High-level summary of the regional workshop on strengthening the national civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system

Overview

Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems are functional across all countries in the WHO South-East Asia Region, though with varying levels of completeness in civil registration and data quality. Many countries have conducted CRVS assessments, developed improvement plans, and established multisectoral coordination committees. However, gaps in system efficiency persist, particularly in areas such as reporting and notification, recording vital events (including cause of death), certificate issuance, data management, and timely production of vital statistics reports.

With the SE Asia regional strategy for CRVS (2015-2024) nearing its conclusion, the regional workshop on strengthening the CRVS system provided a timely opportunity to review progress, identify key gaps and challenges, and promote cross-learning among member states. The workshop aimed to assess the performance of CRVS systems and support countries in generating high-quality, timely statistics essential for informed policy decisions and for monitoring progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).