Handbook on Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity

Handbook on

Civil Registration,

Vital Statistics and

Identity Management

Systems

Communication

for Development

Department of Economic and Social Aﬀairs

Statistics Division

Handbook on

Civil Registration, Vital

Statistics and Identity

Management Systems

Communication for Development

ST/ESA/STAT/SER.F/121

Studies in Methods Series F No. 121

United Nations

New York, 2022

ST/ESA/STAT/SER.F/121

United Nations publication

Sales No.: E.21.XVII.10

ISBN: 978-92-1-259179-7

eISBN: 978-92-1-403099-7

Department of Economic and Social Aﬀairs

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations is a vital inter-

face between global policies in the economic, social and environmental spheres and

national action. The Department works in three main interlinked areas: (i) it compiles,

generates and analyses a wide range of economic, social and environmental data and

information on which United Nations Member States draw to review common prob

lems and to take stock of policy options; (ii) it facilitates the negotiations of Member

States in many intergovernmental bodies on joint courses of action to address ongoing

or emerging global challenges; and (iii) it advises interested Governments on the ways

and means of translating policy frameworks developed in United Nations conferences

and summits into programmes at the country level and, through technical assistance,

helps build national capacities.

Note

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in the present publica-

tion do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United

Nations concerning the legal status of any country or its authorities or the delimita

tions of its frontiers. The term “country” as used in this publication also refers, as

appropriate, to territories or areas. The designations of country groups in the publica

tion are intended solely for statistical or analytical convenience and do not necessarily

express a judgment about the stage reached by a particular country, territory or area

in the development process. Mention of the names of firms and commercial products

does not imply endorsement by the United Nations. The symbols of United Nations

documents are composed of capital letters and numbers. Mention of such a symbol

indicates a reference to a United Nations document.

iii

Preface

The present Handbook on Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity Management

Systems: Communication for Development provides guidance and assistance to coun

tries to help them to strategically design and carry out evidence-based and measurable

communication for development activities in support of a comprehensive improve

ment programme of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management sys-

tems. It is the first revision of the Handbook on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics

Systems: Developing Information, Education and Communication, issued in 1998.

The revision reflects a restructuring in the contents that is conceptually consistent

with the Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System, Revision 3,

adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission at its forty-fifth session in

2014. It incorporates contemporary approaches, good practices, lessons learned and

recent developments in the field of communication for development, to support pro

grammes’ capacity to change behaviour and social norms in concerned societies in

order to increase the levels of civil registration of main life events.

A communication for development programme has an important role to play in the

improvement of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems

and should be an integral part of the design and implementation of such a programme.

The present Handbook provides a step-by-step guide to national statistical offices, civil

registration and identity management authorities for undertaking a series of actions,

activities, methods, and techniques to develop a successful communication for devel

opment programme as a part of a civil registration, vital statistics and identity man-

agement systems improvement programme. The actions and strategies suggested in

the present Handbook should be regarded as guidelines that may be adapted to suit

a wide variety of conditions and circumstances in countries undertaking such a pro

gramme.

The present Handbook is designed for use with the other handbooks of the series on

Civil Registration and Vital Statistic Systems, which deal with various aspects of civil

registration and vital statistics improvement:

(a) Handbook on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems: Management,

Operation and Maintenance, Revision 1;

(b) Guidelines on the Legislative Framework for Civil Registration, Vital Statis

tics and Identity Management.

The present Handbook provides a combination of theoretical underpinnings and prac

tical tools to be used at all levels: national, regional and community, to encourage

responsible authorities and the general public to understand, support, take action and

promote civil registration of main life events.

iv Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Deﬁnitions

In the context of the present Handbook, the difference between communication for

development and a simple demand-creation strategy should be explained from the very

beginning

Demand creation Communication for development

– comes from marketing, and refers to

creating demand for something which

either does not exist, or it is not known

if it exists, and testing is required to find

out. Demand creation is a unilateral

action coming from a service provider.

It doesn’t envisage the full participation

of the “target groups” in the process and

includes raising awareness of the service

and aggressive promotion. In social pro-

grammes it is less efficient and effective

and doesn’t ensure sustainability of the

use of the respective service.

– combines social psychology and mar-

keting principles, producing behaviour

and social change in a specific group, thus

ensuring a long-term effect. The core of

the approach is the plenary involvement

of “target groups”, named in this case

strategy participants, in the process of

development, implementation, monitor-

ing and evaluation of the strategy. The

communication for development focuses

on existing undesirable behaviours in

a certain group and aims to produce

change of these behaviours at individual

and social levels.

The Introduction describes the background of the establishment of the United Nations

Legal Identity Expert Group, and most importantly, the definition of legal identity.

It emphasizes the theoretical considerations to be kept in mind when engaging in

communication for development programming. It explains also the need for a long-

term, continuous communication for development (behaviour and social change)

programme to ensure that policy and decision makers, regional and local authorities,

community formal and informal leaders and population at large understand the need

and get actively engaged in massive behaviour and social change interventions aim

ing to increase the civil registration of vital events rates at community, regional and

national level in target countries.

