🔎 3rd Ministerial Conference on CRVS: Why Civil Registration is Critical for Asia-Pacific

The Third Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) for Asia-Pacific is underway, marking a decisive moment for the region’s progress on legal identity and inclusive development.

💡 What is CRVS?

CRVS — Civil Registration and Vital Statistics — is the continuous, permanent, compulsory, and universal recording of vital events such as births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. This data is foundational for ensuring every individual’s legal identity, accessing public services, and supporting evidence-based policymaking.

🏢 Why it matters:

CRVS is central to UN ESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) goals and SDG 16.9, which calls for legal identity for all by 2030.

Despite progress since the first (2014) and second (2021) ministerial conferences, 14 million births and 6.9 million deaths remain unregistered across the Asia-Pacific region.

The original target of universal registration by 2024 has been shifted to 2030, underscoring the need for intensified efforts.

🇮🇳 India’s response:

India’s Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, mandates compulsory registration.

Challenges like lack of awareness, paperwork hurdles, and limited rural access have slowed progress.

The government has introduced digital solutions like DigiLocker, making it easier for citizens to register vital events and access birth or death certificates online.

📢 Ensuring universal civil registration isn’t just a bureaucratic exercise — it’s about legal recognition, social inclusion, and human rights. It’s time to double down on commitments to make sure every birth and every death counts.

💬 What measures do you think can help achieve universal registration in India and beyond? Share your thoughts below!

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