Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 9 August, 2024 (ECA) - The linkage of Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and legal identity systems to government systems is essential to inform policies and programs for effective governance and societal development, says Oliver Chinganya, Director of the African Centre for Statistics at the UN Economic Commission for Africa ECA)
“CRVS linkages forms the backbone of a transparent, accountable, and inclusive governance framework that benefits individuals, communities, and nations,” said Mr. Chinganya.
The ECA Director was speaking at a webinar ahead of the 7th Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day to be held on 10 August 2024 on theme “Strengthening Linkage of CRVS and Legal Identity Systems through Digitalization for Enhanced Inclusivity”.
Noting the importance of accurate data in civil registration, Mr. Chinganya said, Africa should explore new opportunities for sources of population data using national population registers, linking CRVS and legal identity systems ensures the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of data for individuals.
According to Chinganya, CRVS systems record vital events such as births, deaths, and marriages, while legal identity systems establish official recognition of individuals. By linking these systems, countries will maintain up-to-date and reliable demographic information that are essential for planning, policymaking, and service delivery.
He underscored the significance of birth registration as a foundation for all other identity-related initiatives and the need for more information from similar situations and related documents.
On commemorating the CRVS Day, he urged national stakeholders to reflect on status of CRVS systems and identify areas for improvement related to interoperability theme; share success stories on innovative solutions to drive advancements in CRVS and identity initiatives.
Ghana’s registrar of births and deaths, Henrietta Lamptey highlighted the need for publicity and media engagement to increase media engagement to increase awareness of CRVS issue in the country.
She outlined a series of activities planned for the country to celebrate this year’s CRVS day including talk shows, media engagement through radio show interviews in local languages and special mobile registration exercise across 16 regions of the country,
“CRVS day in Togo will feature a panel discussion on civil registration and vital statistics, media briefing and development workshops,” said Olivier Kadanga, Director General of the Civil Registration Division of Togo.
“CRVS Day in Togo will raise awareness about the importance of proper documentation and registration particularly in the context of ongoing Covid 19 pandemic.”
In an effort to ensure civil registration in Lesoth, Napo Khuele, Director of the National Identity and Civil Registry indicated that in 2013, Lesotho launched an integration system of registration to uniquely identify each person in the register with a unique number.
Additionally, she said in 2023, a digital platform was launched for enrolling marginalized communities and chiefs were incorporated in the registration process.
“The CRVS Day celebrations will be conducted in all the districts with the national celebration to be held in the city,” said Mr. Khuele.
William Muhwava, Chief of the Demographic & Social Statistics Section at the African Centre for Statistics, ECA acknowledged that legal identity is a fundamental human right as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
“Linking CRVS and legal identity systems ensures that individuals have official recognition and documentation of their identities, enabling them to exercise their rights, access social services, participate in economic activities, and assert legal claims,” he said.
On the theme of this year’s CRVS Day, Mr. Muhwava noted that it serves as a rallying call, emphasizing the pivotal role of digital integration in harmonizing civil registration and vital statistics systems with legal identity systems.
Evidence has shown that integrated systems with strong verification mechanisms help reduce identity fraud, impersonation, and other forms of identity-related crimes.
About Africa CRVS Day
The Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day is celebrated annually, which has been consistently done in the past 6 years. The day was established by the ministerial declaration at the Fourth Conference of African Ministers responsible for civil registration, the COM4 held in Nouakchott in 2017 and endorsed by the African Union Executive Council, during the 32nd Ordinary Session held on 25-26 January 2018.
X: @ECA_Official
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org