An effective Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system helps secure a person’s legal identity, tracks the major events of an individual’s life such as; birth, adoption, marriage, divorce, death, and cause of death, and is essential for planning, measuring and monitoring progress of development. In the past few years, several initiatives have been underway to harness the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to strengthen CRVS.

Do you want to know how many countries in Asia and the Pacific have a CRVS coordination mechanism? Are you interested in how ambitious the national targets are for the CRVS Decade? Do you know when countries in Asia and the Pacific aim to be able to produce annual vital statistics reports?

This publication presents the findings of an Asian Dvelopment Bank multi-country study on legal identity. Based on extensive field research conducted in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal, the study assesses the potential and actual value of legal identity, given the realities of the developing country context.

This comprehensive assessment reviewed the main aspects of Cambodia's Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system using the WHO guidance tool. These include the legal and regulatory framework; registration, certification and coding practices; and the compilation, tabulation and use of the resulting data. The focus throughout the assessment was on births, deaths and causes of death, because these are fundamental to guide public health programes, monitor population dynamics and measure key health indicators.

Cambodia issued this statement in the Ministerial Conference agenda item 6 regarding the State of civil registration and vital statistics in Asia and the Pacific and overview of supporting initiatives (E/ESCAP/MCCRVS/2). Under this agenda item, ministers and heads of delegations were invited to deliver short statements to highlight policy priorities and Challenges for the “CRVS Decade, 2015-2024”, as well as their expectations and goals in regards to the regional collaboration to improve civil registration and vital statistics.

This publication serves as a report of an Expert Roundtable that was held in Bangkok on the 28th and 29th of October 2010 to discuss initiatives in South East Asia in the field of statelessness and provides an insight into some of the region’s good practices. In accordance with the agenda of the meeting itself, good practice examples are included from each of the four pillars of response: the identification, prevention and reduction of statelessness and the protection of stateless persons.

Country statement delivered during the Ministerial Conference under agenda item 6.

The Ministerial Declaration to "Get every one in the picture' in Asia and the Pacific was made at the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific in November 2014.