Preliminary work on the development of a Master2 in vital statistics and civil status

Civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems are fundamental to the protection of human rights, good governance, and sustainable development. African states and development partners have stressed the importance of an efficient civil registration system for good governance, to support coordination bodies, and for national population policy monitoring. Despite investments in CRVS systems, the capacity of civil registrars and statistical officers in low- and middle-income countries still requires significant attention. Postgraduate and graduate programs in CRVS systems do not exist and there are often no evidence-based training plans. In addition, capacity building has often focused on birth registration, while training statisticians in compiling vital statistics from the civil registry and the judiciary is almost non-existent.

The main objective of the project is to support the preliminary work for the development of a graduate degree and interdisciplinary academic training in civil registration and vital statistics (i.e., Master2) for low- and middle-income countries, particularly in West and Central Africa. The specific objectives are to strengthen the capacities and skills of national civil registration actors and to equip professionals/stakeholders in the Global South with the most up-to-date knowledge in the fields of civil registration in order to strengthen CRVS systems in their countries and to build universal, permanent, and sustainable CRVS systems.

This master’s degree would represent the first university training program at a graduate level in civil status in the world. Investing in this master’s degree program in French is a strategic opportunity for the Centre for Excellence for CRVS systems to make a sustainable contribution to the capacity building of civil registry actors in Francophone Africa and other developing countries.