Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Civil registration is essential for establishing and closing a person’s legal identity, beginning with birth registration and ending with death registration. A birth certificate provides legal proof of identity, granting access to key rights and services such as education, healthcare, and financial inclusion. Similarly, a death certificate is necessary for legal and administrative matters like inheritance and burial.

Beyond individual benefits, civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems generate critical data on births, deaths, and causes of death. These data support effective policymaking, public service delivery, and monitoring of 67 indicators across 12 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Strengthening CRVS systems is thus vital for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In 2014, members and associate members of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and development partners convened at the Ministerial Conference on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific and adopted the Ministerial Declaration to ‘Get Every One in the Picture’, launching the Asia-Pacific CRVS Decade (2015–2024). A Regional Action Framework was endorsed in 2015, setting three overarching goals, 15 national targets, and eight implementation steps to guide progress.

Progress reviews were conducted in 2015 (baseline) and 2019/2020 (midterm), revealing gains but also the need for renewed efforts. A second Ministerial Conference in 2021 adopted a new declaration to build more inclusive and resilient CRVS systems. ESCAP resolution 78/4 called for a Third Ministerial Conference in 2025 and a comprehensive regional review.

For the 2025 review, ESCAP collected data from 50 members and associate members through a structured questionnaire. The responses were validated and compiled into a regional progress report, assessing progress toward national targets in birth and death registration, cause-of-death data, and implementation of the Regional Action Framework.

The report is structured into five chapters:

1. Realizing universal birth registration
2. Registering all deaths and causes of deaths
3. Harnessing civil registration records for vital statistics
4. Following the implementation steps of the Regional Action Framework
5. Accelerated actions to realize universal and responsive CRVS systems in Asia and the Pacific

The Third Ministerial Conference in June 2025 endorsed the findings from the review and approved the CRVS Decade extension to 2030. The report aims to guide governments and development partners in prioritizing efforts to build universal, inclusive, and resilient CRVS systems that support development, good governance, and the protection of individual rights.