The study of Korea’s economic and social transformation offers a unique window of opportunity to better understand the factors that drive development. Within approximately a single generation, Korea transformed itself from an aid-recipient basket-case to a donor country with fast-paced yet sustained economic growth. What makes Korea’s experience even more remarkable is that the fruits of Korea’s rapid growth were relatively widely shared.

The current pandemic is disrupting CRVS systems all over the world, but well-functioning systems are more essential than ever. The high importance currently accorded to statistics on deaths as well as other statistics during the COVID-19 response, means that the key stakeholders in CRVS systems (civil registrars, national statistical offices and health) are under increased pressure and scrutiny.

This publication builds on the success of the first meeting of the Civil Registration Professionals of South Asia in July 2018 and expands on the conversations from the second meeting, 26 – 28 November 2019, in Maldives.