Through resolution 73/1, ESCAP member States decided that in the years when the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development meets under the auspices of the General Assembly at the summit level, which is every four years, the Commission and the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) would share the same theme [as the High-level Political Forum]. In 2019, the first time this convergence takes place, the theme study for the Commission session will, therefore, focus on the theme for the High-level Political Forum for 2019: Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality. The theme study for the seventy-fourth session in 2018, entitled Inequality in the era of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set the stage, showing that the region's high inequality of outcomes and opportunities traps the vulnerable in poverty and marginalization. The 2019 theme study builds on these findings to examine how empowerment and inclusion are critical for reducing inequality.

In recognition of civil registration's role in addressing inequality, ESCAP's CRVS team and the Government of Pakistan co-hosted a side-event at the 75th session of the Commission to highlight the need for improved CRVS systems in meeting the 2030 Agenda. With a closing speech from the Executive Secretary for ESCAP, the panel speakers included the Ambassador of Pakistan to Thailand and Permanent Representative to ESCAP, the Chief Advisor to the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms in Pakistan, the Chief Statistician of Malaysia, the Permanent Representative of China to ESCAP, the Regional Advisor for Child Protection, UNICEF ROSA, and the Director of ESCAP’s Statistics Division. The speakers addressed topics such as country specific, CRVS system developments, the human rights inherent in legal identity, how CRVS facilitates better access to social services, as well as the regional progress toward meeting the Regional Action Framework and the upcoming 2020 Ministerial Conference.

Follow the links to hear directly from Dato' Sri Mohd Uzir Mahadin, the Chief Statistician of Malaysia, or Dr. Syed Mursalin, the Chief Advisor to the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms in Pakistan on the continued importance of CRVS.