The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has described birth registration as a child’s first and most fundamental right, saying it unlocks access to education, healthcare, social protection and lifelong opportunities. UNICEF Chief of Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, stated this on Tuesday in Lagos at a two-day media dialogue on birth registration. The event brought together journalists from Southwest states and Edo to strengthen media coverage of birth registration. She explained that the benefits of birth registration extended far beyond the classroom. “Through news reports, radio jingles, television stations, features and social media campaigns, journalists can explain that birth registration is not just paperwork but a child’s first fundamental right and legal identity.