The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), will organize the second CRVS Research Forum on 30 March - 1 April 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.
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Members and Associate Members of ESCAP have undertaken a review of their progress since the inception of the Asia Pacific CRVS Decade in 2014. Data from questionnaires distributed in 2024 to National CRVS focal points have been compiled into a Report on the 2025 Review of Progress Made on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific After a Decade of Getting Every One in the Picture.
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The CRVS applied research training (CART) initiative focuses on enhancing CRVS systems through supporting applied research on strategies, interventions, and tools. This involves designing projects to address practical questions, employing robust methodologies, and identifying key personnel for effective implementation and publication. The need to strengthen practitioners' research capacity is evident, as highlighted in the Asia-Pacific CRVS research forum held in 2023.
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To meet the targets of the CRVS Decade, a Business Process Improvement approach can help improve and streamline Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system. The CRVS Systems Improvement Framework help CRVS stakeholders assess, analyze and redesign, to improve user experience and produce timely vital statistics.
Read MoreThe CRVS community in Asia and the Pacific has reflected on where it stands at the midpoint of the CRVS Decade (2015-2024) during the Second Ministerial Conference. Following this celebration of progress, many of our partners and member countries are leading actions to fill the remaining gaps. To learn more about CRVS in Asia and the Pacific, please subscribe to our newsletter, which offers a monthly panorama of CRVS actions throughout the region Previous editions can be found here. |
Sri Lanka's Registrar General’s Department has initiated a pilot program under the e-Civil Registration Programme to deliver birth certificates directly to citizens using the Postal Courier Service. In partnership with the Department of Posts, this modernization effort aims to enhance secure and efficient delivery while significantly reducing the need for citizens to visit government offices in person.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its tenth annual report on Monitoring Progress on Universal Health Coverage and Health-Related SDGs in the South-East Asia Region: 2025 Update, showcasing significant advances in civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems.
Fiji has initiated its first comprehensive review of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) legislation in five decades, aiming to modernize systems for recording births, deaths, and other vital events. The reform seeks to replace outdated processes and strengthen the country’s capacity to deliver accurate, timely data for governance and development planning.
A recent study, by the Humanitarian Hub at BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, in collaboration with Vital Strategies, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Gender Equity Unit of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Government of Bangladesh, conducted in the Dinajpur and Panchagarh districts of Rangpur, Bangladesh, reveals a significant gender disparity in civil death registration.
Behind the scenes, the staff in the Births, Deaths and Marriages offices in New Zealand engage with life’s most significant moments, often becoming trusted guides through emotionally charged experiences. Whether celebrating births, processing marriages, or supporting families through loss, their work transforms personal stories into official records. In doing so, the office not only preserves the legal framework of belonging but also honors the human journey at the heart of every certificate.
The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with the UN Women, hosted the Asia-Pacific Stats Café on “Leveraging Administrative Data for Inclusive and High-Quality Official Statistics.” The session introduced crucial tools developed by the Collaborative on Administrative Data (CAD), featuring e-learning modules and toolkits.
At the Global DPI Summit 2025, development and health organizations joined government officials to advocate for civil registration as the foundation of inclusive and trustworthy digital identity systems. The initiative, “Register Once, Recognize for Life,” underscores the need to link birth and death registration (CRVS) with digital ID to ensure no one is left behind.
The World Bank’s ID4D-Findex 2025 Database shows notable progress in identification systems but warns of persistent digital and equity divides affecting billions. Asia-Pacific countries lead in digital identity innovation, with platforms like Singapore’s SingPass enabling secure online transactions across government and private services. Yet, 2.9 billion people worldwide still lack access to online digital IDs for remote transactions, underscoring the need for practical use cases such as Thailand’s linkage of IDs to bank accounts for rapid emergency aid.
The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) strengthens its efforts on budget advocacy and domestic sustainability by presenting a key Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) sustainability study for Cambodia, together with Dr. Chan Sophal of the Centre for Policy Studies. The presentation was delivered to senior government officials, including Dr. Top Neth, Director General of the General Department of Identification. It underscored a critical path to self-reliance.
Vital Strategies and the Pacific Community (SPC) have released a new Quality Assurance and Improvement Framework aimed at strengthening the accuracy and consistency of cause-of-death data across countries. This initiative provides a structured roadmap for governments seeking to enhance the reliability of mortality statistics, which are critical for informed health policy and planning.