Chapter I provides guidance on the organizational aspects of a communication for

development (behaviour and social change) programme. It includes the structure

of the communication for development office, the importance of coordination, the

establishment and major activities of an inter-agency committee, the integration of

the communication for development (behaviour and social change) programme and

the overall civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improvement

programme, and the approach to obtaining financial and political support.

Chapter II focuses on research, data and behavioural analysis to inform the develop

ment of strategies and plans, identifies stakeholders and population groups, analyses

the determinants of a certain undesirable behaviour in a certain group.

Chapter III approaches the main determinants of a certain undesirable behaviour,

selection of most effective interventions, strategy development, planning for action

and messages and arguments to be conveyed.

Chapter IV covers the management of strategy development, implementation, moni

toring and evaluation, resource mobilization, time frame and necessary resources,

assignment of responsible stakeholders, and identification and mobilization of neces-

sary human resources for the communication for development programme.

Chapter V describes the technical process of launching, implementation, monitoring,

ongoing research, evaluation and adjustment of the communication for development

(behaviour and social change) programme.

Chapter VI contains specific recommendations to strengthen the national civil regis

tration and vital statistics systems.

The present Handbook was prepared with the cooperation and support of the Centre

of Excellence for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems, hosted by the Inter

national Development Research Centre in Ottawa, Canada. The Centre provided

resources for drafting and reviewing the Handbook.

vii

Acknowledgements

The present publication was prepared by the United Nations Statistics Division,

Stefan Schweinfest, Director.

The contributions of the following are gratefully acknowledged:

Drafters and editors

Srdjan Mrkic, Statistics Division, lead editor

Dorina Andreev-Jitaru, International Development Research Centre, Canada

Contributors

Maria Isabel Cobos, Statistics Division

Lin Zhuo, Statistics Division

Predrag Savić, Statistics Division

Reviewers – members of the Expert Group

Tsholofelo Molobe, Botswana

Valerie Gaston, Canada

Alena Lukes, Canada

Juliet McCalla Smith, Jamaica

Janet Mucheru, Kenya

Oscar Muhapi Muhapi, Namibia

Lorenza Sarria Garcia, Peru

Vichian Chidchanognarth, Thailand

Chakkraphan Rattanasathian, Thailand

Francis Notzon, United States of America

Risa Arai, United Nations Development Programme

Kristen Wenz, United Nations Children’s Fund

Karen Carter, United Nations Children’s Fund

Claudia Cappa, United Nations Children’s Fund

Erin Elzo, United Nations Children’s Fund

Remy Mwamba, United Nations Children’s Fund

Romesh Silva, United Nations Population Fund

Mila Romanoff, Global Pulse

Irina-Valeria Dincu, International Development Research Centre, Canada

Pedro Maunde, Save the Children International

Stephen Hamill, Vital Strategies

Bhaskar Mishra, United Nations Children’s Fund

Contents

Preface .................................................................. iii

Acknowledgements ....................................................... vii

Why communication for development is important ............................ 1

Introduction .............................................................. 5

A. Background ..................................................... 5

B. United Nations strategy for legal identity for all ...................... 6

1. Introduction ................................................. 6

2. Definitions................................................... 9

3. Implementation – general...................................... 10

4. Implementation – specific ..................................... 11

C. Purpose of the Handbook and overview of the contents ............... 14

D. Theoretical framework ............................................ 15

1. Communication for development ............................... 15

2. Social-ecological model........................................ 17

3. Steps for developing and implementing a strategic

communication programme ................................... 20

E. Benefits of high-quality civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management systems .................................. 21

I. Organizational aspects of communication for development for effective

civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems .......... 27

A. Organization and management of the communication

for development concept note ...................................... 28

Role in civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management systems .............................................. 28

