1. United Nations Statistics Division
Draft Handbook on Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity Management: Communication for Development
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
Fully revised, final draft available at UNSD website, subject to editing and copy preparation
Handbook on Developing Information, education and communication(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. In need of updates, primarily based on
Focus of Handbook on Communication for Development
The current version – Handbook on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics systems: Developing Information, Education and Communication
Published in 1998
In need of updates, primarily based on
The contemporary model for civil registration, vital statistics and identity management
The contemporary approach to communication for development
Contemporary technology
Evolution of international law and human rights

9. Crucial support from Centre of Excellence for CRVS, Ottawa
Focus of Communication for Development
Crucial support from Centre of Excellence for CRVS, Ottawa
First draft by consultant
Comments by UNSD
Draft in front of you
Last minute amendments – in front of you

10. Focus of Communication for Development - Content
Introduction
Chapter I. Organizational aspects of communication for development for effective civil registration, vital statistics and identity management
Chapter II. First steps for an effective communication for development strategy: formative research, behavior analysis and identification of main actors
Chapter III. Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme
Chapter IV. Resources for the communication for development programme
Chapter V. Implementation of the communication for development programme
Chapter VI. Recommendations to strengthen national cr/vs and id management systems
Annexes

11. EGM – expected outcome
General comments on the draft Handbook: are there issues that are missing, yet are critical for the communication for development? Is there unnecessary elaboration of topics that should not be covered? Is the general approach to the Handbook appropriate and adequate? Should there be more discussion on a specific issue?
Specific comments. As mentioned above, the meeting will review the draft Handbook 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

12. EGM – expected outcome
National examples. The Handbook aspire to cover as much as possible national successful practices in developing and implementing communication for development of 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 Handbook 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.

13. EGM follow-up
Finalizing the draft – depending on the volume of comments, suggestions and inputs – preferably by end of June 2019
Circulated to EGM members for final review – July 2019
Final draft produced – end of July 2019
Unedited final draft posted at the UN website – end of July 2019
Editing, copy preparation, printing – September-October 2019