A/HRC/27/22 F. Registration in emergency situations 71. Armed conflict, natural disasters and other emergency situations can have a significant effect on birth registration rates. In many cases, such situations lead to the disruption of civil registration officers and therefore of public services, and can exacerbate already existing obstacles, such as legal barriers, lack of financial and human resources and distance from registration centres.71 Furthermore, the displacement of the population within and across State boundaries can cause difficulties not only for registration but also for the retrieval of documents. 72. There is also the danger that birth records may be destroyed as a result of the emergency situation, which is particularly problematic when there is no digital system is in place. In this case, it is not only present birth registrations that are threatened, but past ones as well. VII. Examples of good practices 73. Good birth registration practices must be approached with consideration of specific contextual factors pertaining to the specific social, cultural, legal and governance structures of the country. The same practice in another country or context could have very different implications. For this reason, the examples cited below should always be seen in their local context. 74. In Mali, a citizen’s guide to birth registration has been issued in five languages (French, Bamanankan, Fulfulde, Sonrai and Tamasheq). In order to ensure that those who were illiterate could benefit from the guide, more than 1,000 audio copies and 600 video copies have also been distributed.72 75. In Iraq, an information campaign has been launched, and 20,000 copies of a brochure on birth registration have been distributed to refugees. An information video (available fromhttp://youtu.be/ZvtSIAMXx9U) is currently being shown in all camps, UNHCR implementing partners offices and registration offices. 76. In the Sekameng area of Mafeteng District in Lesotho, World Vision met with officers from the Departments of Home Affairs and Social Welfare, leaders and community members to discuss child protection issues. As a result, a plan of action was drawn up under which local church leaders agreed to give awareness-raising sermons on birth registration at least once a month for three months, to facilitate the registration of names of children in need of birth certificates on dedicated days, and to submit the list of names for forwarding to the Department of Home Affairs.73 77. The Minimbah Project, established by a group of university students at the University of New England (Australia), involves a volunteer team that holds birth registration days in local primary schools in order to raise community awareness of the importance of birth registration. Children whose births have not been registered are therefore given the opportunity to register for a birth certificate.74 78. In Nicaragua, the Ministry of the Family, in coordination with the Cabinet for Family, Community and Life, runs a campaign whereby representatives make house-to71 72 73 74 16 Innocenti Research Centre, Birth Registration and Armed Conflict (2007) 2 Plan International, Count Every Child (see footnote 19), p. 38. Contribution received from World Vision. Contribution from UNICEF Australia.