Foreword

It is our great pleasure to have the opportunity to advocate for the importance of civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) in this special issue of the Asia-Pacific Population Journal. The publication comes at an opportune moment, in time for the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific, to be held in Bangkok from 24 to 28 November 2014. As the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the Regional Steering Group for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific, we are encouraged to see the growing momentum for improving CRVS systems strengthened through the “Get every one in the picture” Asia-Pacific initiative.