B. Structure of the communication for development office ............... 33

C. Inter-agency committee and communication for development

subcommittee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

D. Setting priorities and identifying the goals and objectives of the

communication for development programme ........................ 39

1. Identification of problem areas and setting priorities .............. 39

2. Developing the main goals and objectives of the communication

for development programme ................................... 42

E. Major activities of coordination and management bodies .............. 45

1. Formulation of the preliminary national communication

for development concept ....................................... 45

x Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

2. Ensuring government ownership and commitment of sufficient

resources to implement the proposed programme................. 45

3. Development of the communication for development strategy

and implementation plan ...................................... 50

II. First steps for an effective communication for development strategy ......... 53

A. Introduction ..................................................... 54

B. The planning process ............................................. 55

C. Formative research ............................................... 57

1. Steps to be taken in planning the formative research .............. 57

2. Methods for data collection .................................... 57

3. Analysis of causes and determinants ............................ 60

D. Programme analysis .............................................. 66

E. Identification of participants and their behaviour..................... 67

1. Identification of participants (social-ecological model) ............ 67

2. Behavioural analysis .......................................... 83

F. Identification of potential partners.................................. 85

G. Communication landscape analysis ................................. 87

III. Methods and tools to be used in the communication for

development programme .............................................. 89

A. Approaches to address the main determinants of a behaviour .......... 90

1. Introduction ................................................. 90

2. Behaviour change communication .............................. 92

3. Social change communication and community engagement ........ 94

4. Social mobilization ........................................... 97

5. Advocacy .................................................... 98

6. Capacity-building............................................. 99

7. Media engagement ........................................... 101

B. Planning for effective interventions ................................. 106

C. Selection of channels and tools for various groups .................... 107

D. Messages and arguments: development and pre-testing................ 111

IV. Resources for the communication for development programme ............. 117

A. Management of strategy development, implementation,

monitoring and evaluation......................................... 118

B. Time frame and necessary resources ................................ 122

C. Partnerships ..................................................... 125

D. Identification and mobilization of necessary human resources ......... 126

V. Implementation of the communication for development programme ........ 129

A. Launching the programme ........................................ 130

B. Monitoring and evaluation ........................................ 130

VI. Recommendations for strengthening national civil registration,

vital statistics and identity management systems .......................... 137

Annexes

1. Analysis of determinants of non-registration in Guinea: data

collected by focus groups and observation ................................ 141

2. Steps in developing a communication strategy ............................ 148

3. Sample agenda for the workshop on situational analysis and

communication for development strategy elaboration...................... 151

4. Identification of main strategy participants (audiences) .................... 155

5. Behavioural analysis................................................... 156

6. Identification of messages and arguments ................................ 157

7. Activity planning ..................................................... 158

8. Generic pre-testing questions for various prototypes of

communication materials .............................................. 159

9. Minimum human resources required for strategy development

and implementation ................................................... 162

10. Job descriptions of personnel for the communication for

development office .................................................... 163

11. Cost categories for the communication for development strategy budget ..... 165

12. Communication for development costed implementation plan

by activity, implementer and estimated costs ............................. 167

13. Successful practices in Kenya ........................................... 171

14. Communication for behavioural impact in Kenya ......................... 175

References ............................................................... 179

Why communication for development

is important

The need for comprehensive effective civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management systems in all countries has long been recognized. Most countries have

enabling legislation and have established registration systems. They also have adopted

internationally recommended definitions, classifications and tabulation plans. The

civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems in all developed

countries are effective and fully operational, and so are the systems in a few develop

ing countries. However, in the majority of developing countries, the civil registration

and vital statistics systems are still incomplete and in need of major improvements.

Lack of registration completeness is a major problem, and statistics are unreliable

and untimely.

Societies today, even the least developed, exhibit considerable complexity in interper

sonal relations and increasing bureaucratization in dealings between individuals and

the State. Hence it is important, to ensure certainty in legal matters, that individuals

be provided with probatory instruments that allow them to prove, with ironclad cer

tainty, the facts relating to their existence, identity, and personal and family situation.

Consequently, in the contemporary paradigm, civil registration provides both the cer

tification of identity for a newborn child and also critical entry into the identity man-

agement system, whether through the stand-alone population register or, in the case in

which population registers are subsumed by the identity management system, directly

into it. At the other end of the life cycle, civil registration also plays a critical role in

notifying the occurrence of deaths to the population register and the identity manage

ment system, so that the records can be amended accordingly, and those identities are

withdrawn or marked as “deceased”.

The purpose of the present Handbook is to help design and carry out self-sustaining,

evidence-based and measurable communication for development (behaviour and

social change) interventions to support a target country’s overall improvement pro

gramme of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems.

A well-informed population is only one element of the timely and accurate registration

of vital and civil status events as they occur. Communication for development (behav

iour and social change) goes beyond information and awareness raising and addresses

the determinants of non-registration by the general public. Those have very limited

links to lack of information, but are depending on existing social norms, lack of trust,

negative attitudes, and social and cultural beliefs. The beliefs and social norms influ

ence both service providers and service beneficiaries and have a direct impact on the

offer and the demand. The revised Handbook balances the use of awareness-raising

interventions with behaviour and social change approaches, ensuring the change in

behaviours of individuals and communities. Communication for development begins

with advocacy interventions at the national level in order to persuade high-level gov

ernment officials of the necessity of effective and efficient systems. Decision makers

need to understand the many resulting benefits and be willing to make firm com

2 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

mitments to provide or raise financial resources for successful reforms to the current

systems.

The Handbook, inter alia, provides advice on how to obtain the cooperation and par

ticipation of influential professionals and social groups, such as health and education

service providers, medical societies, national-level and community-based organiza

tions, high-level civil registration, vital statistics and identity management officials;

legal practitioners; religious; formal; and informal leaders.

Since, in many countries, civil registration is administered in a decentralized manner,

registrars at the State provincial and regional levels should also be fully involved in

communication for development programme. It is particularly important to obtain

the wholehearted cooperation and assistance of local registrars in every part of the

country. Their help is needed to ensure that the whole population is engaged in com

munication for development programme, resulting in effective and efficient registra-

tion systems.

The recommended actions and strategies should not be regarded in any way as being

too complicated for use in developing countries. They are intended only as guidelines

to be adapted in accordance with the actual situations and conditions of the country

concerned. Many of the recommended actions call for a more dynamic role of the

local registrars, who should maintain good working relationship with the commu

nity and with the main users of civil registration, vital statistics and identity man-

agement data and information. A more involved local registrar will become part of

the solution.

