Civil Registration System

Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines

Legislation on civil registration systems should provide a clear designation of the power and function of a civil registration system to provide reliable and timely information and data on vital events, to other government agencies, including the national statistics agency or agency responsbile for producing vital statistics.

Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines

To accommodate emerging technology, legislation needs to be flexible with the method and mode of collection, transmission and storage of data in any civil registration system. For instance, the legislation should not specify the technology and media used in recording, storing, updating and transmitting the information in the civil registration system, or the technological format produced from the information recorded. While implementing regulations may specify procedures, the specific technology to be used should be determined internally by the agency or authority, to allow for changing technology over time.

Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines

To achieve interoperability amongst various government agencies that govern civil registration, vital statistics compilation and identity management, a stakeholder coordination mechanism should be established. This coordination mechanism can take the form of an inter-agency civil registration, vital statistics and identity management committee, with representatives from each of the stakeholder agencies. Alternatively, a stakeholder coordination mechanism can be a single government agency empowered to coordinate the activities of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management stakeholders and oblige stakeholders to collaborate with the coordinating entity.