Description: Provisional Programme: National Technical Workshop Policy-Level Meeting Concept note Self-Assessment Tool on the Readiness to Use Administrative Data for Census (SATRAC) Overview In 2025, ESCAP, under the China–ESCAP Cooperation Programme to support the project “Strengthening the statistical capacity of member States in the transition towards register‑based population and housing censuses", provided support to the Maldives to strengthen its capacity to develop a roadmap for transitioning to a register-based census. The project supported the Maldives Bureau of Statistics (MBS) and key administrative data-holding agencies in conducting a comprehensive self-assessment of their institutional and technical capacity—using the Self-Assessment Tool on Readiness to Use Administrative Data for Census (SATRAC)— and in identifying strategies to enhance their readiness for a register-based census. As part of this project, a series of capacity-strengthening events on “Developing a Roadmap for the Maldives for the Transition towards Register-Based Census” was held in Malé, Maldives, from 23 to 27 November 2025, in partnership with the MBS and UNFPA Maldives Office. These included a technical workshop, targeted bi- and multi-lateral meetings, and a high-level dialogue that brought together experts and senior representatives from MBS and other key national stakeholders. The events resulted in strengthened national capacity and awareness, enhanced inter‑agency collaboration, strengthened policy-level commitment and support, identification of gaps and consensus on roadmap priorities. Events A national technical workshop (23 - 26 November 2025) Targeted stakeholder engagement sessions (23 – 27 November 2025) A policy-level meeting (27 November 2025) Resources Some of the key relevant resources for register-based census include: Conference of European Statisticians Recommendations for the 2030 Round of Population and Housing Censuses, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2025. Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 4, United Nations Statistics Division, 2025 UNFPA eLearning Course: Transitioning to a Register-Based Census Handbook on Registers-Based Population and Housing Censuses, United Nations Statistics Division, 2022. Guidelines for assessing the quality of administrative sources for use in censuses. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2021. Guidelines on the use of registers and administrative data for population and housing censuses. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2018. Emerging Trends in Census Approaches in Asia and the Pacific – with country examples. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 2022. ESCAP Stats Briefs: Charting the path to a register-based census: Indonesia’s experience (2025) Tapping into administrative data in census-taking: an emerging trend in Asia and the Pacific (2022) Are population censuses in Asia and the Pacific evolving? (2021) Population registers: a key resource for producing vital statistics (2020)
Description: The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) carried out a capacity development mission to the Maldives to accelerate progress towards the production of core international migration statistics in the country as part of ongoing support under the DA 13 project 'Administrative data for disaggregated Sustainable Development Goals indicators in Africa, Asia and the Pacific and Latin America'. The mission consisted of a three-day workshop, 10-12 December 2024, co-organized with the Maldives Bureau of Statistics (MBS) and hosted by Maldives Immigration. The objectives of the workshop were to: familiarize MBS and relevant administrative data producers in the national statistical system (NSS) with the revised conceptual framework on international migration and temporary mobility statistics, discuss steps necessary for integrating administrative data sources across the NSS for the production of migration statistics, and examine available data and metadata across data producers, highlighting discrepancies and methods to harmonize variables. Following the workshop, a high-level meeting on 16 December with the leadership of MBS and Maldives Immigration endorsed the way forward, including the finalization of an MoU governing data sharing. The training underscored the importance of inter-agency cooperation to enhance the quality, timeliness and accuracy of migration data for improved policymaking.
Description: Global Health Advocacy Incubator’s (GHAI) Data for Health Team, co-hosted a week of civil registration and vital statistics consultations in the Maldives with partners from Vital Strategies, Imagine Law and UNESCAP. The first two days of the workshop which were led by Imagine Law, focused on legal review and reform of the CRVS system, engaging CRVS stakeholders in discussions on a draft CRVS bill for Maldives. The remaining two days of the workshop focused on CRVS budget advocacy and leveraging domestic financing to support CRVS system strengthening. ESCAP also presented the results of the Business Process Improvement (BPI) work it supported in the Maldives, as a basis for informing focus areas for budget advocacy. The workshop engaged over 40 participants from the Department of National Registration, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Home Affairs, National Centre for Information Technology, Local Government Authority, and representatives from Atoll Councils.
