Evaluating the completeness and quality of civil registration systems and producing vital statistics reports

Abstract

The majority of African countries do not have fully functioning civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems that are compulsory, continuous, universal and permanent recordings of vital events, such as births, deaths with their causes, marriages and divorces. Such systems provide individuals with legal documents generated through the official recording of vital events. For example, birth registration provides every child with a birth certificate, an essential legal document required to secure basic human rights to name, identity and nationality. A well-functioning CRVS system is also a source of data that is essential for good governance, policy planning and monitoring development programs on global, national and sub-national levels. The main objective of the workshop was to strengthen the capacity of participating countries in assessing the quality of data on vital records, producing and disseminating vital statistics reports based on civil registration data. This ranges from basic concepts, tools and procedures to advanced methods of data processing and analysis.