The Handbook outlines the most effective interventions to address determinants of

non-registration at the target country’s level. Thus, the public will be informed on the

purpose, requirements, benefits of civil registration, and it will also be capacitated

and empowered to produce change at the level of their families, neighbourhoods and

communities. The communication for development interventions will be directed to

all levels of the society: national, regional, community (including family and indi

vidual). A special attention will be given to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

It should be noted that such matters as the review and revision of the legal framework

and administrative aspects of systems, as well as the actual writing, preparation and

production of instruction manuals for the training of local registrars and statisti

cal personnel, are an administrative/management responsibility, and are therefore

outside the scope of the Handbook. However, advocacy and administrative commu

nication aiming to change perceptions at the level of local registrars and responsible

authorities at all levels is one of the goals of communication for development inter

ventions.

The present Handbook is directed principally to four categories of officials:

(a) Policymaking and decision-making officials at the governmental level

who enact the necessary laws and regulations to activate civil registration

improvement programmes and allocate the necessary funds to implement

an effective programme;

(b) Decentralized local authorities having direct or indirect influence on civil

registration, vital statistics and identity management (local government,

health, education, police, religious structures, etc.);

levels;

(d) Management officers at the central and provincial government levels.

Why communication for development is important

The Handbook outlines the elements of an effective communication for development

(behaviour and social change) programme in support of the civil registration, vital

statistics and identity management systems improvement programme and emphasizes

its importance.

The overall registration improvement project should include a long-term, continuous

communication for development programme as an integral part of the operation of

the civil registration, identity management and vital statistics. A knowledgeable and

engaged population will support the timely and accurate registration of vital events as

they occur on a continuous and permanent basis.

It is recommended that the communication for development programme adopt a

strategy of phased implementation. There needs to be a high degree of coordination

and collaboration among the agencies participating in civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management systems and donor agencies. Producers and main users of

data and information should also work in a coordinated and collaborative manner to

strengthen those important systems that are so relevant to the individual and to the

society, including behaviour and social change interventions.

An important element in a communication for development programme is the assur

ance of genuine commitment on the part of the Government to maintain the confi-

dentiality of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management data and

information, without which the collection of data would become very difficult.

Another important element is the compulsory nature of civil registration. As stated

in the Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System, Rev. 3, a country’s

civil registration system must be compulsory in order to assure its smooth operation

and effectiveness.

Countries should identify incentives and/or legal provisions to use

positive or negative motivation in ensuring compulsory civil registration of vital

events.

High-quality, permanent and continuous civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management provide a number of significant benefits to the individual, to the nation

that operates such systems, to regions and communities within the country, and to the

world community.

For the individual, the most important benefit is that birth registration permits the

production of a certificate that is legal proof of that person’s identity, of his/her name,

sex, parent’s names, and date and place of birth. That permanent legal document

serves as a protection of that person’s human and civil rights as a member of society.

For the nation, effective civil registration, vital statistics and identity management sys

tems, whether they are operated within a centralized or decentralized administrative

system, are essential for the accurate planning of programmes designed to promote

the well-being of that country’s people. That includes demographic analyses of sta

tistics, which are essential to proper planning for social development, including the

design and implementation of public health measures, maternal and childcare, family

planning, social security, education, housing and economic development.

Information is available down to the community level on a permanent and continuous

basis. Monitoring the natural population growth at various administrative divisions of

the country is essential, and a civil registration system serves that purpose.

At the local level, accurate information is essential for proper planning for the needs of

the community, particularly for health and education facilities, as well as for housing

and the evaluation of labour/employment requirements. Advocacy efforts both at local

and national levels can be informed only with credible statistics.

Principles and Recommenda-

tions for a Vital Statistics System,

Rev. 3, 2014. Available at

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/

demographic/stand meth/prin-

ciples/M19Rev3en.pdf.

4 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

A significant benefit to a country that undertakes a long-term programme of improve-

ments to its civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems is that

effective systems may actually save money. Such programmes as immigration and

naturalization, identity management, passport control, national health and social ben

efits, population registers, education, conscription, identification services and elec-

toral rolls may have requirements with which civil registration must be consistent.

There is a compelling argument to be made that if accurate information is not avail-

able for government planning purposes, then a great deal of the country’s financial

resources can be wasted. For example, the Government may use valuable financial

resources to build hospitals, schools and housing that are not needed. It may rush

construction of such facilities at extra cost because the need for them was not foreseen

due to the lack of reliable basic demographic information. Public money that could

have been put to good purposes in other needed programmes will have been wasted

unnecessarily. If the needed information is not available, the Government may also

be compelled to undertake ad hoc demographic surveys, which are very costly and

provide indicators only at the macro level. By spending a relatively small amount on

improvements to its present civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems, the Government may save a substantial amount of public money.

Information on the benefits of effective civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management systems outlined in detail in the present manual can constitute a valu

able element of the communication for development programme, and much of that

information should be used in the texts for training handbooks, pamphlets/brochures,

press releases and commercial advertising, adapted to the context of the target country.

That information can be adapted for various target groups, such as government offi

cials, social and economic planners, demographers, statisticians, health professionals

and medical researchers, as well as civil registration staff and vital statistics personnel,

local religious organizations, formal and informal community leaders and other key

stakeholders. The messages and arguments for each group engaged in the communi

cation for development programme will be identified in a participatory manner and

will ensure its adaptation and representation for the respective social group.

