The inability to retrieve identity data can cause problems in everyday life. When this happens during a crisis situation, the need for a complete, accessible civil registration system becomes painfully clear. Emergency response services are reliant on solid Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems to prove identity and population data and provide access to many levels of support, leaving an estimated billion unregistered global citizens at extreme risk. Some countries are lagging far behind, leaving their people vulnerable to the impact of physical, economic, social, and environmental shocks. 

How the pandemic has prompted an urgent CRVS re-evaluation 

COVID-19 showed us that civil registration is a vital tool supporting those tasked with making critical decisions around the implementation of health measures. Accurate and timely mortality data is critical as they choose the correct way forward. This is a struggle for countries still using manual or paperbased CRVS systems that are slow, sometimes inaccurate, and unreliable. However, even many countries who believed they already had robust eCRVS systems struggled to produce the necessary data during the recent pandemic, leading to a global conversation on the need to revisit and reevaluate in advance of any future crises. 

Why do some eCRVS systems fail to service requirements during emergencies? This could be due to outdated technology, onerous processes, or restrictive legal environments. Any or all of these complications will render an eCRVS system unable to adapt and respond as the world changes and the demands on eCRVS systems increase and evolve.

Nearly 75 percent of civil registration offices in Africa were disrupted or discontinued by the pandemic, according to a survey conducted in 34 countries. (Global Financing Facility, 2021) 

Access to legal documents must be a priority to leave no one behind

CRVS systems are necessary to provide legal documentation about the occurrence of vital events in the course of a person’s life pertaining to identity, civil status, and family relationships. The absence of birth registration can reduce access to education or health services. For family members of a deceased person, a death certificate can be essential to access pension and insurance benefits, claim inheritance, permit remarriage, and avoid identity fraud by closing the legal identity of the deceased. These documents are even more important during or after a crisis as families may need to access loans or insurance payments, or ensure children are reunited with their families. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing became an essential tool in controlling the spread of the disease. Large undocumented populations make this emergency work unnecessarily difficult, if not impossible. (Fu and Macfeely, 2022) 

How our HERA solution brought eCRVS to Gambia

Last year, WCC worked with the World Bank on the rollout of The Gambia Mass Birth Registration and Health Insurance Membership Registration. Electronic registration had been virtually non-existent, with the country relying on manual paper records that made retrieval and verification of information a serious challenge. Now, every eligible Gambian citizen can receive a printed birth certificate plus a personalized Health Insurance card. This has ensured basic human rights for all, who will automatically access education, healthcare, and social protection. The Health Insurance card also acts as evidence in important, impactful life events such as graduating, voting, inheriting, and obtaining a passport. 

HERA going live in Laos

Laos is embarking on mass digitization of its public systems, and we’ve just launched its new eCRVS system. Children of every background will enjoy equal access to education and healthcare, plus protection from child labor and exploitation. The system will cover all civil registration elements as a single source of truth for the government. As a country with limited internet access in some localities, the offline field functionality will bring consistency and equity to every citizen of Laos.  

Legal identity elevates the life chances of citizens worldwide, ensuring that they can gain access to fundamental human rights and support. We’ve designed the HERA eCRVS system to make civil registration fast, easy, and secure. Governments can remove lengthy manual verification processes or upgrade their legacy systems to bring them in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, to provide legal identity for all, including free birth registration, by 2030. 

To find out more about our HERA eCRVS system, contact us. 

Civil registration is critical for protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of women, girls, and other vulnerable groups. However, globally, women and girls still face many cultural, financial, and legal barriers to experiencing the full benefits and protections of civil registration. Stay tuned for the second part of this blog series to learn more about how CRVS systems can empower women and girls.