New mobile birth caravan vehicles to strengthen birth registration services in BARMM

Provision of seven (7) new mobile birth caravan vehicles will reach remote communities in the Bangsamoro region and ensure every child is counted.

Cotabato City, Philippines—On Friday, December 5, 2025, The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), with the generous support of the Government of Japan, leads the handover of seven (7) new mobile birth caravan vehicles to the Bangsamoro Government through the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD). The deployment of logistical assets positions to scale up birth registration services in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as part of the Initiative for Promoting Digital Birth Registration.

The vehicles will enable mobility to geographically isolated areas, improving access to remote communities, and supporting the delivery of essential services, including birth registration.

The Minister for Economic Affairs of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, Honorable Yokota Naobumi, highlighted that 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines.

‘’It is with great hope that this project will further contribute to the warm friendship between Japan and the Philippines, including BARMM,” he added.

The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines envisions the turnover as an avenue for innovation and inclusivity, driving lasting progress toward universal birth registration.

DOJ State Counsel IV, Atty. Melvin Suarez underscored that the provision of vehicles reinforces Action Plan 2.0 by enabling wider birth registration, safeguarding against statelessness, and guaranteeing access to legal identity across the Bangsamoro’s most isolated communities.

The initiative is aligned with the Philippines’ National Action Plan to End Statelessness, promotes the Joint Strategy of UNHCR and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Childhood Statelessness, and contributes to the advancement of Sustainable Development Goal, seeking to ensure universal legal identity by 2030.

Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo, Head of UNHCR Philippines, emphasized that the vehicles delivered to MSSD strengthen partner capacity and enhance mobile birth registration efforts as part of a broader strategy.

She also expressed that, “The true measure of success lies in the strengthened capacity of our local government partners to sustain and expand these gains long after this initiative concludes.”

This effort reflects the shared commitment of the Bangsamoro Government, MSSD, and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA-BARMM), alongside UNHCR, UNICEF, and partners, to address the region’s birth registration gap, which is currently the lowest in the country at 77%. Special attention is being given to vulnerable families and children, including Sama Bajau communities, ensuring they are recognized, protected, and included.

Moreover, in line with the implementation of the UNHCR-UNICEF Joint Strategy to Ending Childhood Statelessness, seed grants and advocacy kits were handed over to the four (4) youth organizations from the four (4) priority municipalities of Lanao del Sur, which include Lumbatan, Lambayanague, Pagayawan, and Marogong. By providing seed grants and advocacy kits, the project equips local champions to promote birth registration and reach hard-to-reach communities and populations at risk of statelessness.

“They have reached more than 600,000 individuals—ensuring that every child’s right to legal identity is recognized and protected,” added Andreas Wuestenberg, Chief of UNICEF Mindanao Field Office.

Collaborating with children and youth helped expand mobile birth registration, allowing MSSD, its local counterparts, and Local Civil Registrars (LCRs) to encourage people in far-flung communities to access registration.

MSSD Minister Raissa H. Jajurie expressed the Bangsamoro Government’s deep gratitude for Japan’s continued support through UNHCR and UNICEF.

Minister Jajurie stated, “We extend our gratitude to the people of Japan through the embassy of Japan for this support, as part of the comprehensive package we have been delivering together with all the partners under this project, this program.”

Minister Jajurie reaffirmed MSSD’s commitment to work with LGUs, LCRs, and the PSA to address BARMM’s persistently high number of unregistered individuals—over one million people who remain at risk of statelessness and exclusion from essential services.

This new set of provisions is also expected to reinforce the government’s normalization process and extend vital benefits—ensuring recognition, protection, and inclusion for decommissioned combatants, conflict-affected communities, and displaced populations.

Among the partners present were Engr. Akan Tula, Regional Director of PSA-BARMM, representatives from the Provincial Governments of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, and the Special Geographic Areas (SGA), and officials from various BARMM ministries and offices, all expressed support for this milestone.

Launched in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi in 2021, the initiative has grown to cover 50 municipalities across the Bangsamoro region and Sulu province by 2026, with the contribution of the Government of Japan. Through sustained collaboration, it continues to support vulnerable communities, especially children, in registering their identities—driven by a collective commitment to eliminate the risk of statelessness.