For the world community, accurate knowledge of a country/region’s growth (or

decline) of population is most important. Reporting of infectious and chronic diseases

to measure the rates of morbidity and mortality is essential for identifying areas that

may be in need of aid from the world community. That includes assisting in the medi

cal research that is so essential in the current era of widespread population mobility.

Handbook on Civil Registration

and Vital Statistics Systems:

Management, Operation and

Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021.

Introduction

A. Background

1. As outlined in the Principles and Recommendations for Vital Statistics, Rev. 3, the

essential purpose of civil registration is to furnish legal instruments of direct interest

to individuals. Societies today, even the least developed among them, exhibit consider

able complexity in interpersonal relations and increasing bureaucratization in deal-

ings between individuals and the State; hence, it is important, to ensure certainty in

legal matters, that the individual be provided with special probatory instruments

which allow him or her to prove, with ironclad certainty, the facts relating to his or her

existence, identity, and personal and family situation.

2. As mentioned in the Handbook on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems:

Management, Operation and Maintenance, Rev. 1, vital statistics and civil registration

are separate entities, but it is crucial that they be established, maintained and exploited

as components of a coordinated and coherent system for registering and producing vital

statistics. In addition, the emergence of the interconnectedness between civil registra

tion and identity management systems ads yet one more dimension to the structure of

the civil registration and vital statistics system. Civil registration is dened as the con

tinuous/permanent, compulsory, universal recording of the occurrence and character-

istics of vital events pertaining to the population, as provided through decree or

regulation in accordance with the legal requirements in each country. It is important to

highlight the quality of universal in relation to the people’s right towards the registra

tion of vital facts. Civil registration is also the source that maintains population regis-

ters and identity lists updated in countries where these exist.

3. As civil registration, vital statistics and identity management are based on the

Principles and Recommendations, a new revision of the document was developed and

formally adopted in 2014. It is the most recent in a series of updates of the principles

and recommendations for a vital statistics system, rst published in 1953.

e rst

revision was issued in 1973;

and the second revision was issued in 2001.

e newest set of principles and recommendations provides guidance on establishing

a functioning system for collecting, processing, and disseminating vital statistics;

improving sources of vital statistics, primarily the functioning of the civil registration

system and its components; and the role of complementary sources of vital statistics,

such as population censuses, household surveys and public-health records.

4. Ecient civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems were

dened as those providing full coverage of live births, fetal deaths, deaths, marriages

and divorces occurring within a specic area as well as conferring legal identity to all

and managing various dimensions of legal identity and proofs of legal identity. Such

systems yield timely, accurate and complete data and information on vital events. It is

free of omissions, delayed registrations or double registrations of a single event, and

it renders prompt service to the public. It is less vulnerable to misuse, counterfeiting

and forgery of vital records, which are of legal and economic value to the individual

and the society.

See https://unstats.un.org/

unsd/demographic/stand-

meth/principles/M19Rev3en.

pdf.

Handbook on Civil Registration

and Vital Statistics Systems:

Management, Operation and

Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021.

Principles and Recommen-

dations for a Vital Statistics

System (United Nations publi-

cation, Sales No. 1953.XVII.8).

Principles and Recommen-

dations for a Vital Statistics

System, Rev. 1 (United Nations

publication, Sales No. E.73.

XVII.9).

Principles and recommen-

dations for a Vital Statistics

System, Rev. 2 (United Nations

publication, Sales No. E.01.

XVII.10).

6 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

5. e present Handbook on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems: Com-

munication for Development replaces the 1998 Handbook on Civil Registration and

Vital Statistics Systems: Developing Information, Education and Communication, and

provides theoretical background and tools based on new research in the eld of com

munication and social psychology.

6. An overall civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems

improvement programme should include at least three major components:

(a) The legal framework, including legislation and regulations (this could

include protocols on the release of information);

(b) The administrative procedures and organization, including management,

operation and maintenance (this could include computerization of reg

istration systems, or could be a separate component of the overall pro-

gramme);

7. e country’s current registration systems will have to be examined thoroughly

well in advance of the establishment of the communication for development oce and

the inter-agency committee. at would involve a national in-depth evaluation of the

current status of the development of the country’s civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management systems, and a feasibility study to initiate an overall civil regis

tration, vital statistics and identity management systems improvement programme.

8. ere is a dierence between civil registration and identity management. Birth

and death certicates and other vital events conrmation are an input to identity man

agement system. Focusing just on identity management system will damage the civil

registration process in general. In some countries, where focus was made on issuing

an ID to everyone, ignoring the civil registration component, the civil registration and

vital statistics will suer in longer term, not oering correct vital statistics to inform

the policies and to contribute to other crucial decisions in the country.

9. e rst priority in the improvement programme would be to ensure the reg

istration of births and deaths and to the extent possible of marriage and divorce. e

second priority will be to ensure the link between civil registration and vital statistics.

And the third priority will be to make sure that civil registration provides proper and

timely inputs to the identity management system (ID card, voter card, driver’s license

etc.). All those involved in the civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage

ment processes should understand that legal identity of a person is established by the

birth registration and retired by the death registration.

