News | Citizenship Rights in Africa Initiative

News | Citizenship Rights in Africa Initiative.

New On the CRAI Website: 21 July 2015 Below are the new materials added to the CRAI website 15 July – 21 July

NGO reports The AU’s plans for an African passport a pie in the sky? Amid the furore over Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s attendance, along with celebrities like Angelina Jolie, some of the discussions at last month’s African Union (AU) summit in Johannesburg went largely unnoticed. One of these is a renewed call for African countries to open their borders and for regional economic communities (RECs) to do this by no later than 2018. Is the AU way ahead of its time? Or is this just a desperate measure to find alternatives for Africans who are so eager to leave their own countries that they risk life and limb to settle elsewhere? Read more. Birth registration in emergencies: a review of best practices in humanitarian action Registering a birth is the first legal acknowledgement of a child’s existence; without proof of identity a child is invisible to the authorities. In many countries a birth certificate is a key document to gain access to basic services and to exercise fundamental human rights. In emergency situations, a child´s vulnerability to abuse is very high; boys and girls routinely become separated from their families or care givers and are vulnerable to physical abuse, neglect, sexual and economic exploitation, discrimination, gender-based violence and recruitment into armed groups. Birth registration as part of a functional CRVS system can help build a protective environment for children in many ways. Where children are registered and the records are well kept, family tracing for separated children becomes easier as there is documentation of their parents and their origin. In cases of child marriage or the worst forms of child labour, proof of age can help aid children and prosecute perpetrators. Birth registration also offers a degree of legal protection, and can help children claim their inheritance rights. Read more. News articles Nigeria: Connecting Citizens With Govt Through Smartcard The Guardian It must have appeared daunting initially and many in Ondo State, pooh-poohed the idea, dismissing it as unworkable, impracticable. But today, that dream has become a reality and the goal of drastically reducing maternal and child mortality to a level as low as obtains in developed countries is now realizable, thanks to an Automated Teller Machine-like card that contains a chip embedded in it. Today in Ondo State, every hospital is home to a pregnant woman regardless of where she registered for ante-natal. Read more. ECOWAS to issue new biometric cards for inter-border movement The Guardian The cross-border initiative programme of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) may begin to bear fruit next year as the community has planned to issue biometric cards in January 2016. The cards will grant easier access to citizens of ECOWAS member-states across the region. ECOWAS Vice President, Toga Gayewea McIntosh, who gave this hint while speaking with journalists during the 10th meeting of the Strategic Planning Co-ordinating Committee (SPCC) held in Lagos, said leaders of member-states have already approved the implementation of Common External Tariff (CET). He said: “You will no longer need to carry your passport when travelling within the region, McIntosh said. Furthermore, SPCC members have met to finalise and adopt the first working draft of the Community Strategic Frame-work (CSF) that would guide the process of community development programmes between 2016 and 2020.” Read more.

News articles Kenya: Integrate Somali Refugees Into Kenya Society The Star There are more than half a million refugees in Kenya, trapped in protracted situations with few opportunities for self-reliance. Some Somali refugees have stayed at the Dadaab camp for 25 years. Their prolonged stay is not in any way illegal but it should be a concern to all that we ought to find lasting solutions for them. A tripartite agreement signed in 2013 by the UNHCR and the governments of Kenya and Somalia set out a framework for voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees. It is expected that a few Somalis, if not all, will voluntarily return home. The other two durable options accepted internationally are resettlement to third countries and local integration. Read more. African civil registration experts meet in Zimbabwe Star Africa Representatives of documentation registries from more than 40 African countries are meeting in the Zimbabwean capital Harare to discuss ways of improving the registration processes in their territories.  Officially opening the meeting, Zimbabwe’s newly appointed Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo urged African countries to embrace new technologies as they seek to strengthen their capacity to improve their documentation processes. He noted that the use of specially designed and appropriate electronic gadgets was becoming the norm in civil registration around the world and Africa should not be left behind. He however cautioned that African countries should guard against rushing to accept all electronic gadgets as some of these would comprise their security. Read more. The flight of the millionaires The Citizen South Africa has seen a net outflow of 8 000 dollar millionaires over the last fifteen years. According to a new study from LIO Global and New World Wealth, this is among the largest migrations of high net worth individuals (HNWI) away from any country over this period. Read more. The Cairo streets where girls pretend to be boys The Guardian Manal and Ahmed don’t look alike. Manal holds her infant son, who plays with the folds of her hijab. Ahmed looms from a photograph behind her, a baseball cap on his head. Manal is a shy young mum, Ahmed an aggressive young man. They seem like different people. Except, they’re the same person. “That,” says Manal, pointing at the picture of Ahmed, “is me. And my boys’ clothes are downstairs.” Read more. Dual citizenship The Post Editor, The proposed adoption of the dual citizenship clause in the Zambian constitution through Parliament is a double-edged sword that is bound to hurt ordinary Zambians more and reverse the drive for indigenous Zambian participation in the economy. The first 27 years after independence (1964-1991) were spent nationalising the economy, which left the economy in tatters and most Zambians very poor. Read more.