Global Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Group

Members

African Development Bank

Within the framework of the African Program on Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, the Bank is assisting regional member countries to undertake comprehensive assessment of the civil registration and vital statistics systems. In this respect, AfDB is working in collaboration with other partners to promote a culture of efficient and timely registration in the region. And to try to promote national dialogue with governments and initiate projects that aim to modernize civil registry and identification systems.

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

ADB is a development finance institution whose mission is to help its developing member countries reduce poverty and improve living conditions and quality of life by focusing on three complementary strategic agendas: (i) inclusive growth; (ii) environmentally sustainable growth; and (iii) regional integration. ADB is involved in building capacity of statistical offices and related agencies to produce timely and reliable statistics (including the areas of civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS)) and has been partnering with regional development partners to support various regional activities related to CRVS such as regional forums, training workshops, assessments of the CRVS systems, and support to country initiatives for improving CRVS systems in selected countries.

Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health

CELADE - Population Division of ECLAC

The Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre (CELADE), Population Division of ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean), within the framework of the links between population and development, gives priority to the following issues from a gender and human-rights perspective: determinants and consequences of demographic trends; sociodemographic inequities; maternal and child mortality; fertility and reproductive health; youth; ageing and older persons; indigenous peoples and Afro-descendent populations; international and internal migration; urbanization; sources of sociodemographic information; and human resources training in the fields of demography and population and development. CELADE-Population Division of ECLAC participates in various activities of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Strengthening Health Systems (RELACSIS), having joined its secretariat. This network, has the support and collaboration of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID-LAC), the organization Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and MEASURE Evaluation, and is an academic and practical community that fosters development and strengthening of the Health Information Systems (SIS) in Latin America and the Caribbean, through cooperation among professionals of the same field, training of human resources in the countries of the region, generating joint actions and compilation and dissemination of good practices for strengthening the SIS.

Centre of Excellence for CRVS Systems

The Centre of Excellence for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Systems is a global resource hub that coordinates with existing national, regional, and international expert groups to actively promote and support comprehensive and sustainable CRVS systems. It generates, consolidates, and disseminates information relevant to CRVS systems strengthening through a number of innovative means. This includes developing an electronic knowledge platform, making key CRVS resources readily accessible, as well as establishing exchange between countries and experts in order to cultivate a community of practice that addresses CRVS systems gaps and challenges. The Centre of Excellence also facilitates exchange of good practices, research to generate new knowledge and address challenges, and capacity building. The Centre also plays an important role in brokering access to technical assistance for countries requesting more direct support. This ensures decision-makers have access to reliable data they can use for effective policy-making, long-term national planning, and progress monitoring, resulting in more effective services for citizens.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Global CRVS Team sits within the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the United States’ principal health statistics agency. NCHS provides statistical information, to guide health actions and policies, that is accurate, relevant, and timely, and works with government partners around the world to advance the quality and comparability of health data. NCHS established, and continues to maintain, the WHO Collaborating Center for North America for the Family of International Classifications in 1976. NCHS is also a founding member of the Iris Core Group, the group of countries that support the Iris Institute and the maintenance and improvement of Iris, the global standard software for automated coding of mortality statistics.
Within NCHS, the Global CRVS Team is committed to playing a key role in the improvement of CRVS systems worldwide. The Team works with countries to develop customized CRVS improvement plans, involving a variety of activities, including birth and death registration form and standard operating procedure (SOP) development, medical certification of death and cause of death (MCCD) strengthening, International Classification of Diseases (ICD) manual and automated (Iris) coding introduction and improvement, community-based verbal autopsy system development, medico-legal system assessment, vital statistics analysis and use, and more. CDC’s Global CRVS Team also engages in global standard setting, in collaboration with UN agencies and other partners in the Global CRVS Group.

