As governments digitize civil registration, identity management, and data systems, the need for shared standards, safeguards, and interdisciplinary dialogue is more urgent than ever.

This was the focus of the Expert Group Meeting on Population Registers: Consolidating Lessons from the Field and Synthesizing International Technical Standards on Population Registers and Their Usability (13-14 October 2025), was co-organised by several members of the Community of Practice on Population Registers, co-chaired by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) , National Institute of Statistics, Uruguay (INE), Statistics Norway in collaboration with the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) and its scientific panel on population registers, ethics and human rights and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

This meeting brought together government experts from National Statistics Offices and related line ministries alongside technical advisors and researchers from international and regional organizations, as well as academic institutes. The presentations, panel discussions and world cafe tables kick started efforts to update the international technical standards and benchmarks for assessing the completeness, quality and usability of population registers.

(Photo credit: UNFPA)