Each month, our community newsletter puts a spotlight on one person from Asia-Pacific who has gone above and beyond in their efforts to support CRVS programmes, raise awareness of CRVS issues or lead CRVS improvement efforts in their home country. This month we are happy to highlight Shorena Tsiklauri from Georgia.

To leverage the use of administrative data for statistical purposes, the National Statistics Bureau has published a Vital Statistics Report using data maintained by the Department of Civil Registration and Census under the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs. This is the first report of its kind using civil registration data in the country. The report provides detailed statistics on births, deaths and registration completeness, as well as other related statistics for the year 2019 and prior.

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative has launched a new funding cycle for its Global Grants Program. It offers the opportunity for country institutions to submit project ideas to improve public health data, including through the strengthening of civil registration and vital statistics systems. This round introduces equity as a new thematic priority area. Proposals related to the inclusion of marginalized populations or alleviation of inequities in data systems are therefore encouraged.

The CRVS Systems Improvement Framework has been launched by several international partners. Recognizing the existing gaps to universal registration in most countries, it offers a structured approach to help bridge these gaps. This new comprehensive tool will support countries in improving civil registration processes to register every birth, death, marriage and divorce.

The seventh meeting of the Regional Steering Group for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific took place virtually on 18-19 May 2021.The group discussed preparations for the Second Ministerial Conference on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific, including reviewing draft papers, the communications strategy and discussing participation for the Ministerial Conference, which is due to take place in November.

The next Stats Café session will highlight the experiences of Georgia, Bhutan and Fiji in utilizing civil registration records for the production of vital statistics reports. ESCAP, with the help of partners, continues to provide technical assistance and have developed tools to countries in the region to realize the third target of the Regional Action Framework on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.