The Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) System

When we say “CRVS System”, we are talking about the process of the government in recording and keeping the data on the “vital” or important events in the life of the people in the country. These vital events are the birth, marriage, and death of a person. Because of this, CRVS is essentially about a person’s legal identity.

The CRVS system should be used by governments so that they can be “responsive” or can react quickly to the needs of the people. Also, the CRVS system should be “universal”, which means that it should include every person, no matter the background or situation.

What is “Registration”?

The process of recording the vital events are called birth registration, marriage registration, and death registration.

What are “Certificates”?

The birth certificate, the marriage certificate, and the death certificate are the proof of record/data.

Why do children and youth need to know and speak out on CRVS?

Globally, 166 million children under 5 have never been registered, and 65% of these are from Asia and the Pacific region.

As part of the vulnerable sector of society, children and youth voices and views should be listened to and considered in the political and policy making process related to Civil Registration and Vital Statistics.

Children and Youth need to be engaged in the decision making process on the issues of CRVS and be given equal opportunity to speak up about its importance, the challenges they experience and their recommendations to improve services related to birth, marriage and death registration.

While recognizing the committed efforts of the Asian and the Pacific governments and partners to get everyone in the picture, decision makers should also look into how children and youth contribute in addressing the challenges in achieving a universal and responsive CRVS.

Our Work

Counting births and deaths to inform government systems is essential to supporting populations at their most vulnerable.

Our CRVS Partnership for Asia and the Pacific is working closely with countries to improve their civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems to ensure countries have vital information on births, deaths, marriages.

Our Goals

  • Commit to focusing both government and development efforts to achieve universal and responsive CRVS systems in all Asian and Pacific countries

  • Empower children and youth to share their experiences and recommendations on CRVS to influence regional decisions to prioritize child rights.

  • Provide a space for meaningful participation of children and youth in harnessing political commitments to address the challenges in achieving universal and responsive CRVS.

Universal civil registration of births and deaths

Every person has access to legal documentation to claim one’s identity

Accurate and complete vital statistics