Consultant on inequality assessments for civil registration and vital statistics systems

Result of Service ESCAP is seeking a consultant to support implementation of elements of the project as advised and supervised by the project manager. These activities fall within outcome 3 above and will focus on delivering the following assignments. 1. Provide expertise on demographic methods relevant for the Regional Steering Group for CRVS, through planning and managing sessions, including developing appropriate background papers and presentations and writing up of conclusions 2. Implement regional inequality assessment workshop together with project staff, including designing and implementing sessions and writing up of report and conclusions based on expert knowledge 3. Develop knowledge products for the sub-regional civil registrars’ netwowrks, bringing together the work of the Southeast Asian and Pacific networks and preparing for a meeting of the South Asian network. 4. Develop and implement, with other project staff, material for vital statistics training workshops and support countries to produce vital statistics reports 5. Provide specific expertise and work with project staff on the implementation of inequality assessments in project countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Samoa and Philippines) and begin preparation of work for further countries for the next phase of the project 6. Finalise paper on ‘gender gaps in death registration’ and arrange webinar and write a blog on the topic 7. Develop concept note and implement project on a regional analysis of inequalities in birth registration from household survey data and arrange a webinar on the topic and arrange webinar and write a blog on the topic 8. Provide expert input to the CRVS related work in Lao PDR to supplement the UNFPA hired national officer and joint work in country. 9. Collate, review and draft as needed inputs to the monthly CRVS newsletter

Work Location ESCAP, Bangkok.

Expected duration 1 Apr - 30 Sep 2023

Duties and Responsibilities The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes the 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 which facilitates access to the benefits and protections of the State. Further, robust CRVS systems are necessary to inform policy makers about the health and well-being of different populations, and to adequately allocate resources to serve populations for services such as education, health care, infrastructure and to provide social protection and other services administered at a local level. Without reliable vital statistics derived from civil registration, it is difficult to understand how fast a population is growing (or shrinking) and to anticipate its future needs, as well as monitor the health and well-being of different populations and gender differences if any, so that health interventions can be put in place accordingly. Death registration is critical to inform mortality patterns - who is dying where, at what age, and from what cause. Without this information, it is not possible to improve the health and longevity of a population. This is particularly important in humanitarian and emergency settings when conflict or natural disasters can increase mortality, and prevent delivery of interventions needed for good health such as clean water, nutrition, skilled birth attendants, vaccinations, etc. Death registration is also important to inform policies related to social security and inheritance.

In this way, registering, recording, and providing documentation of life events enhances good government and sustainable development. However, despite continuous efforts, an estimated 64 million children under the age of five within Asia and the Pacific have not had their birth registered, and millions of other vital events, including deaths, have not been registered. As a result, countries in the region lack the data necessary to make informed policy decisions to improve health, education planning and other well-being outcomes of their populations.

Against this backdrop, ESCAP and Bloomberg Philanthropies collaborated to implement a project under the Data 4 Health Initiative entitled “Getting everyone in the picture: strengthening civil registration and vital statistics systems in Asia and the Pacific.” With a goal of better public health and increased lives saved, the project supports governments to strategically use public health data to inform policy priorities. The project builds government capacity to use data for policy and ensure that existing data, as well as data improved through the project, is well-analyzed and synthesized in user-friendly formats that respond to decisionmakers’ needs. The aim of the project is to ensure that the evidence generated is used to inform and improve policies and programmes, particularly for the most vulnerable and marginalized populations.

Qualifications/special skills Advanced degree in statistics or related fields Experience (at least 5 years) in the area of demographic estimation and official statistics. Understanding of official statistics in the Asia-Pacific region. Working experience with a national statistical office in the Asia-Pacific region is desirable.

Languages Fluency in English is required.

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.