Pacific Regional Workshop on Legal Identity and Identity Security 8-10th July 2019 PALAU Efrecia R. Kazuma

Presentation Outline: I. Status of the civil registration system II. Role of the health sector in supporting civil registration III. Role of ICT in record capture, storage and archival IV. Use of civil registration data to confirm/ validate legal identity V. Plans for establishment of national ID system

Overview: Status of the civil registration system:

Role of the health sector in supporting civil registration functions 34 PNC § 4001 Records: responsibilities of Bureau of Public Health. The Bureau of Public Health shall be responsible for: the prompt collection of vital statistical information concerning all births and deaths occurring in the Republic; Preparing forms and issuing instructions necessary for uniform registration of births and deaths Filing a copy of the certificate of such birth or death with the Clerk of Courts; and Compiling, analyzing and publishing vital statistics concerning births, deaths, and such other subjects related to the general welfare of the inhabitants of the Republic.

Record capture, storage and Archival Palau mainly employs an electronic system for the record, storage and archive of vital statistic records but also employs a manual back up system for tracking purposes. When records are transmitted from the Medical Records Office, the information is entered in database system called JIS – Judiciary Information System. The record is then scanned and uploaded onto the database system. The necessary vital information is captured and a birth certificate is able to be generated through a computer printout.

Use of civil registration data to confirm/ validate legal identity We are not linked to other government agencies but records are considered public records so any individual may request for the documents. All applications for passports, driver licenses, identification cards, and social security cards require certified copies of birth record. Many schools now require a birth certificate for registration purposes.

Status and plans for implementation of a national ID system Palau already has in place a national ID system. Chapter 41 of Title 34 of Palau National Code sets out the information required on the card, the procedures for issuance of the card and which agency is involved in the administration of fees. Card are applied for and obtained at the Bureau of Public Safety and fees are remitted to Identification Card Revolving fund of the National Treasury. The national ID system is not currently linked to the civil registration system but there have been discussions between the two agencies to do so.

Recent developments and/or plans The Clerk of Courts Office is currently working on scanning and uploading all vital statistic records onto the database system. Starting in 2012, all birth records transmitted from the Ministry of Health were scanned and uploaded. We are now working on scanning and uploading all the years prior to 2012.