Consultant on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics

Result of Service

A consultant is required to: 1. Produce a comprehensive regional review of CRVS data-sharing practices and challenges. 2. Develop practical CRVS Data Sharing Guidelines for countries in Asia and the Pacific. 3. Facilitate expert review and validation of the draft guidelines. 4. Finalize the guidelines incorporating comments from experts, countries, and development partners.

Work Location

Remoted

Expected duration

15 Aug 2026 -28 Feb 2027

Duties and Responsibilities

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes an inclusive and sustainable future for all with a focus on leaving no one behind. A well-functioning civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system helps ensure that every person has a legal identity and facilitates access to public services and legal protections. CRVS systems also generate critical administrative data for producing timely and reliable vital statistics and supporting evidence-based policymaking. As countries strengthen digital government systems and increase the use of administrative data, effective data sharing among institutions involved in civil registration, identity management, health information systems, national statistical systems, and service delivery has become increasingly important. Effective data sharing can improve the completeness, quality, timeliness, and usefulness of CRVS data while reducing duplication, enhancing service delivery, and supporting integrated government systems. However, many countries in Asia and the Pacific continue to face challenges related to fragmented institutional arrangements, legal and regulatory barriers, inadequate governance frameworks, limited interoperability, privacy concerns, and insufficient safeguards for personal data protection. As a result, CRVS data often remain siloed across institutions, limiting their potential contribution to national development outcomes. To support implementation of the Regional Action Framework on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific and commitments under the Ministerial Declaration on a Decade of Action for Inclusive and Resilient Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP seeks to develop practical regional guidance on CRVS data sharing. Building on ESCAP's ongoing support to countries in the production of vital statistics, one of the most persistent challenges identified across the region is the lack of regular and institutionalized data-sharing arrangements between civil registration authorities and statistics producers, typically national statistical offices. Recent work on strengthening the production of vital statistics has highlighted bottlenecks in the transfer and use of civil registration data, often due to unclear governance arrangements, legal and policy barriers, limited interoperability, and concerns regarding privacy and confidentiality. To address these challenges, ESCAP is undertaking a programme of work to strengthen CRVS data-sharing practices across the region. This includes knowledge sharing, the development of practical guidance materials on CRVS data sharing and data anonymization approaches and validation of the guidance through expert consultations, and capacity-building activities for data holders and data users. The work aims to support countries in establishing sustainable and secure data-sharing mechanisms that facilitate the regular production of vital statistics while strengthening broader CRVS system performance. The initiative will build on ESCAP's expertise in CRVS as well as data integration and may be undertaken in collaboration with relevant partner and agencies. The consultant will support this effort by developing a comprehensive set of CRVS Data Sharing Guidelines and supporting their review through expert consultations. Specifically, the consultant will: • Conduct a desk review of international, regional, and national frameworks, standards, and good practices related to data governance and data sharing for CRVS systems. • Review legal, institutional, operational, and technical approaches used by countries to facilitate CRVS data sharing. • Identify enabling factors, challenges, risks, and lessons learned from country experiences. • Examine existing approaches related to: o Data governance; o Personal data protection and privacy; o Confidentiality and security; o Institutional coordination mechanisms; o Data standards and interoperability; o Digital identity ecosystems; o Administrative data integration; o Data quality assurance. • Develop a practical CRVS Data Sharing Guidelines document for countries in Asia and the Pacific. • Present draft findings and recommendations at an expert group meeting. • Revise and finalize the guidelines based on feedback received from ESCAP, participating countries, experts, and development partners.

Qualifications/special skills

Bachelor’s degree in Demography, Statistics or related fields is required. Advanced degree in Demography, Statistics or related fields will be an advantage. At least 5 years of experience in providing technical assistance to strengthen national CRVS Systems. - Understanding of official statistics in the Asia-Pacific region - Working experience with a national statistical office in the Asia-Pacific region is desirable - Strong drafting skills, including the ability to summarize technical material, conceptualize ideas and articulate relevant subject matter in a clear and concise way - Excellent planning, communication and organizational skills

Languages

Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.