Regional Strategy for Strengthening the Role of the Health Sector for Improving CRVS

Globally, one third of births and two thirds of deaths are not registered. A well-functioning Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system is crucial for the continuous and universal recording of vital events registration, and the accurate compilation of a country’s vital statistics. This Regional Strategy is a guideline focusing on strengthening the health sector’s role using efficient and evidence-based methods. It is aligned with the three goals of the Regional Action Framework for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific, and the World Bank/WHO CRVS Scaling-Up Investment Plan 2015-2024.

The five strategic areas of the Regional Strategy are: "Strategic Area 1: Legal and organizational framework for CRVS;" "Strategic Area 2: Political commitment and intersectoral collaboration for national capacity-building, partnership, advocacy and outreach;" "Strategic Area 3: Birth and death registration - completeness and coverage;" "Strategic Area 4: Recording cause of death, ensuring completeness and quality;" "Strategic Area 5: Creating demand for health and vital statistics, enabling service delivery and planning through use in (a) evidence-based decision-making, and (b) linkages to other activities." Specific objectives and recommendations are detailed under each strategic area for their achievement, which also includes the roles and responsibilities of national and regional stakeholders involved in the program.

Recommendations on the monitoring and evaluation activities to be performed are also included, to assess the country’s progress against the Regional Strategy 2015-2024. These guidelines are thus for all the stakeholders of CRVS, such as governments, development partners and civil society organizations, to effectively strengthen the CRVS system of the countries in the SEA Region.