A/HRC/39/30 decentralize the registration process. By utilizing community health facilities and refugee registration sites as mobile registration points, birth registration rates have been increased to reach many children who would otherwise not be reached. 43 50. In Colombia, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in partnership with Plan Colombia, established mobile civil registration units to register children in communities living in isolated areas, targeting ethnic minority groups and people displaced by armed conflict who had no proof of identity. The National Civil Registry of Civil Status received technical assistance to develop birth registration policies and responses, and was supported in developing a specialized Vulnerable Populations Attention Unit.44 4. Innovative solutions and the use of technologies 51. The use of technology, particularly to implement digital civil registration systems, can facilitate the exchange of information between different government departments responsible for public services, and improve efficiencies in data collection and the accuracy of vital statistics. Using digital technologies in birth registration processes can also expand the reach of registration by streamlining processes and overcoming geographic and administrative barriers.45 The digitization of registration systems helps to safeguard against the risk of losing birth records during conflict or emergencies. 46 52. States should consider the use of digital technology in civil registration systems where appropriate, in partnership with relevant stakeholders including NGOs and technology providers. Innovative technological solutions should be grounded in human rights principles and standards, and need to be tailored to the specific requirements and constraints of each national context. Recognizing that technology alone cannot bring about change, digital birth registration programmes should be fully integrated within holistic programmes whereby the use of technology is one of multiple enabling factors. 53. In Cambodia, UNICEF is utilizing mobile technology to improve birth registration, through an initiative to address the challenge of communes running out of birth registration documents. As these were not being consistently restocked in a timely manner within certain commune offices, families were being turned away when attempting to register a child’s birth. In partnership with the General Department of Identification, UNICEF implemented an interactive voice response system, which, in combination with the use of RapidPro technology, automatically notifies the Government of low stock levels, helping to ensure that communes are consistently equipped to continue providing birth registration. 54. In the United Republic of Tanzania, in partnership with UNICEF, the Government implemented a decentralized birth registration programme with the help of mobile phone technology, supporting the registration of an additional 220,000 children under the age of 5 within four weeks in the regions of Iringa and Njombe. The mobile phone technology, created by the Registration, Insolvency and Trustee Agency, enabled efficient collection, verification and storage of birth registration data, and provided real-time data for monitoring progress. Local government authorities were authorized to take responsibility for registration, and the programme strengthened outreach to children in rural areas by utilizing local health facilities and ward executive offices as registration points. In addition, midwives, community health workers and traditional birth attendants were trained as birth “notifiers”, using their mobile phones to send a message to central government offices, as a first step towards issuance of a verified official birth certificate. The Registration, Insolvency and Trustee Agency system has now been rolled out in additional target regions in the United Republic of Tanzania, including Temeke, Mbeya and Mwanza. 43 44 45 46 Submission from Plan International. Plan International, Innovations in Birth Registration. Plan International, Identifying and Addressing Risks to Children in Digitised Birth Registration Systems: A Step-by-Step Guide (2015). Submission from Plan International. 11