Ministerial Conference On Civil Registration Kicks Off in Nouakchott

7 December 2017
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United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Addis Ababa)

Nouakchott — The Fourth Conference of African Ministers in charge of Civil Registration kicked-off Thursday 7 December in Nouakchott, under the theme "Accelerating a coordinated improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) for the implementation and monitoring of development in Africa: A review of progress and the way forward."

The two-day conference is aimed at seeking ways of strategically moving the Africa Program on Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (APAI-CRVS) to the next level of maturity, by taking stock of its achievements and identifying its challenges.

The opening ceremony was presided over by the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Yahya Ould Hademina, who, emphasized that "Civil status data is of paramount importance in improving the lives of our citizens."

Participants will deliberate on the recommendations of a meeting of experts, which took place earlier on 4 December 2017, and provide policy guidance for the Secretariat of the Africa Program on Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (APAI-CRVS).

The meeting will focus on the CRVS improvement process; implementation at country levels, particularly in the context of Agendas 2030 and 2063; the strategic move to revitalize the APAI-CRVS through a systematic review and improved coordination, monitoring and reporting; endorsement of the CRVS strategic plan (2017-2021); and the approval of the setting-up of an 'Africa CRVS Systems Improvement Fund'.

In his remarks, Oliver Chinganya - Director of the Africa Centre for Statistics at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) said he was "more than happy to be here and to be part of the Africans to discuss this very important topic, a driving force of our cultural identity and development."

Mr. Chinganya who represented ECA's Executive Secretary at the event added that "I am convinced that it is possible to achieve the change we aspire for in this decade 2017-2026: a decade for repositioning CRVS systems in Africa."

For his part, the AUC Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Victor Harison, praised the government of Mauritania for having taken a "political commitment and deployed the necessary know-how" in line with the CRVS conference, adding "this explains why Mauritania is the leading African country in terms of Civil Registration."

Organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other partners, among which are UNICEF and WHO, the meeting brought together minsters in charge of Civil Registration and of Health from several African countries; and representatives from the ECA, AfDB, and AUC among others.

Read the original article on UNECA.

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