Why CRVS matters before, during and after a disaster Jeff Montgomery, New Zealand Registrar-General

What is CRVS? Continuous, permanent, compulsory and universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events pertaining to the population Continuous – The civil registration system continuously adds new records and makes amendments to existing records as events occur Permanent – Records are preserved for future uses Compulsory – It is mandated by the Civil Registration Law Universal – It should cover the entire country/territory. If all types of vital events cannot be recorded, then priority should be given to births and deaths Confidential – used only for the purposes prescribed by law and/or in aggregated form Implemented according to international standards such as the UN Principles and Recommendations and the WHO International Classification of Diseases.(ICD-10) Major characteristics recorded: Fact of birth or death Cause of death Related socio-demographic information on the birth or death Births and deaths and causes of death are most important for individuals and public health policy. Events like adoptions, name or gender changes, marriages & divorces are also captured United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2014). Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System, rev. 3. New York, USA.

CRVS is System

CRVS operates at Two Levels 1. Civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems underpin good governance and planning at a national level. ensuring reliable and up-to-date data on population size, dynamics, and health, plan service needs and distribution (including health, education, infrastructure services, etc), monitor and respond to key health issues, track development progress ensuring that deceased persons are removed from electoral rolls and identifying potential voters coming of age, providing a secure identity to assist government functions such as immigration and policing, and the planning and provision of social welfare and pensions. provides an element of accountability for births and deaths, and therefore assist in supporting a greater level of security at a societal level.

CRVS operates at Two Levels At an individual level, civil registration facilitates legal rights to participate and be counted in society. A legal identity Access to education and health services Citizenship status Ability to vote Ability to open a bank or mobile phone account Access to a passport and international travel Relationship status and property rights Inheritance or land rights

Three CRVS components Notifications and Registration – vital events are recorded and counted Certification – individuals receive legal certificates Vital statistics – statistics are compiled and disseminated CRVS systems will not function well, and will fail if one of these systems is not functional.

Civil registration process Declaration of birth by informant Registration of birth by civil registrar Issuance of birth certificate by civil registrar Notification of birth (by hospital, midwife, village chief) Notification (additional requirements in some countries) Supplementary evidentiary documentation (e.g. hospital attestation of birth) either given to informant to present to registrar or to civil registrar directly.

Employment CRVS and ID systems National ID systems will fail if there is inadequate Civil Registration Retrospective registration is good – but a trap Civil Register Migration Population Register Education Vital Statistics Employment

CRVS in Solomon's and the Pacific Varying levels of development – some are well advanced while other countries are struggling Key issues are: Coverage – dispersed or remote population Completeness – incentives to register and capacity of civil registration office Connectedness – between Civil Registry, Statistics and Health Conversion – from paper to secure and robust digital records Lots of players – Brisbane Accord, UNESCAP, UNICEF, WHO, SPC, Bloomberg

Civil Registration in the Solomon's 2013 Assessment of the CRVS system revealed the system performs poorly compared to other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Only 28% of births and 2% deaths are registered Mortality and cause of death (COD) data are limited and come largely from census estimates or international modelling. Owing to the lack of reliable data, it is very difficult for public health policy makers to develop strategies that address the health needs of their population. Recent improvements in the CRVS system of the Solomon Islands, further progress is urgently needed.

A new, enthusiastic Registrar has been appointed Legislation in place for registration of births and deaths Centralised system but parallel systems in place – Local magistrates complete legal declaration of births and deaths and there is also formal registration MHMS collects information on births and deaths through monthly reporting system Death certificates are only provided for deaths at hospitals and not all deaths in hospitals are certified

National CRVS Improvement Plan Solomon Islands 2015 - 2019 An amazing plan for the Solomon's National CRVS Improvement Plan Solomon Islands 2015 - 2019 “To improve the lives of Solomon Islanders through a functional, responsive, accessible and sustainable CRVS system that supports individuals’ identity and rights and good public policy through complete, accurate and timely registration.” Prepared by the National CRVS Committee with assistance from the Brisbane Accord Group. Stakeholders include: Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Solomon Islands Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Finance, MDDP, IT, Ministry of Justice and Law Reform Commission, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), World Health Organization, UNICEF and UNFPA

The fully costed plan addresses: Legislation Political Commitment and Community Advocacy Unclear Roles and Responsibilities Importance of CRVS not known Reducing Duplication and addressing Disincentives for Registration Improving Access to Registration Improving Coverage through better links Improvement to COD particularly within health settings Data not routinely available for policy and planning Limited demand for data and improve data sharing

CRVS and Disasters Impact on people Impact on CRVS system Impact on ability to plan and respond

Implications for CRVS customers Ongoing nature of CRVS – the show must go on! Increased need for services – extra events to register, replacement of vital documents for families, and increased risk of exploitation

Implications for CRVS systems Resilient CRVS infrastructure. Resilient CRVS data bases. Back up of national data (paper or digital) at central level and in various locations. As timely as possible backup schedules – daily for a busy registry

Implications for Disaster Response An effective CRVS system as essential in disaster planning and response “Never let the opportunity of a crisis pass you by …”

So what? CRVS can be a powerful tool for individuals and governments CRVS is an important factor to consider in disasters To help impacted people To get the CRVS system operating well To contribute to the planning and response The Solomon Islands have a great CRVS plan – help achieve it!