% of the adult population in Haiti. These cards allowed citizens to exercise their right to vote during the 2010/2011 elections. The project created 141 centres of the Office of National Identification with trained staff able to deliver services across Haiti. 11 337 newborns were registered and received birth certificates at civil registry offices which were integrated in two maternity hospitals with the support of the project. The average monthly birth registration rates more than doubled in those hospitals. More than 124 000 people learned about the importance of registering children at birth through training workshops with health staff community meetings in schools and by household visits. The National Archives have digitized about 16.7 million records of civil status (birth marriage and death certificates) progressing towards the creation of an electronic national database. A new draft law was developed to modernize the national identity and civil registry system. Workshops were held with civil society government institutions and international organizations to seek input on the new legislative framework. These results have contributed to significantly strengthening the civil registry system in Haiti and improving people’s access to identity-based transactions such as voting and social services.