CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS
IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Nauru
- COUNTRY PROFILE
- GOALS
- Goal 1
- Goal 2
- Goal 3
- Implementation steps
- Events
- News
- Resources
- LIST OF COUNTRIES
Nauru
The authority responsible for civil registration in Nauru is the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Through a national CRVS committee formed in 2011 with stakeholders from the Department of Health, the Government Registration Office, the Bureau of Statistics, producer of the vital statistics, the Planning Aid Division Office and the Information Technology and Communication (ICT), a strong collaboration and data sharing has been implemented. This collaboration was formalized via a new legislative frame for CRVS in 2018, defining the roles of CRVS stakeholders, and giving the director of Medical Services the responsibility to notify the registrar’s office any death at the Nauruan hospital immediately, and any birth within 7 days. Families are still required to formally register the events through the registrar’s office, and they have 21 days to do so for births.
Birth Registration is estimated to be 90 to 95% complete within 1 year of birth, and 70 % of the total population is estimated to have had their birth registered. Death Registration is estimated to be 95% complete within 1 year of death. However, those estimates are quite hard to produce and prone to large variation considering the small size of the population of 11,000. Nauru has essentially complete registration of births and deaths, , in part due to the funeral assistance payments and a child payment at birth which are linked to formal registration.
The challenges faced by this small island country include the registration system backup, as shown in 2013 with the destruction of some of the records in the fire of the only hospital. The quality of coding in general, and of cause of death coding in particular also needs improvement to produce more easily vital statistics report featuring more accurate information.
CRVS Focal Point:
Mr. Francis Deireragea, Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Chief Secretary
Nauru
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events |
Goal 1 Targets:
1.A
By 2024, at least … per cent of births in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
1.B
By 2024, at least … per cent of children under 5 years old in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
1.C
By 2024, at least … per cent of all individuals in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
1.D
By 2024, at least … per cent of all deaths that take place in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
1.E
By 2024, at least … per cent of all deaths recorded by the health sector in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year have a medically certified cause of death recorded using the international form of the death certificate.
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:
2.A
By 2024, at least … per cent of all births registered in the territory and jurisdiction are accompanied with the issuance of an official birth certificate that includes, as a minimum, the individual’s name, sex, date and place of birth, and name of parent(s) where known.
2.B
By 2024, at least … per cent of all deaths registered in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are accompanied with the issuance of an official death certificate which includes, as a minimum, the deceased’s name, date of death, sex, and age.
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:
3.A
By … (year), annual nationally representative statistics on births – disaggregated by age of mother, sex of child, geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
3.B
By … (year), annual nationally representative statistics on deaths – disaggregated by age, sex, cause of death defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate), geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
3.C
By 2024, at least … per cent of deaths occurring in health facilities or with the attention of a medical practitioner have an underlying cause of death code derived from the medical certificate according to the standards defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate).
3.D
By 2024, the proportion of deaths coded to ill-defined codes will have been reduced to … per cent.
3.E
By 2024, at least … per cent of deaths taking place outside of a health facility and without the attention of a medical practitioner have their underlying cause of death code determined through verbal autopsy in line with international standards.
3.F
By … (year), key summary tabulations of vital statistics on births and deaths using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within one calendar year.
3.G
By … (year), key summary tabulations of vital statistics on causes of death using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within two calendar years.
3.H
By … (year), an accurate, complete and timely vital statistics report for the previous two years, using registration records as the primary source, is made available in the public domain.
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:
1.A
By 2024, at least … per cent of births in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
1.B
By 2024, at least … per cent of children under 5 years old in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
1.C
By 2024, at least … per cent of all individuals in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
1.D
By 2024, at least … per cent of all deaths that take place in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
1.E
By 2024, at least … per cent of all deaths recorded by the health sector in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year have a medically certified cause of death recorded using the international form of the death certificate.
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:
2.A
By 2024, at least … per cent of all births registered in the territory and jurisdiction are accompanied with the issuance of an official birth certificate that includes, as a minimum, the individual’s name, sex, date and place of birth, and name of parent(s) where known.
2.B
By 2024, at least … per cent of all deaths registered in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are accompanied with the issuance of an official death certificate which includes, as a minimum, the deceased’s name, date of death, sex, and age.
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:
3.A
By … (year), annual nationally representative statistics on births – disaggregated by age of mother, sex of child, geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
3.B
By … (year), annual nationally representative statistics on deaths – disaggregated by age, sex, cause of death defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate), geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
3.C
By 2024, at least … per cent of deaths occurring in health facilities or with the attention of a medical practitioner have an underlying cause of death code derived from the medical certificate according to the standards defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate).
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.
3.D
By 2024, the proportion of deaths coded to ill-defined codes will have been reduced to … per cent.
3.E
By 2024, at least … per cent of deaths taking place outside of a health facility and without the attention of a medical practitioner have their underlying cause of death code determined through verbal autopsy in line with international standards.
3.F
By … (year), key summary tabulations of vital statistics on births and deaths using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within one calendar year.
3.G
By … (year), key summary tabulations of vital statistics on causes of death using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within two calendar years.
3.H
By … (year), an accurate, complete and timely vital statistics report for the previous two years, using registration records as the primary source, is made available in the public domain.
