Africa, Asia and Eastern Mediterranean 2012 and 2013

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20. Based on the tool’s classifications, only eleven, or less than one-third, of the thirty-five countries in the region to have taken the rapid self-assessment possess satisfactory CRVS systems that require only minor adjustments. 37 per cent of countries have CRVS systems that are classified as weak or dysfunctional. 21. Other concerning conclusions can be drawn from the rapid self-assessments conducted thus far in Asia and the Pacific. With regards to CRVS systems infrastructure, 55 per cent of countries have issues with inadequate equipment for civil registration offices to carry out their functions and the same number had insufficient training. In terms of completeness of registration, 37 and 46 per cent of countries respectively reported that coverage of birth and death registration was below 90 per cent. 19 per cent of countries reported that there was absolutely no training on International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and death certification given to doctors. 44 per cent of countries indicated that there was little interagency coordination or the coordination in place had consequences such as data quality issues, bottlenecks and duplications of work. 22. The findings of the rapid self-assessments confirm the urgency of the Regional Strategic Plan. Leveraging regional diversity 23. The regional approach that characterizes the Regional Strategic Plan is motivated by the huge diversity in the state of development and maturity of CRVS systems among countries in Asia and the Pacific. The rapid self-assessment results only demonstrate a fraction of those disparities. In some countries, CRVS systems are well-established and complete, covering all persons and generating both reliable legal documentation and sound vital statistics. At the other extreme, in some countries, CRVS systems are barely functioning and serve neither the needs of individuals for legal documentation nor the needs of governments and economic and social sectors for statistical information. It is disconcerting that in some settings, the coverage and quality of CRVS have declined, especially among poor and marginalized populations. 24. For the Regional Strategic Plan, the extent of diversity in Asia and the Pacific presents an opportunity to draw upon and share a wealth of experience and knowledge to facilitate CRVS capacity development in the region. The Regional Strategic Plan will establish a regional platform that has been designed to catalyze the sharing of expertise from across the region and globally. It will achieve this by stimulating and fostering partnerships, networking and collaboration to more effectively leverage obtainable resources for the benefit of the 61 per cent of the world’s population who consider Asia and the Pacific their home. 25. Given the overall socio-economic development of Asia and the Pacific over the past half-century, and the modernization in areas of public policy and administration, the current reality of poor or declining CRVS systems in the region must be addressed as soon as possible. The benefits of improving CRVS systems are indisputable and far outweigh the costs. Building regional momentum 26. As established earlier, the Regional Strategic Plan is part of a global movement stimulated by increased recognition of the value of CRVS as an important national resource for individuals and society in every country. The heightened commitment of a wide range of development partners has made an array of resources and targeted initiatives available that promote the development and improvement of CRVS both globally and also specifically in Asia and the Pacific. 27. The Regional Strategic Plan is a broad initiative driven by practitioners, governments and the development community. This initiative began in February 2009 at the first session of the UN Economic and 28
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Committee on Statistics, which noted the urgent need for improving CRVS systems in the region. As a result, in June 2010, the ESCAP secretariat, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), University of Queensland Health Information Systems Hub (HISHub) and WHO, organized a regional forum of development partners and representatives from civil registration offices, NSOs and ministries of heath of twenty countries that explored ways and means of improving CRVS systems in Asia and the Pacific. 28. Based on the call from the first session of the Committee on Statistics and the recommendations of the regional forum, the Committee on Statistics, at its second session in December 2010, endorsed the main components of a proposed regional programme for improving CRVS systems in Asia and the Pacific and requested the ESCAP secretariat to fully develop the regional programme in close collaboration with countries and other relevant development partners. 29. In May 2011, the 67 th ESCAP Commission endorsed resolution 67/12 26 , calling upon all member and associate member States to review and assess the functioning of their CRVS systems, and for the results of those assessments to be utilized by all stakeholders to develop and implement comprehensive national strategies or plans to improve CRVS systems. The resolution requested the ESCAP Secretariat, in close collaboration with development partners, to coordinate and harmonize global, regional and country resources to support these efforts. 30. ESCAP resolution 67/12 also requested that the ESCAP secretariat and partners convene a regional High-level Meeting with the objective of raising awareness and fostering increased commitment to improving CRVS in Asia and the Pacific. The resolution called for the participation of government decision-makers from civil registration offices, NSOs and ministries of health, as well as the development partners including nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, bi-lateral and multi-lateral development agencies, regional development banks, intergovernmental bodies and academic institutions. A BROAD DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP 31. Epitomizing the diverse development interests in and commitment for improving CRVS systems in Asia and the Pacific, the twenty partners are contributing to the regional initiative that surrounds the Regional Strategic Plan. Annex 3 presents the mandate and contributions of partners for the Regional Strategic Plan. 32. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS); Asian Development Bank (ADB); Health Metrics Network (HMN); International Organization for Migration (IOM) Asia and Pacific Regional Office; Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21); Plan International; Regional Coordination Mechanism Thematic Working Group on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women; Royal Thai Government (Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Public Health and National Statistical Office); Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC); Statistics Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations (UNSD); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Asia- Pacific Regional Centre; United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP); United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Bangkok; United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); University of Queensland: Health Information System Knowledge Hub (HISHub);United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UNWOMEN); and World Health Organization (WHO). 26 See footnote 1. 29
Page 1 and 2: REGIONAL NETWORK WORK PLANS Africa,
Page 3 and 4: Africa Eastern AFRO Chad Mediterran
Page 5 and 6: 3. Participation in East African In
Page 7 and 8: 5. World Health Organization (WPRO,
Page 9 and 10: 1. Memorandums of understanding dis
Page 11 and 12: ATTACHMENT ONE Improving Informatio
Page 13 and 14: advocacy, policymaking and oversigh
Page 15 and 16: ATTACHMENT TWO SECOND CONFERENCE OF
Page 17 and 18: the Republic of South Africa; 12. R
Page 19 and 20: We express our deepest appreciation
Page 21 and 22: provide leadership and guidance to
Page 23 and 24: INTRODUC TION “To make people cou
Page 25 and 26: Declaration 6 and the Declaration o
Page 27: y eleven development partners 18 th
Page 31 and 32: g. Harmonization and alignment: In
Page 33 and 34: underinvestment, sometimes as a res
Page 35 and 36: island and mountainous areas. In ad
Page 37 and 38: c. Make available in the public dom
Page 39 and 40: egional and international partners
Page 41 and 42: ANNE X 1: PROPOSED MONITORI NG FRAM
Page 43 and 44: Outcome H Increased technical capac
Page 45 and 46: 6-9 Quality of Cause of Death Data;
Page 47 and 48: ANNEX 3: DEVELOPM ENT PARTNERS [AWA
Page 49 and 50: Plan International Regional Coordin
Page 51 and 52: United Nations Population Fund (UNF
Page 53 and 54: World Health Organization (WHO) WHO
Page 55 and 56: AFRO Central African Republic 49 AF
Page 57 and 58: AFRO Swaziland 30 EURO Tajikistan 8

Africa, Asia and Eastern Mediterranean 2012 and 2013

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