The Ministry of Justice, through its Minister, Dionísio Babo, officially launched the mobilisation campaign for the registration of children from 0 to 5 years of age in Covalima. The ceremony took place on 12 April at the building of the National Directorate of Registry and Notary Services in Covalima.

The newly-born should be registered at the National Directorate of Registry and Notary Services of the Ministry of Justice in order to be able to obtain the document issued by the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste that certifies their Timorese citizenship.

The Minister of Justice stressed “the importance of this mobilisation campaign, which marks a new era in the history of the country, for it recognises and grants the new-borns both their citizenship status and the certificate that they are Timorese citizens.

“I congratulate everybody, particularly UNICEF, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, which have always provided a major support to this programme. This is the first mobilisation campaign for the birth registration of children and, for this reason, I call upon the community, particularly the mothers scattered all over the country, that after delivering their babies, or after twenty or thirty days following delivery, they register the birth of their children either at the health centre or at the National Directorate of Registry and Notary Services which can now be found in all districts of the country”, the Minister said.

The National Director of Registry and Notary Services, Maria do Rosário de Araújo, stressed that “the date of 12 April is very important because it marks the beginning of this campaign in Covalima district, but the campaign will continue to take place in the 64 districts all over the country”.