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

ESCAP offers a comprehensive and broad multilateral platform to promote CRVS as a central development issue. The ESCAP secretariat is working with Member States and a range of development partners to improve CRVS systems for the betterment of rights, governance and data. Some of the specific activities include: • Raising awareness of the significance of CRVS for inclusive and sustainable development through intergovernmental channels, the organization of high-level events and advocacy activities. • Working with governments and development partners to conduct rapid and comprehensive assessments of national CRVS systems. • Building a regional network of CRVS stakeholders. • Supporting the work of governments and development partners to identify opportunities to align and synergize country-level activities of implementing agencies. • Disseminating knowledge, tools and resources associated with CRVS.

Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

UN-ESCWA strengthens regional and national statistical systems in order to produce and disseminate statistics for evidence-based policies for inclusive and sustainable development, regional integration and good governance. In this vein, UN-ESCWA work in the area of CRVS is focused on (i) Adopting a stepwise but strategic approach to strengthening civil registration and vital statistics systems, given the current state of such systems within countries, political stability, and specific country challenges in administration, geography, migration and particular sub-population issues, (ii) Giving immediate priority to developing analytical capacity to critically appraise vital statistics quality in all countries of the region and to increase and sustain investments and resource allocation to improve institutional and human capacity for civil registration and vital statistics systems, and (iii) Becoming a regional center of excellence, focused on statistical aspects of CRVS --- including production, data quality assessment, use and dissemination of vital statistics. UN-ESCWA’s work on CRVS is being carried out in close partnership with UNFPA’s Arab Regional Office, WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, the League of Arab States, and the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics.

Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)

ECA serves as the Secretariat of the Africa Programme on improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (APAI-CRVS). The Secretariat draws its mandate from the directives issued by African Ministers responsible for Civil Registration during their first conference held in August 2010. The Secretariat performs its function in close collaboration with the Africa Development Bank, the Africa Union Commission, a number of United Nations agencies (UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO and UNHCR) and Non-governmental organizations that form the regional CRVS Core Group. ECA as Secretariat coordinates the implementation of APAI-CRVS which includes capacity building, technical assistance, advocacy and monitoring. In this respect, UNECA is responsible for developing guidelines, methodologies and tools to guide the CRVS systems improvement in African countries. ECA also provides technical advisory services to African governments, in the development of their CRVS systems

Every Woman Every Child, EOSG

As part of the Every Woman Every Child movement, the UN Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health (COIA) made recommendations for an accountability framework that includes an action plan to strengthen countries' ability to collect essential data and reduce the demands for information and reporting, and improved mechanisms to report on financial resources. CoIA has especially mandated that countries would need to strengthen their CRVS information systems. Specifically, Recommendation 1 of CoIA points to the key issue of systematic registration of vital events, stating: “By 2015, all countries have taken significant steps to establish a system for registration of births, deaths and causes of death, and have well-functioning health information systems that combine data from facilities, administrative sources and surveys.”

Inter- American Development Bank (IADB)

The IADB is a regional development bank for Latin America and the Caribbean, committed to efforts by Latin America and the Caribbean countries to reduce poverty and inequality. The IADB has an evolving reform agenda that seeks to increase the development impact in the region. Among the areas the IADB supports is the modernization civil registries and identification, considering these registries to be key for the development of effective public projects and policies. The IADB also carries out applied research in this area, and has published a number of papers pertaining to the implications and importance of legal registries.

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

The OSCE ODIHR provides support, assistance and expertise to OSCE participating States and civil society to promote democracy, rule of law, human rights and tolerance and non-discrimination. ODIHR observes elections, reviews legislation and advises governments on how to develop and sustain democratic institutions. In the field of population registration, the OSCE ODIHR offers expertise to participating States for the development and implementation of legal and regulatory frameworks for residency and civil registration, with a focus on raising the awareness of policymakers, conducting expert assessments, developing reform strategies and providing policy advice to participating State authorities based on the OSCE ODIHR Guidelines on Population Registration, which set out the main principles governing the establishment and maintenance of functional models of population registration in democratic societies.

