(Newsletter: CRVS Insight July 2021)

The Asia-Pacific region has reached the midpoint of the Asian and Pacific Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade (2015-2024). The Decade is dedicated to achieving universal and responsive CRVS systems because CRVS systems provide individuals with a legal identity, facilitate access to public services, and support governments by producing better data to guide decision making.

To take stock of the progress made during the first half of the Decade and better understand the remaining challenges, ESCAP published a report titled "Getting every one in the picture - A snapshot of progress midway through the Asia and Pacific Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade". Additionally, ESCAP created a Midterm Report microsite where users can access a disaggregated form of the report, as well as review Country Stories highlighting accomplishments from around the region.

The report shows that the Asia-Pacific region is on the right path to reaching the goals of universal and responsive CRVS systems and countries are much better positioned to respond to crises than they would have been five years ago.

Building upon the momentum generated by the launch of the Getting Every One in the Picture report, ESCAP also coordinated a regional launch, as well as four sub-regional launches, to highlight regional progress, articulate key messages from the report and inform the ongoing preparations for the Second Ministerial Conference on CRVS between 16-19 November 2021.For those unable to attend the launches, videos and presentations are now available on www.getinthepicture.org.