Nauru
National Coordination Mechanism
Status in Nauru: Complete
Comprehensive Assessment
Status in Nauru: Complete
National Targets for 2024
Status in Nauru: Not started
Monitoring & Reporting Plan
Status in Nauru: No data
Inequality Assessment
Status in Nauru: No data
National Strategy
Status in Nauru: Complete
National Focal Point
Status in Nauru: Complete
Reporting to ESCAP
Status in Nauru: Not started
Nauru Events
21 May 2018 - 31 May 2018
The Brisbane Accord Group (BAG) under the leadership of the Pacific Community (SPC), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (…
12 December 2017 - 14 December 2017
The workshop for National CRVS Focal Points is aimed at strengthening capacities for setting national targets and collecting, compiling and…
09 December 2015 - 10 December 2015
The workshop for National CRVS Focal Points is aimed at strengthening capacities for setting national targets and collecting, compiling and…
Nauru News
29 January 2018
After 60 years the Nauruan Births Deaths and Marriages (BDM) Act of 1957 has been repealed. The new act enters into force in February 2018. The…
30 October 2017
The Pacific Civil Registrars – Disaster Preparation and Response Workshop was conducted in Suva, Fiji from 2-5 October. The workshop aimed to…
08 September 2017
The Pacific Ministers of Health Meeting was held in the Cook Islands from 28-30 August. Ministers emphasized the importance of CRVS to the health…
06 September 2017
The Cook Islands hosted the Pacific Ministers of Health Meeting 28-30 August 2017. Ministers again emphasized the importance of civil registration…
11 May 2017
Road traffic accidents and injuries are an important cause of premature deaths in the Pacific Islands, but are often poorly recorded in our cause of…
03 April 2017
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…
29 April 2016
Here you can find recent news, events and blogs relevant for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.
Subscribe for more ! To receive regular updates on the…
Nauru Resources
Advocacy Materials, Country Assessments and Strategies, Report, 2019
Within the last five years, almost all Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) have undertaken an assessment of the civil registration and…
Meeting Documents, 2017
An Information Paper on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics prepared for the 5th Regional Conference of Heads of Planning and Statistics (HOPS),…
Presentations, 2017
Nauru's presentation at the 2017 PCRN Meeting on CRVS for Disasters held from 2-4 October in Suva, Fiji. The workshop was supported by the New…
Newsletters, 2017
Articles
Pacific civil registrars from 16 countries discuss common challenges and solutions to disaster response
Global Leaders Join ID4D High-…
Advocacy Materials, 2017
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics play a key role in facilitating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. A well-functioning CRVS…
Newsletters, 2017
Articles
Enroll in the facilitated CRVS eLearning course today
Cambodia completes survey to establish national baselines on CRVS
The Regional…
Advocacy Materials, Country Assessments and Strategies, 2017
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…
Meeting Documents, UN Official Documents, 2016
The seventy-first session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific adopted resolution 71/14 on the Asian and Pacific Civil…
Newsletters, 2016
Articles
Strong commitment for improving CRVS in the Pacific
Toolkit for assessing civil registration of asylum seekers, refugees, stateless…
Meeting Documents, 2014
Civil registration and vital statistics update briefing for the meeting of ministers of health of the Pacific island countries in Honiara July 2014
International Standards and Recommendations, UN Official Documents, 2014
Through Commission resolution 69/15, countries in Asia and the Pacific requested that further regional action be taken to support the improvement of…
Meeting Documents, 2016
WHAT WE DO: We provide an opportunity to share information, lessons learned and good practice. This fosters coordination and integration of Civil…
Country Statements, 2014
Nauru issued this statement in the Ministerial Conference agenda item 6 regarding the State of civil registration and vital statistics in Asia and…
Country Statements, 2014
Country statement delivered during the Ministerial Conference under agenda item 4 - Implementation of the Regional Action Framework on CRVS in Asia…
Meeting Documents, 2014
Advocacy Materials, Meeting Documents, 2014
The Ministerial Declaration to "Get every one in the picture' in Asia and the Pacific was made at the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration…
Meeting Documents, Report, UN Official Documents, 2014
The Report of the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific gives an overview of the main outcomes of…
Advocacy Materials, 2014
In preparation for the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific a fact sheet on civil registration…
Nauru
The authority responsible for civil registration in Nauru is the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Through a national CRVS committee formed in 2011 with stakeholders from the Department of Health, the Government Registration Office, the Bureau of Statistics, producer of the vital statistics, the Planning Aid Division Office and the Information Technology and Communication (ICT), a strong collaboration and data sharing has been implemented. This collaboration was formalized via a new legislative frame for CRVS in 2018, defining the roles of CRVS stakeholders, and giving the director of Medical Services the responsibility to notify the registrar’s office any death at the Nauruan hospital immediately, and any birth within 7 days. Families are still required to formally register the events through the registrar’s office, and they have 21 days to do so for births.
Birth Registration is estimated to be 90 to 95% complete within 1 year of birth, and 70 % of the total population is estimated to have had their birth registered. Death Registration is estimated to be 95% complete within 1 year of death. However, those estimates are quite hard to produce and prone to large variation considering the small size of the population of 11,000. Nauru has essentially complete registration of births and deaths, , in part due to the funeral assistance payments and a child payment at birth which are linked to formal registration.
The challenges faced by this small island country include the registration system backup, as shown in 2013 with the destruction of some of the records in the fire of the only hospital. The quality of coding in general, and of cause of death coding in particular also needs improvement to produce more easily vital statistics report featuring more accurate information.
CRVS Focal Point:
Mr. Francis Deireragea, Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Chief Secretary
Events
News
Resources
Advocacy Materials, Country Assessments and Strategies, Report, 2019
Country Assessments and Strategies, 2014
Meeting Documents, 2017