(Newsletter: CRVS Insight February 2020)

Strengthening CRVS in Pakistan is a top priority for the new Government. The Technical Support Unit (TSU) was established under the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives with an ambitious six-years' roadmap to promote CRVS in the country. One initiative in this plan is to develop CRVS Model Districts (starting in 10 districts) throughout Pakistan and scale this to other areas during the next phase.

Improving CRVS legislation is one of the key areas for supporting the roadmap as identified by the National CRVS Steering Committee. Recent national CRVS studies revealed that current CRVS legislation is fragmented, mostly outdated, ambiguous, provides scanty information and needs to be reformed through a wide-ranging consultative process.

Given the significance of CRVS legislation, the TSU applied for the Global Grant Program (GGP) through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health (D4H) Initiative. After a thorough and competitive process, D4H approved the grant to support TSU's legislative reform efforts starting in April 2020 and extending through December 2021.

Legislation reforms will focus on the following specific areas:

1. Comprehensive mapping of existing laws for vital events notification, registration and certification at national and provincial levels.

2. Identifying existing gaps in CRVS legislation by using international assessment tools.

3. Formulation and drafting of improved CRVS legislation framework for adoption and country wide implementation through a broader consultative process among stakeholders.