| International Experts Meet on Improving Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems in Africa Addis Ababa, 01 July 2009 (ECA) - Few countries in Africa and Asia have complete civil registration systems. The Working Group on Monitoring Vital events has called this “A scandal of Invisibility” because “Most people in Africa and Asia are born and die without leaving a trace in any legal record or official statistics. Absence of reliable data for births, deaths and causes of death are at the root of this scandal of invisibility, which renders most of the world’s poor as unseen, unaccountable and hence uncounted”. This scandal has serious implications for vital statistics, human and constitutional rights, policy and national development. In order to address this scandal, The African Centre for Statistics (ACS) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA); the African Development Bank; UN Statistics Division and InWent of Germany are jointly organizing a regional workshop on civil registration and vital statistics systems. The workshop is taking place in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania from 29 June to 3 July, and will bring for the first time 45 African countries and development partners in search of new initiatives and approaches for attaining universal, effective and sustainable civil registration and vital statistics systems in Africa. Given that one of the main constraints to poor performance in building effective civil registration systems in Africa has been lack of political will and commitment, the Ministers responsible for civil registration systems in Tanzania and Ethiopia will grace the workshop with their presence. Civil registration systems record vital events, on a continuing basis, particularly on births, deaths and causes of death. The information from these systems is essential for compiling vital statistics and establishing and protecting identities, citizenship and property rights; for protecting human rights; and for informing public policy and for monitoring social and economic development. At least six (6) Millennium Development Goals rely on data that derive from these systems. We also need these systems to be able to project population size on annual basis. The workshop will orient participants on UN principles and recommendations on civil registration and vital statistics systems; review challenges and opportunities in improving these systems; listen to reports of selected country experiences and status on emerging new approaches and initiatives; and introduce new law drafting technique and their adaptation to civil registration laws in Africa. At the workshop the African Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Network (AfCRVSNet) will be launched, which is expected to provide a forum for policy dialogue, exchange of views, ideas and best practices on this important subject in Africa. Issued by the ECA Information and Communication Service Tel: 251 11 5445098 |
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