PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), organized a webinar titled “Strong Registration System for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: Bangladesh Perspective” on Saturday (May 23).
Experts said universal birth and death registration is critical for safeguarding citizen rights and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but Bangladesh’s current registration rate remains low because of legal and implementation gaps. They noted that SDG Target 16.9 prioritizes legal identity for all, while registration is also linked to social safety nets, maternal and child mortality tracking, non-communicable disease prevention, disease surveillance, school enrolment and protection against child marriage and child labor.
Speakers further said the birth registration rate in Bangladesh is only 50%, while death registration stands at 47%, both well below global and regional averages. They also noted that although around 67% of children are born in health facilities, registration still largely depends on families, leaving many people outside official records.
Md Nazrul Islam, Country Coordinator, Vital Strategies, said, “To support SDG achievement, along with strengthening the registration law, we must accelerate the implementation process by enhancing coordination among all relevant ministries and the Local Government Division.”
Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead of GHAI, stated, “Universal registration can be ensured if the Birth and Death Registration Act, 2004 is amended to shift the legal responsibility from individuals to healthcare facilities, which will ultimately contribute to achieving the SDGs.”
Partha Shankar Saha, Assistant News Editor, Prothom Alo, remarked, “Half of the country’s population remaining outside the registration system poses a major obstacle to achieving the SDGs. It is the responsibility of the media to strongly highlight these legal loopholes to the policymakers.”
Journalists from print, television and online media, civil society representatives and subject experts also joined the event. The webinar was presided over by ABM Zubair, Executive Director of PROGGA, and moderated by Coordinator Mashiat Abedin, who also delivered the keynote presentation.