B. United Nations strategy for legal identity for all

1. Introduction

10. Everyone has the right to be recognized as a person before the law, as enshrined

in Article 6 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and several international

human rights instruments.

11. As civil registration establishes the existence of a person under the law, it has

been the fundamental means of granting legal identity.

Furthermore, civil registra-

tion is recognized as the ultimate source for production of comprehensive, regular and

reliable vital statistics.

12. Concerned by the fact that the coverage of civil registration is not universal and

complete in all countries of the world, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

1948 Universal Declaration of

Human Rights, arts. 6 and 15;

1951 Convention on the Status

of Refugees, arts. 25 and 27;

1954 Convention on the Status

of Stateless Persons, arts. 25

and 27; 1961 Convention on

the Reduction of Statelessness,

arts. 1–4; 1965 International

Convention on the Elimination

of All Forms of Racial Discrimi-

nation, art. 5(d)(iii); 1966 Inter-

national Covenant on Civil and

Political Rights, art. 24; 1979

Convention on the Elimination

of All Forms of Discrimination

Against Women; 1989 Conven-

tion on the Rights of the Child,

arts. 7-8; 1990 International

Convention on the Protection

of the Rights of all Migrant

Workers and Members of their

Families, art. 29; 2006 Conven-

tion on the Rights of Persons

with Disabilities, art. 18.

Principles and Recommenda-

tions for a Vital Statistics System,

Rev. 3, 2014, para. 286.

Ibid., para. 279.

Introduction

established indicator 17.19.2 – Proportion of countries that have achieved 100 per cent

birth registration and 80 per cent death registration.

13. Legal identity is widely acknowledged to be catalytic for achieving at least twelve

of the Sustainable Development Goals. Data generated from civil registration and pop

ulation registers support the measurement of over 60 indicators. As civil registration

establishes the existence of a person under law, it has traditionally been the funda

mental means of granting legal identity. Legal identity has a critical role to ensure the

global community upholds its promise of leaving no one behind as espoused in the

2030 Agenda.

14. Equally importantly, good governance as promoted by the United Nations and

the World Bank invariably includes ensuring the proper and universal registration of

the occurrence of all vital events (e.g., births, deaths, marriages, divorces), issuance of

certicates that serve as legal tenders and introduce the lifetime legal identity of the

individual, the registration that is translated into comprehensive, regular and reliable

vital statistics and that represent an input into the identity management system.

15. e assessment of adult population without valid proof of legal identity as well as

the number of unregistered children – thus not conferred with legal identity – varies;

yet it is certainly considerable. For example, when it comes to fully functioning and

universal registration of births and deaths – essential instruments for conferring and

retiring legal identity, respectfully – it is lacking in almost half of the world’s countries.

United Nations Legal Identity Agenda: a “One UN” approach

The United Nations Legal Identity Agenda 2020–2030, backed by the Deputy Secretary-

General, was launched as a “One UN” approach – with the World Bank Group – to support

Member States in building holistic, country-owned, sustainable civil registration, vital sta-

tistics and identity management systems.

Key objectives:

– to increase visibility of the efforts of the United Nations around Goal 16.9 as a

gamechanger in accelerating progress by Member States to achieve the Sustain-

able Development Goals;

– to raise awareness of the cross-cutting the potential negative impacts of not having

a legal identity (starting from birth) across the Goals.

Communications and advocacy focus areas by United Nations agencies

Efforts focus on closing the global identity gap – with a benchmark goal of more than

300 million by 2025 – and, in turn, providing Member States with the vital statistics and

demographic information needed for socioeconomic gains, better public administration,

planning and monitoring.

– Goal 1: No Poverty

– Goal 2: Zero Hunger

– Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being

– Goal 4: Quality Education

– Goal 5: Gender Equality

– Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

– Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

– Goal 10: Reduced Inequality

– Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities (continued)

8 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

– Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

– Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Calls to action

Through targeted calls to action for commitments at high-visibility moments, the United

Nations aims to generate awareness and support for the Legal Identity Agenda among

the development community, as well as call for commitments to join the United Nations

in its efforts in supporting Member States to achieve that benchmark goal through the

Multi-Partner Trust Fund.

The future Multi-Partner Trust Fund will:

– Facilitate a cohesive approach across the United Nations system to respond to

Member States’ requests for support to strengthen their legal identity policy and

programming at all levels;

– Allow major funding and development partners supporting efforts across the

United Nations system to pool resources and maximize investments.

Those calls to action present an opportunity to drive a climate for more concrete policy

commitment, galvanize action and increase public awareness of how and why legal iden-

tity is a cross-cutting issue that can be tied to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, in

turn demonstrating why we are at risk of not achieving the 2030 Agenda nor fulfilling our

promise to leave no one behind if we do not reach Goal 16.9.

