The Judicial Power Council (CPJ) signed an inter-institutional cooperation agreement together with other governmental and international entities for the timely and late registration of births in the Dominican Republic.
The president of the CPJ, Magistrate Luis Henry Molina Peña, requested that the possibility of promoting legal reforms that would allow the de-judicialization of birth certificate processes be evaluated.
Molina Peña spoke during the signing of the Macro Agreement on Birth Registration which took place in the Salón Las Cariátides of the National Palace, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader.
"It is necessary to underline the fact that the only means of proof admitted by the declaration procedure are those of the Central Electoral Board. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the possibility of promoting legal reforms that allow the de-judicialization of the process related to birth certificates. So that it is established as a purely administrative procedure within the Central Electoral Board (JCE)", said the presiding magistrate.
The also president of the Supreme Court of Justice pointed out that complicating the solution to an administrative procedure demanded by the citizens is an avoidable obstacle.
"The best interest of the child presupposes that a minor should have his or her identity without the need for obstacles or delays. Assuming that 99.77% of the cases of claims for ratification of late declaration of birth are accepted, I consider it necessary and pertinent to ensure that this is an administrative process within the Central Electoral Board," he said.
In addition, he assured that the Judicial Branch will do everything in its power to facilitate the expediting of processes and the achievement of timely knowledge.
"It corresponds to the legal duty, since it is a legal and constitutional mandate, as well as a mandate related to various international agreements. But it is also, as has been said, a choice of conviction of the justice system, which in its strategic planning has decided to put vulnerable people, including children and adolescents, in first place," he added.
The Minister in charge of Strategic and Special Projects (PROPEEP), José Leonel Cabrera Abud, highlighted the Dominican Government's commitment to universal civil registration.
"The Government of Change, headed by our President Luis Abinader, intends to reverse this pending social debt and achieve a universal civil registry, so that all Dominicans can make their birth registration in a timely manner, in order to become true citizens, with full enjoyment of their rights and duties as citizens," said Cabrera Abud.
While Rosa Elcarte, representing the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), gave a detailed presentation of the region's data on civil registration, as well as the challenges that need to be analyzed.
The First Lady of the Republic, Raquel Arbaje, also participated in the event, highlighting the benefits of this macro inter-institutional agreement.
In addition to Abinader and Molina Peña, the agreement was signed by Cabrera Abud, minister in charge of Propeep; Román Jáquez Liranzo, president of the Central Electoral Board (JCE); Daniel Rivera, minister of Public Health; Miriam Germán Brito, attorney general of the Republic; Roberto Fulcar, minister of Education and Mario Lama, executive director of the National Health Service.
Also signing were Ángel Brito, director of Administration and Judicial Career; Paula Disla, president of the National Council for Children and Adolescents; Besaida María Santana, director of the National Institute of Integral Attention to Early Childhood (Inaipi); Gloria Reyes, general director of the Progresando con Solidaridad/Supérate Program and Rosa Elcarte, Unicef representative in the country.
Special guests were the Minister of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPyD), Miguel Ceara Hatton and Santiago Hazim, executive director of the National Health Insurance (Senasa).