High-level panelists at events hosted by Data4SDGs as part of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly have reaffirmed the importance of improving CRVS systems around the world. 

At the first session on “Using Data and Technology to Achieve the SDGS”, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Executive Secretary of UN ESCAP, highlighted achievements made by Asia-Pacific countries in strengthening their CRVS systems. She specifically noted the advancements in mobile registration, applying new technologies and integrating CRVS with national ID systems. Kathy Calvin, President of the UN Foundation, also highlighted the importance of birth registration in improving access to education and property rights: “If a girl can count and she is counted, it makes a difference.” The Minister for Planning of Ghana, one of the hosts of the event, stressed the need to improve CRVS data sources to reduce national dependence on time-consuming and expensive surveys. Other panelists highlighted the role of birth registration in helping governments make better policy decisions, including allocation of vaccines and school supplies to send to each region, as well as the role of technology, including mobile phones and the internet, in facilitating registration.

At the second session on “Inclusive Data to End Poverty and Leave No One Behind”, panelists emphasized the need to produce disaggregated administrative data including by sex, age, and location in order to identify policy priorities and respond more effectively to crises. As the Minister for Planning for Ghana summarized, governments must find out who the poor are and where they are before appropriate policies can be made to help.