Communications and advocacy materials

The coordinated development of communications and advocacy materials in support

of the Legal Identity Agenda that may be developed and/or disseminated, respectively,

include:

• advocacy policy asks

• talking points

• press releases

• social media content

• advocacy briefs

• articles, op-eds, blogs

• case studies, country-specific stories, testimonials

• live and recorded video messages

• other materials

These materials will provide targeted audience groups and other external partners with

issue-specific content that can be used, and adapted to country contexts as needed, for

engagement and advocacy purposes, demonstrating the fundamental role of legal iden-

tity within each respective topic. Additionally, a standard PowerPoint presentation and

digital toolkit have been developed for the United Nations Legal Identity Expert Group

member agencies to use as a basis when creating presentations or drafting social media/

key messages regarding the Legal Identity Agenda.

Introduction

2. Definitions

16. For the purpose of the operational United Nations denition, legal identity is

dened as the basic characteristics of an individual’s identity, for example, name, sex,

place and date of birth conferred through registration and the issuance of a certicate

by an authorized civil registration authority following the occurrence of birth. In the

absence of birth registration, legal identity may be conferred by a legally recognized

identication authority. at system should be linked to the civil registration system

to ensure a holistic approach to legal identity from birth to death. Legal identity is

retired by the issuance of a death certicate by the civil registration authority upon

registration of death.

17. In the case of refugees, Member States are primarily responsible for issuing proof

of legal identity. e issuance of proof of legal identity to refugees may also be admin

istered by an internationally recognized and mandated authority.

18. Civil registration is dened as the continuous, permanent, compulsory and uni

versal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events pertaining to the

population, as provided through decree or regulation is accordance with the legal

requirement in each country. Civil registration is carried out primarily for the purpose

of establishing the documents provided by the law.

Ibid., para. 279.

United Nations Legal Identity Expert Group

Recognizing that the issue of legal identity for all is of paramount importance

in terms of fulfilling the Sustainable Development Agenda, the United Nations

Deputy Secretary-General initiated the establishment of the United Nations

Legal Identity Expert Group in September 2018, co-chaired by the Depart

ment of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations Development Programme

(UNDP) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The essential purpose of the Legal Identity Expert Group is to ensure homo

geneous, harmonized and coordinated approach of all United Nations agencies

and programmes, as well as the World Bank Group, in providing advice and

support to Member States in ensuring a holistic installation and development of

civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems, starting with

developing an operational definition of legal identity. Thus, it focuses on ensur

ing that that the United Nations system and the World Bank Group apply both

policy and implementation coherence when it comes to supporting countries to

strengthen civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems in

a holistic and interoperable manner.

Functions of the Legal Identity Expert Group under the purview of the Strate

gic Results Group on Sustainable Development Goal Implementation (which is

part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group) are centred around

four pillars: (a) a coordinated system-wide approach for implementation of legal

identity to advance the 2030 Agenda; (b) research and evidence for country-level

action; (c) communications and advocacy; and (d) technical support and financ

ing for country-level implementation.

From the normative aspect and mandate, the Legal Identity Expert Group

focuses on expanding the existing international methodological framework on

civil registration and vital statistics to cover identity management in one whole

system that ensures legal identity for all, from birth to end of life.

10 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

19. Proof of legal identity is dened as a credential, such as birth certicate, identity

card or digital identity credential that are recognized as proof of legal identity under

national law.

20. Population register is dened

as “an individualized data system, that is, a

mechanism of continuous recording, or of coordinated linkage, of selected informa

tion pertaining to each member of the resident population of a country in such a way

as to provide the possibility of determining up-to-date information concerning the

size and characteristics of that population at selected time intervals”. e population

which may have been recorded originally in dierent administrative systems, are auto

matically linked on a current basis. A method and sources of updating should cover all

changes so that the characteristics of individuals in the register remain current.

Because of the nature of a population register, its organization and its operation, must

have a legal basis.

21. While there is no internationally agreed denition of identity management, the

term refers to the issuance of a proof or legal identity to each individual by a govern

ment authorized entity and the maintenance of systems for managing information

and documents associated with such an identity.

22. Vital statistics constitute the collection of statistics on vital events in a lifetime

of a person as well as relevant characteristics of the events themselves and of the person

and persons concerned. Vital statistics provide crucial and critical information on the

population in a country.

3. Implementation – general

23. Member States should adopt and implement the holistic approach to civil regis-

tration of all vital events, production of vital statistics, the establishment and mainte-

nance of population registers and identity management apparatus from birth to death,

and there should be full interoperability between those functions in a simultaneous

manner, according to international standards and recommendations.

24. In their eorts to establish the legal identity of all persons on their territory,

Member States should promote the inclusion of otherwise marginalized and poor

communities and should not leave them further behind in the spirit of implementing

the essential principle of universal civil registration as per international standards.

25. Member States have the responsibility to recognize all individuals present on

their territory as a person before the law, without prejudice to nationality (or lack

thereof), legal status, gender or duration of stay, and, in the case of displaced persons

whose ocial credentials may have been lost, destroyed or conscated in the course of

human conict or natural disasters, honor the temporary credentials issued by an

intergovernmental body such as the Oce of the United Nations High Commissioner

for Refugees (UNHCR), until such time as the legal identity of the individual is reaf

rmed by either the country of origin or the country of refuge.

26. Protection of personal data and the rights of the individual to basic privacy and

consent on how their data is processed, managed and accessed by both public and

private bodies is of fundamental importance. All Member States should adopt com

prehensive data protection and privacy laws that secure the identity data of individuals

held by States, allow individuals to see how their data are processed and accessed by

public and private bodies and for what purpose.