Organization of American States (OAS)

The Organization of American States brings together all 35 independent states of the Americas and constitutes the main political, juridical, and social governmental forum in the Hemisphere. Throughout its Universal Civil Identity Program in the Americas (PUICA) the OAS supports Member States in their efforts to eradicate under-registration and ensure recognition of the right to civil identity for all persons in the region. The areas the OAS currently supports are: hospital birth registration, mobile campaigns in border areas, institutional interoperability and database security, reconstitution of destroyed records, institutional strengthening and horizontal cooperation between civil registries. Between 2008 and 2014 the OAS has implemented technical cooperation projects in 19 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21)

The Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) is a unique initiative that aims to promote the better use and production of statistics throughout the developing world. Established in 1999, PARIS21 has developed a worldwide network of statisticians, policy makers, analysts, and development practitioners committed to evidence-based decision making. PARIS21 facilitates statistical capacity development, advocates for the integration of reliable data in decision making, and co-ordinates donor support to statistics towards achieving national and international development goals and poverty reduction in low and middle income countries. Its goal is to develop a culture of Management for Development Results (MfDR) by encouraging and assisting low-income and lower middle income countries to design, implement, and monitor a National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS); coordinating efforts between data users, producers, policy-makers and providers of development co-operation; providing knowledge through data archiving and documentation; and advocating for improved use and production of high-quality and timely statistics, among others. An integral part of PARIS21 work is to advocate for mainstreaming key sector statistics in the NSDS and to strengthen advocacy through various media on important statistical concerns including on CRVS. It’s strategy for CRVS is two-fold: 1) strengthen the National Statistical System and the linkages between the NSO and the CRVS system to ensure the generation and use of quality vital statistics from civil registration in support of better policymaking, governance, and public administration; and 2) promote the improvement in administrative-based statistics, such as CRVS, as complementary source of data for monitoring national and global development goals.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) is an international non-profit organisation that works in public health, geoscience, agriculture, forestry, water resources, disaster management, fisheries, education, statistics, transport, energy, ICT, media, human rights, gender, youth and culture to help Pacific Island people achieve sustainable development. SPC’s members are the 22 Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) that are the beneficiaries of its services, along with four of the original founding countries. SPC’s work programme is determined by members, and all of its regional initiatives aim to support members’ national policies and plans. The Statistics for Development Division (SDD) aims to strengthen the capacity of national statistical systems and social and economic planning agencies to supply data for governance and planning. Our ‘core business’ is to provide technical assistance and training, partly through our highly valued professional attachment programme. The Division has a strong program in supporting the use of administrative data for planning, and in particularly in assisting countries to improve their CRVS systems. The division plays a key role in coordinating inter-agency initiatives in CRVS and Education, including the Brisbane Accord Group (BAG) and Pacific Vital Statistics Action Plan (PVSAP). The principle aims of the Brisbane Accord Group (BAG) are to support Pacific Island countries and territories to improve their CRVS systems, to improve the availability of birth, death and cause of death data at both national and regional levels, and to improve investment outcomes through better coordination between technical partners. Work is coordinated through the Pacific Vital Statistics Action Plan. Members of the BAG include the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), University of Queensland (UQ), UNFPA, WHO, UNICEF, Pacific Health Information Network (PHIN), Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Queensland University of Technology (QUT), University of New South Wales (UNSW), and Fiji National University (FNU). The group was formed in 2010 in recognition that improving civil registration and vital statistics in the Pacific Region requires a diverse set of technical expertise that is not available in any one agency in the region.

