A/HRC/39/30 report indicate that this has already been done in many countries. States can build on these examples to overcome barriers to realizing the right to birth registration so that all children are made visible, can be counted, and are supported in claiming their rights. II. International legal framework 8. The right of all children to recognition as persons before the law is made clear in article 6 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the right to birth registration is specified in article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The right of children to be registered immediately after birth is also stated in article 24 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 6 9. The Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends that States take all necessary measures to ensure that all children are registered at birth through a universal, wellmanaged registration system that is accessible to all and free of charge.7 All children should have access to birth registration in the country where they are born, including nonnationals, asylum seekers, refugees and stateless children. 8 10. The right to birth registration and legal identity is, furthermore, reflected in the International Convention on the Protection of Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (art. 29) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (art. 18). International refugee and humanitarian law, including the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, defines State obligations to realize the right to birth registration for the children of refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons. 11. Birth registration should be provided in accordance with the general child rights principles of non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, their right to life, survival and development, and the right of the child to express his or her views. In addition, States must fulfil the right to birth registration without discrimination of any kind on the basis of the child’s or his or her guardian’s race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status. 9 III. Risks for marginalized children and those in vulnerable situations 12. The children who are missing out on birth registration are primarily those who are the most marginalized, subjected to discrimination and living in vulnerable situations. 10 For example, even in countries with high overall registration rates, children from the poorest households are approximately twice as likely to be unregistered as those from the richest. 11 13. Children who are not registered at birth are placed at increased risk of further rights violations throughout their lives. Birth registration is fundamental to protecting children from violence, statelessness, abduction or sale, and other forms of exploitation and abuse. Children lacking a birth certificate are also at risk of being left out from health systems and from access to immunization and schooling, among other rights violations. 6 7 8 9 10 11 4 The international legal framework with respect to birth registration and the right to legal identity has been analysed in detail in previous reports submitted to the Human Rights Council. See A/HRC/27/22 and A/HRC/33/22. See A/HRC/27/22. Ibid. See article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; see also A/HRC/28/13. See A/HRC/33/22. Ibid.