The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) serves as the region’s intergovernmental platform for advancing sustainable development. This includes strengthening civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems across the region. ESCAP prioritizes collective efforts among governments and development partners to strengthen CRVS systems, ensuring they remain inclusive, responsive, and oriented toward the needs of the population. Through the work of the Statistics Division and the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP), ESCAP facilitates technical excellence and regional coordination to assist member states in engineering CRVS frameworks that safeguard individual rights, produce rigorous demographic data, and accelerate towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

ESCAP leads the regional dialogue on CRVS, steering the transition from the CRVS Decade (2015–2024) and its extension (2030) into a new era of resilient system.

Working closely with governments and development partners, ESCAP leads or supports a range of CRVS strengthening activities, including:

• Contributing to the full and effective implementation of the Ministerial Declaration and Regional Action Framework on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific and the additional commitments made by governments in 2021 and 2025, in close collaboration with member States, Associate members and development partners;
• Facilitating regional collaboration, with guidance from the Regional Steering Group on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific and the Asia Pacific CRVS Partnership, to harmonize efforts and promote multisectoral collaboration;
• Supporting subregional civil registrars networks, to support knowledge exchange and collaboration amongst civil registrars in the Pacific, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Eurasia.
• Supporting comprehensive assessments and multisectoral CRVS strategies, including use of the CRVS Systems Improvement Framework to streamline processes, facilitate digitalization and improve accessibility;
• Identifying and addressing disparities in civil registration by supporting countries in conducting inequality assessments that reveal which population subgroups are being left behind in CRVS systems for more inclusive policies;
• Strengthening the production and use of vital statistics, including improving completeness and quality of birth and death registration, enhancing certification of causes of death, and supporting countries to generate accurate, timely, and policy‑relevant vital statistics in line with the regional commitments of the CRVS Decade;
• Advancing partner alignment through research initiatives such as the CRVS Applied Research Training (CART) initiative and the Regional Partnership on CRVS.
• Promoting partner alignment and knowledge-sharing through knowledge products and tools, forums, workshops, and other knowledge‑exchange platforms;
• Raising regional awareness through the “Get Every One in the Picture” initiative, including high-level ministerial engagement, research forums, and capacity-building events such as the 2026 CRVS Research Forum, and ongoing dissemination of CRVS updates and knowledge through the monthly CRVS Insight Newsletter.

Through these efforts, ESCAP continues to champion universal registration, legal identity and documentation for all, and high-quality vital statistics as fundamental components of inclusive development, resilient governance, and the protection of rights across Asia and the Pacific.