The Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development 2021 will in part be dedicated to the in-depths review of SDGs 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16 and 17, which include target 16.9 on the provision of legal identity for all, including birth registration, and indicator 17.19.2(b) on the percentage of countries having achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration.

As part of the forum, this side event is organized to reflect on the progresses made in CRVS systems in the region since 2014 and on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on these systems. Presentations will explore the needs highlighted by the pandemic, especially through legal identity and vital statistics lenses. Individuals need legal identity credentials to access healthcare (including vaccinations), education, economic opportunities, and representation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this has been further highlighted with national identification systems and vital statistics providing the backbone for distributing support during the crisis and beyond.

The event will be moderated by Mr. Jeff Montgomery, Registrar-General and General Manager, Services and Access Department of Internal Affairs New Zealand.

The presenters will be:

• Ms. Kamni Naidu, Administrator-General, Ministry of Justice, Republic of Fiji
• Mr. Mohammed Shahidul Islam, Deputy Secretary, Cabinet Division, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka
• Mr. Benuel Lenge, Director, Department of Civil Registry and Vital Statistics, Vanuatu
• Ms. Nazaria binti Baharudin, Deputy Chief Statistician, Technical Development and Social Office, Department of Statistics Malaysia

The event will be held on Thursday 25 March, 12:15-13:45h (Bangkok time, GMT+7, verify your time here).

You can register for the event here and join the conversation on MS Teams here.

You can find more details, as well as the presentations and recording on the ESCAP website.