Project profile — Strengthening Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems

This project aims to strengthen civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems to enhance the health and well-being of women and children in developing countries. CRVS systems provide timely and reliable data for public health statistics that are necessary for the effective planning and monitoring of health systems. This project accelerates efforts to improve CRVS systems by: (1) performing in-depth case studies of specific CRVS needs; (2) developing investment plans that lay out the costs associated with developing effective CRVS systems; and (3) conducting a technical consultation to discuss findings and potential challenges for future investments in CRVS. This project also aims to provides a roadmap for potential future investments in CRVS in the four targeted countries. In addition, the project seeks to collect critical information for a high-level event on CRVS taking place in Canada in 2014 and to address the gaps in support for CRVS globally.

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: four country case studies developed for presentation at the 2014 High Level meeting on civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems that cover: (1) CRVS needs and gaps identified in selected countries; (2) increased understanding on the part of national governments and key stakeholders of the financial requirements needed to establish CRVS systems in selected countries; and (3) best practices in CRVS for selected countries' national governments and key stakeholders, where challenges and successes are identified.

Results achieved as of the end of project (July 2014) include: The project contributed to the development of case studies on the state of CRVS systems in Mozambique, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and the Philippines; the mapping of investment plans for strengthening CRVS systems in the four countries; developing templates for future use in CRVS investment planning and case studies; and improving collaboration between WHO (HQ, relevant regional offices and country offices), UNICEF, World Bank, UN Regional Commissions and other relevant partners in support of the country assessments, strategic planning, investment plans, country technical assistance and global and regional resource mobilization strategies. The project demonstrated that a systemic approach to strengthening CRVS systems is critical to ensure long term sustainability.