1. United Nations Statistics Division
Draft Guidelines on the Legislative Framework for Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity Management
Srdjan Mrkić
United Nations Statistics Division

2. Background
Since 1948 the United Nations Statistics Division (United Nations Statistical Office at the time) has been mandated with providing methodological framework and international recommendations for civil registration and vital statistics
Mandate based on the still-in-place model that comprehensive, reliable, regular, accurate and small area vital statistics can be derived only from a fully-functioning registration of all vital events occurring in the country
Mandate was further extended by adoption of the International Programme for Accelerating the Improvement of Vital Statistics and Civil Registration Systems by United Nations Statistical Commission and Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) in 1991 and re-iterated in 1995

3. Principles and Recommendations
The third revision – 2014
In the context of defining a system as a set of interacting or independent components forming an integrated whole and for the purposes for which these principles and recommendations are to be applied, the components of a vital statistics system are: (a) legal registration, (b) statistical reporting of, and (c) collection, compilation and dissemination of statistics pertaining to vital events
Focus on holistic civil registration and vital statistics system, back to 1953

4. 2014 Principles and Recommendations – Model in a Graph
Live births
Deaths
Fetal deaths
Marriages
Divorces
Annulments
Judicial
separations
Adoptions
Legitimation
Recognition
Health services
Certification of
cause of death
Authorized
institutions
Courts
Civil
Registration, including population registers
Principles:
Compulsory
Universal
Continuous
Confidentiality
Vital
Statistics
Compilation
Processing
Validation
Quality control
Dissemination
Complementary/
Interim sources
Population census
Surveys
Sample registration
areas
Additional
administrative
sources
Coronary
Police
Registries
Health records
National IDs’
Electoral lists
Passports …

6. United Nations Methodological Framework
Principles and Recommendations, Revision 2 (2001)
Principles and Recommendations, Revision 3 (2015)
Handbook on CRVS: Management, Operation and Maintenance (1998)
Handbook on CRVS: Management, Operation and Maintenance, Rev 1 (2018)
Handbook on CRVS: Computerization (1998)

7. United Nations Methodological Framework
Annotated outline adopted, under revision, expected release date early 2019
Handbook on Developing Information, Operation and Maintenance (1998)
Under revision, expected release date mid-2019
Handbook on Legal Framework(1998)
Handbook on Training in Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems (2002)
CRVS E-learning Course (2017)

8. Still relevant – a model Civil Registration Law is part of it
Focus of Legislative Framework
The current version – Handbook on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics systems: Preparation of a Legal Framework
Published in 1998
Still relevant – a model Civil Registration Law is part of it
In need of updates, primarily based on
The contemporary model for civil registration, vital statistics and identity management
Legal framework for population registers
Confidentiality and privacy concerns and concepts
Contemporary technology
Evolution of international law and human rights

9. Focus of Legislative Framework
UNSD developed (in 2017) an annotated outline of a revised set of guidelines on the legislative framework
Presented at the Technical Seminar on Legal Framework for Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity Management Systems, held in Manila, the Philippines, July 2017
The Seminar provided comments, suggestions and national experiences
Conclusions and recommendations pointed to the importance of introducing a unique identification number and the necessary legislative framework for universal, safe and confidential implementation
Strongly underscored the need for a legislative framework to follow the holistic approach and interoperable model for civil, registration, vital statistics and identity management
Legal aspects of the ownership of individual information
Emphasized that birth registration, and its legal tender - the birth certificate - is the foundation of legal identity

10. Focus of Legislative Framework
Based on the annotated outline and the conclusions and recommendations, the draft Guidelines consist of six chapters
Introduction
Overview of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management
Concepts and definitions
Principles of civil registration and identity management
Functions
Vital events
Identity Management
Interoperability
Accountability and governance

11. Focus of Legislative Framework
Based on the annotated outline and the conclusions and recommendations, the draft Guidelines consist of six chapters
Human rights and civil registration, vital statistics and identity management
Rights-based approach to legal frameworks
Right to register vital events
Human rights that depend on the registration of vital events
Protection of vulnerable populations
Institutional arrangements
Centralized and decentralized systems
Single versus multiple lead agencies
Ministry versus autonomous agency
Power to issue regulations and delegation of authority
Role of health sector
Role of police, coroner and emergency services
Role of custodians of funeral, burial and cremation facilities
Role of the courts
Inter-agency cooperation
Financial resources

12. Focus of Legislative Framework
Based on the annotated outline and the conclusions and recommendations, the draft Guidelines consist of six chapters
Legislative framework
General provisions
Civil registration, vital statistics and identity management
Civil registration
Registration of births
Registration of fetal deaths
Registration of deaths
Registration of marriage
Registration of dissolution of marriage or civil union
Corrections and amendments
Transferring records
Fees
Identity management
Identity management principles and life cycle

13. Focus of Legislative Framework
Based on the annotated outline and the conclusions and recommendations, the draft Guidelines consist of six chapters
Legislative framework (continued)
Population register
Information to be submitted to the population register
Transmission procedures
Transmission frequency
Data protection and privacy during transmission
Vital statistics
Vital statistics derived from civil registration
Submission of statistical information
Compilation of vital statistics
Publication and dissemination of vital statistics reports
Data protection, privacy and security
Collection and updating: Collection limitation, data quality and purpose specification
Access and use: Purpose, limitation and security safeguards
Protection of individual rights

14. Focus of Legislative Framework
Based on the annotated outline and the conclusions and recommendations, the draft Guidelines consist of six chapters
Legislative framework (continued)
Compliance, enforcement, rights and remedies
Monitoring and inspection
Administrative and judicial review
Offences and penalties
Revenue to fund the system
Other laws and policies that support civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems
Incentives for institutional compliance
Creating individual demand for identity credentials
Creating individual demand for civil registration
Improving cause of death information
Facilitating use of technology

15. EGM – expected outcome
General comments on the draft Guidelines: are there issues that are missing, yet are critical for the legal framework? Is there unnecessary elaboration of topics that should not be covered? Is the general approach to the Guidelines appropriate and adequate? Should there be more discussion on a specific issue?
Specific comments. As mentioned above, the meeting will review the draft Guidelines para by para. Looking for specific comments on each para, section, or chapter - prepared in writing in advance of the meeting and introduced at the meeting itself; presented orally at the meeting and reflected in the final version of the draft; or as general notes transformed into specific comments based on the discussion at the meeting

16. EGM – expected outcome
National examples. The Guidelines aspire to cover as much as possible national successful practices in developing and implementing legal framework for the holistic approach to civil registration, vital statistics and identity management. Examples in that respect from your countries and regional or international settings are invaluable. Thus, please identify parts of the Guidelines that are most suitable for inclusion of successful practice in your countries and provide them in the format of the text box, annex, illustration or in any other shape you feel is appropriate and these will be then included in the final version.

17. EGM follow-up
Finalizing the draft – depending on the volume of comments, suggestions and inputs – preferably by mid-February 2019
Circulated to EGM members for final review – mid-March 2019
Final draft produced – end of March 2019
Unedited final draft posted at the UN website – end of March 2019
Editing, copy preparation, printing – May 2019