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Registration of births and deaths in the Marshall Islands is undertaken through the national Civil Registry Office which sits under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The system is centralized and requires families to come to the office either in Majuro or on Kwajalein, the two most populated atolls, to complete the registration. Although registration is compulsory by law, it is still incomplete. Duplicate records are also an issue, as searching for previously issued certificates is difficult and it is not uncommon for people to simply ask for a new registration when a formal certificate is needed. Additionally, multiple programs within the Ministry of Health record births and deaths. These include data collected through the two major hospitals on Majuro and Kwajalein, and outer island health programs. Monthly reporting from the outer islands is frequently done by citizens band radio calls.
The main challenges to overcome the sparse repartition of inhabitants include a better collaboration between health information services and the civil registration office, and more generally legislative review, personnel capacity building and public awareness raising. The country also still lacks a vital statistics system capable of analysing the civil registration data.
Mr. Jack Niedenthal, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Ministry of Health and Human Services
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events |
Goal 1 Targets:
Goal 2. All individuals are provided with legal documentation of civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights |
Goal 2 Targets:
Goal 3. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics (including on causes of death) are produced based on registration records and are disseminated |
Goal 3 Targets:
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events |
Goal 1 is an expression of the internationally accepted principle of the universal coverage of civil registration. The CRVS system should register all vital events occurring in the territory and jurisdiction of the country or area, including among hard-to-reach and marginalized populations.
National Targets:
MIDTERM
201783.8%
Goal 2. All individuals are provided with legal documentation of civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights |
Goal 2 reflects that CRVS systems provide legal documentation of civil registration to individuals and families for legal and administrative purposes. Legal documentation is strongly linked with a broad range of rights and activities, in particular legal identity. This goal addresses the distinction between the civil registration of a vital event and the possession of formal proof that it took place, in the form of legal documentation.
National Targets:
Goal 3. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics (including on causes of death) are produced based on registration records and are disseminated |
Goal 3 highlights the critical importance of civil registration being linked to the production and quality assurance of vital statistics on the occurrence and characteristics of vital events.
National Targets:
TARGET
Target achieved
TARGET
Target achieved
Note: This target was not monitored as part of the Midterm Questionnaire on the Implementation of the Regional Action Framework for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.
baseline
20137.6%
MIDTERM
20184.7%
Note: In light of recent countries’ experiences, Verbal autopsy is not encouraged to be applied to a large population scale, but rather on a representative sample. To reflect this, Target 3E is not anymore monitored by the coverage percentage of Verbal autopsy, but by the use or not of Verbal autopsy and its different applications.
MIDTERM
Yes
TARGET
Target achieved
TARGET
Target achieved
TARGET
Target achieved

National Coordination Mechanism
Status in Marshall Islands: Complete

Comprehensive Assessment
Status in Marshall Islands: Complete

National Targets for 2024
Status in Marshall Islands: Not started

Monitoring & Reporting Plan
Status in Marshall Islands: Complete

Inequality Assessment
Status in Marshall Islands: Not started

National Strategy
Status in Marshall Islands: Complete

National Focal Point
Status in Marshall Islands: Not started

Reporting to ESCAP - Baseline
Status in Marshall Islands: Not started

Reporting to ESCAP - Midterm
Status in Marshall Islands: Complete
Registration of births and deaths in the Marshall Islands is undertaken through the national Civil Registry Office which sits under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The system is centralized and requires families to come to the office either in Majuro or on Kwajalein, the two most populated atolls, to complete the registration. Although registration is compulsory by law, it is still incomplete. Duplicate records are also an issue, as searching for previously issued certificates is difficult and it is not uncommon for people to simply ask for a new registration when a formal certificate is needed. Additionally, multiple programs within the Ministry of Health record births and deaths. These include data collected through the two major hospitals on Majuro and Kwajalein, and outer island health programs. Monthly reporting from the outer islands is frequently done by citizens band radio calls.
The main challenges to overcome the sparse repartition of inhabitants include a better collaboration between health information services and the civil registration office, and more generally legislative review, personnel capacity building and public awareness raising. The country also still lacks a vital statistics system capable of analysing the civil registration data.
Mr. Jack Niedenthal, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Ministry of Health and Human Services