United Nations Childrens' Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF supports governments in the implementation of articles 7 and 8 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This includes the production of programmatic guidance on birth registration, development of innovative good practice to increase birth registration rates and improve the capacity of the CRVS authorities in birth registration and in other aspects of its work to support a well-functioning CRVS. UNICEF is currently supporting the authorities in more than 76 countries on birth registration as well as regional bodies and networks. In country technical assistance provided to the CRVS authority includes situation analysis, development of ICT solutions for BR and DR, legislative and policy reform, organizational and operations change, implementation of C4D actions, stimulating demand for registration including reaching the most marginalized, building coalitions and strengthening collaboration including engaging with parliament, community and religious leaders. It works across the organization to capitalize on potential for interoperability of the CRVS with other sectors. UNICEF’s global database on birth registration includes data from 165 countries spanning over 20 years. A main source of data are the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (or MICS) which UNICEF has supported in more than 100 low- and middle-income countries. MICS standard questionnaire includes questions on whether a child’s birth is registered and if the child has a birth certificate, as well as on the mother’s knowledge of the birth registration process. In the area of death registration UNICEF supports the CRVS authorities to strengthen CRVS systems and improve death registration, and provides technical assistance in the same. The organization also provides guidance and inputs on verbal autopsies. UNICEF also works on evaluating the completeness of death registration and is the lead agency producing estimates on child mortality. UNICEF also works with the authorities in age assessment, providing programmatic guidance and technical assistance in age assessment procedures.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

United Nations Population Division

The focus areas of the UN Population Division that are relevant to CRVS are: • Progress in Death Registration and Mortality Statistics (Mortality section), • Progress in Birth Registration and Fertility Statistics (Fertility section), • Evaluation of completeness of birth and death registration using analytical methods, new innovative approaches and technologies, and country studies, and • Assessments of the availability and accuracy of CRVS at the local level in low- to middle-income countries (e.g. in selected urban centers in sub-Saharan Africa)

United Nations Statistics Division

United Nations Statistics Division (through the framework for improving CRVS systems under the International Programme for Accelerating the Improvement of Vital Statistics and Civil Registration Systems) is responsible for developing guidelines and methodologies for the collection, compilation and dissemination of vital statistics. This includes the production of international principles and recommendations for vital statistics systems, as well as technical handbooks on topics such as Computerization, Developing Information, Education and Communication, Management, Legal Framework among others. The Division undertakes the preparation, organization and implementation of training workshops in the field of civil registration and vital statistics aiming at increasing knowledge, understanding and implementation of contemporary approaches to improving civil registration and production of regular, reliable and accurate vital statistics, as well as on international standards in this area. The Division also maintains a comprehensive knowldgebase, a collection of methods, practices and other accompanying materials related to civil registration and vital statistics, thus providing references for both registrars and statisticians.

World Bank

The World Bank has three areas : STATCAP is a multi-country Statistical Capacity Building Program designed to make it easier for clients to access regular World Bank financing for improving statistical capacity (financed either through IBRD or IDA). It finances the implementation of National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) or a similar comprehensive mid-term action plan. This could be linked with the TFSCB explained below. Multisectoral support to countries for strengthening Civil Registration and Vital Statistics and National Identity Systems through lending operations and technical assistance, called the Information on Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building. Statistics for Results Facility Catalytic Fund aims to support: National Statistical Plans; a system-wide approach in statistics at country level; improved coordination and partnership between statistics users and statistical producers; and Deliver more efficient and effective aid and technical assistance for strengthening statistical systems and results measurement.

World Health Organization (WHO)

CRVS data, including causes of death, are considered a critical underpinning for the work of WHO and for health work in countries, as well as many other global health partners. CRVS data are used to understand, implement, monitor and evaluate global health development, and are recognised as a cornerstone of country health information and planning. They are relevant and necessary for understanding burden of disease, life expectancies, fertility, mortality and to planning health activities, as well as monitoring health activities in disease specific areas, or for women and children’s health. CRVS data will be critical to most areas of the post-2015 development agenda, including goals focussed on UHC and disease specific actions. To this end, WHO supports CRVS activities, as part of its core global statistical program, and its response to initiatives such as Every Woman Every Child. As part of its core work, WHO maintains a database of country data on mortality (deaths registered and causes of death), time series. WHO also maintains the standard for the International Classification of Disease, relevant to the collection of mortality data globally, as well as supporting other mortality collection, for example verbal autopsy standards.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)