By Anna Richardson, an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD) with UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office, Bangkok
One month in Bangkok. Two weeks of In-Country Orientation. Two weeks of working with UNICEF. So far it’s been a blast. Our In-Country Orientation helped us to find a home and learn more about security and working in the region. We started speaking Thai language and eating amazing Thai food! The four AYADs in my intake are all wonderful people with equally exciting assignments. So we got to know each other and our new home, Bangkok. We also had the opportunity to meet with the AYADs already living in Bangkok and learn about their NGOs.
I was lucky enough to go on a Street Walk with Friends International – an outreach program designed to get women and children off the street and into employment. We also all attended a session run by Asylum Access – an NGO working with asylum seekers here in Bangkok. As Thailand is surrounded by many countries that have recently undergone political and civil unrest, there are many people here who have come seeking asylum. We had the opportunity to meet with some of the Asylum Access clients and learn about their lives. It was a unique experience that definitely opened my eyes to the challenges faced when a person is forced to leave their home country.
| High Level Meeting on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics – Asia and the Pacific – 10th-11th December 2012. © UNICEF EAPRO 2012/Anna Richardson |
During my second week I was lucky enough to attend a high level meeting on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics at ESCAP – the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific – which is the largest UN building here in Bangkok. The meeting was huge! 232 senior representatives from 48 countries and 22 UN and NGO partners were there to discuss the importance of making every life count in Asia and the Pacific. The two-day high level meeting focused on the critical importance of maintaining proper civil registration and vital statistics systems and how these seemingly mundane systems are at the front line of ensuring children’s rights to health, education and protection.
It was surprising that 1/3 to 2/3 of all children in the Asia-Pacific are currently not registered. They have no official identity, are more likely to be stateless and are vulnerable to human rights abuses. They can’t prove who they are, who their parents are or where and when they were born, leaving them invisible and vulnerable to exploitation. UNICEF is working with other agencies to bring about change.
There are vast regional disparities in the quality and quantity of vital statistics such as numbers of births, deaths, still births, adoptions, marriages and divorces that are registered. Effective and accurate birth registration helps facilitate access to health, education, social welfare and protection. It can allow a person to vote and participate in political and economic activities. On a broader level, accurate and reliable statistics allow for evidence based policy, planning and sustainable development.
If the first two weeks are any indication, I will be learning a lot this year as well as contributing to the protection of children in the East Asia and Pacific Region. My role throughout the year will be to assist the Child Protection team in synthesising and analysing data on child protection, whilst creating a series of communication materials. It’s a big job but I’m up for the challenge!
The AYAD Program is the youth stream of Australian Volunteers for International Development, an Australian Government, AusAID initiative. This year the Australian Government will support more than 1800 skilled volunteers like Anna to live and work in developing countries through the Australian Volunteers program.
