LGRD and Cooperatives Adviser Mohammed Anwarul Iqbal formally declared the first ever Birth Registration Day at a discussion at Osmani Memorial Hall in the city yesterday.

The discussion was organised by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives in cooperation with Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and the Unicef in observance of Universal Birth Registration Day.

Speaking as chief guest at the discussion, the adviser said birth registration is important for formulating national plan, safeguarding human rights, and resisting child marriage and child labour.

"If we could attain hundred percent birth registration, it would be easier to prepare an accurate voter list with photographs within a short time," he added.

Speaking as special guest, Unicef Deputy Representative Rosella Morelli said the challenge now is to send the message to average parents on how and why they should register their children.

It needs combined efforts from all involved, a multi-pronged strategy and raising awareness among people, she added.

Terming birth registration important, Country Director of Plan Bangladesh Edward Thomas Espey said as there is limited resource in the country it is a big challenge to achieve the target within the scheduled time.

All have to work jointly and political will is a must to achieve the success, he added.

The speakers said though only seven to 10 percent people have so far come under birth registration, the government is determined to achieve cent percent birth registration by the end of 2008.

People can register their birth free of cost by July 2 of next year, they added.

They said birth registration is now compulsory to get 16 basic services for every citizen.

DCC Chief Executive Officer Saifuddin Ahmed, Deputy Secretary and Project Director M Shafiqul Alam, LGRD Secretary Safar Raj Hossain and representatives from Union Parishad and Pourashava also spoke at the programme.