ECA, AU to Mark African Civil Registration, Vital Statistics Day

Addis Ababa: The Economic Commission of Africa (ECA) announced that the 7th African Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Day will be observed across the continent this weekend by highlighting the importance of digitalization to enhance activities in civil registration and vital statistics.The Day is observed annually on August 10 with the goal of raising public awareness of the significance of timely recording of life events-especially births and deaths-through efficient systems for vital statistics and civil registration.This year's celebration will be held under the theme 'Strengthening the linkage of civil registration and vital statistics to legal identity systems through digitalization for enhanced inclusion.'The theme chosen for this year's celebration, serves as a rallying call that emphasizes the pivotal role of digital integration in harmonizing civil registration and vital statistics systems with legal identity structures, according to ECA.Such harmonization is essential for promoting eff ective governance and societal development, protecting individual rights, ensuring efficient service delivery, reducing fraud and facilitating cross-border recognition.The event marks a pivotal moment for reflection, collaboration and action towards strengthening civil registration and vital statistics systems across Africa, especially as the continent strives to accelerate progress in meeting the commitments made under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to achieving universal legal identity.It also forms the backbone of a transparent, accountable and inclusive governance framework that benefits individuals, communities and societies.The linkage of civil registration and vital statistics to legal identity systems ensures the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of population data and of records of such vital events as births, deaths and marriages, while legal identity systems establish official recognition of individuals.By linking these systems, countries can maintain up-to-date and reliabl e demographic information, which is essential for planning, policymaking and service delivery, ECA noted.Source : Ethiopian News Agency