The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Child Rights Coalition Asia (CRC Asia), World Vision International (WVI), Plan International, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Vital Strategies, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) held a forum convening 37 representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) and 44 representatives of young people groups and their mentors in Bangkok, Thailand on 4-6 March 2025.

The forum was attended by 81 participants, representing 48 organizations and sub-organizations from 16 countries, where they shared experiences and discussed challenges and improvements to CRVS systems across Asia and the Pacific.

Key themes and discussions included: improving inclusivity and resilience of CRVS systems; disseminating data from CRVS systems to create impact and awareness; and developing key messages on CRVS. Workshops and World Cafés were organized to bolster engagement and to exchange ideas around these themes and to identify key challenges and recommendations.

CRVS representatives from Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia and the Philippines also delivered presentations reporting on the outcomes of the country-level civil society consultations hosted in December 2024 and January/February 2025. The representatives highlighted key issues within their countries and provided recommendations on improvements to CRVS needed.

Participants at the forum initiated the development of statements from young people and civil society to be delivered at the Third Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific in June 2025.

Details of the Civil Society Forum and the engagement with young people and CSOs can be found here