2026 CRVS Research Forum

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and Vital Strategies will organize the second CRVS Research Forum on 30 March - 1 April 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.  

Along with transforming the Forum from a regional platform to a global one, the 2026 Forum will be run as a hybrid event at ESCAP's headquarters in Bangkok. Organization of the forum is supported by funding provided by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative.

The event will offer another major research, information sharing, and capacity-building opportunity for participants.

In April 2023, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) organized the first Asia-Pacific CRVS Research Forum. Attended by 390 participants from 62 countries and territories, the fully online event offered a major research, information sharing and capacity-building opportunity for CRVS practitioners.

Based on the success of the 2023 event, ESCAP, in collaboration with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Vital Strategies, are pleased to announce the 2026 CRVS Research Forum. Along with transforming the Forum from a regional platform to a global one, in 2026, the Forum will be run as a hybrid event at ESCAP’s headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand. Organization of the forum is supported by funding provided by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative.

Key Dates

What types of research will be presented?

Authors may present cases or work that demonstrate or relate to any of the forum themes and types of research outlined. Authors will be requested to not restrict themselves to data or results that have been officially published, with presenters able to discuss methods or approaches that are being researched for possible future adoption. Practical applications that rely on specific case studies based on real data are encouraged. Authors may challenge existing frameworks and practices on the specific issue by reflecting on existing realities based on experiences.

Research is not confined to academia. Anyone engaged in the different aspects of CRVS can contribute. Research not only encompasses formal scientific methods of investigation but also covers a compilation of experiences and lessons learnt. Indeed, such experiences are often the most instructive for policy makers. Moreover, research also covers the use of evidence and knowledge to influence policy, programming, and planning across multiple sectors. Research for CRVS should be both locally relevant and applicable to regional and global utility. There are three main types of research envisaged for discussion at the 2026 CRVS Research Forum: 

1. Operational research: Addresses issues of concern on national and local levels of action, such as a local registration office or a local health facility where births and deaths occur. The findings of such research are mainly relevant to specific, local contexts and circumstances.
2. Implementation research: Predominantly of use to higher-level managers of civil registration and vital statistics, for example, when considering how to roll out a large-scale improvement effort. While contextual factors remain important, the findings can often be generalized to other settings within the country or even for other countries.

3. Systems-wide research: Primarily aimed at improving weaknesses in CRVS systems as a whole and is of most use to those who manage or need to design policies, programmes, and business processes for CRVS. Systems-wide research requires a high degree of cross-sectorial collaboration and use of interdisciplinary methods.