Handbook on Civil Registration

and Vital Statistics Systems:

Management, Operation and

Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021.

Principles and Recommenda-

tions for a Vital Statistics System,

Rev. 3, 2014, para. 1.

UNHCR registers and provides

proof of legal identity to many

refugees, internally displaced

persons and stateless persons,

in accordance with the relevant

international framework,

including the 1951 Conven-

tion on the Status of Refu-

gees, arts. 25, 27 and 28; the

Guiding Principles on Internal

Displacement, Principle 20; and

the New York Declaration for

Refugees and Migrants, Com-

prehensive Refugee Response

Framework, paras. 5 (d) and (f).

Introduction

4. Implementation – specific

27. In implementing the holistic approach to civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management , Member States need to guarantee the universal recording of all

vital events occurring in the country, primarily births and deaths. at requires ensur

ing that the network of civil registrars covers the whole country and that civil regis-

trars, in their role as civil servants, deliver the registration services in a continuous,

mandatory and condential manner. e two major components refer to updated legal

framework for civil registration and extending the network of civil registrars to cover

all the regions – both clearly identied as government functions and responsibilities.

28. e establishment, operation and maintenance of a population register based

on an unambiguous legal mandate provides a necessary mechanism for a number of

administrative and statistical purposes. In practice, a population register cannot be

described as such without being linked with the registration of vital events, which con

stitute information fundamental to its updating, together with changes of address. In

that respect, population registers are a kind of continuous census, encompassing the

structure of the population at any given point in time, with all modications occur

ring within it on a moment-to-moment basis. e essential premise of population reg-

isters and their functioning is that the civil registration system is uniquely positioned

to provide reliable data to be entered into the population registers. Specically, popula

tion registers are initially built from an inventory of information on the inhabitants of

a certain area (oen census information) and the continuous updating of the facts of

births, deaths, adoptions, legitimations, recognitions, marriage, divorce, annulments

and judicial separations; change of name or sex; and change of residence. An ecient

connection with the civil registration authority is therefore a fundamental element for

the proper functioning of the population register.

29. In the recent practices of countries and areas introducing and maintaining pop

ulation registers, assigning a unique identication number, most commonly referred

to as a personal identication number (PIN) to each individual upon birth, retiring

it only aer the individual’s death, has proved to be a critical instrument for ensur

ing the quality of individual information, the linkages between various registers, the

avoidance of duplication and more reliable control of the quality of the registers’ con

tent. e importance of the PIN is even more pronounced in the context of identity

management mechanisms that are being developed in a growing number of countries

for the purpose of issuing secure identication to all. In addition, in ailand, for

example, there is also a house ID, which allow authorities to produce proper statistics

related to households.

30. From the point of view of generating regular, accurate, timely and reliable vital

statistics, the introduction and functioning of population registers represent a substan

tial step in the right direction. As noted previously, population registers are operated

by the Government for administrative purposes;. at approach results in systematic

procedures whereby all the protocols and responsibilities of all involved institutions

(public and private health institutions, registrars, population registers’ operators, o

cial statistical oces) are well developed and integrated as everyday routine. Popula-

tion registers used as a source of vital statistics ensure up-to-date access to individual

information, together with an opportunity to link individual information with other

sources of data, enhancing the quality of the information in the process.

31. Informants/notiers play a critical role in collecting the bulk of information.

Consequently, a number of countries specically designate – through the civil regis

tration law – the health institution or its Head as responsible for acting as an inform-

ant of births, fetal deaths and deaths occurring in the institution. In practice, it is the

12 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

sta of the health institution that actually collects the information and lls the form.

e form, in turn, may be in paper or electronic. If a paper form, once lled, it is sub

mitted to the registrar’s oce, where verication of the information in the form takes

place. e registrar, as an ocial of the State, has the authority to request identication

documents from the parents and will verify whether name, date of birth and address

correspond to those provided in the form. In addition, the registrar will supply any

missing information in the form by acquiring it directly from the parents, thus ensur

ing completeness of the collected data.

32. e process of hospitals reporting events to the local registrar can be very e

cient in terms of information quality and timeliness. at may be aected, however,

by the extent to which hospitals comply with the requirement to forward notications

to the registrar. It is particularly relevant in countries where health care is provided by

private and public institutions, or where the health sector is fragmented. e proce

dures of some health institutions may be stricter than those of others. at highlights

the importance of dened roles and data sharing between health and registration

authorities (in both directions) to avoid processes that are onerous and discourage

completion of registration topics.

33. In the context of the identity management, the essential purpose of civil regis

tration is to furnish legal instruments of direct interest to individuals. e principal

reason for the existence of civil registration – its basic purpose and one that must be

facilitated by the State – is to serve as an institution capable of disclosing facts relat

ing to civil status based on technical legal principles, through which individuals can

be assured of the legitimacy and authenticity of civil status-related facts in order to

accredit them to other individuals or the administration itself, by means of public

registration documents known as certications.

34. Moving on from there, the identity management agency will, in due course, add

layers of additional and relevant information, as prescribed by law, including photo

graphs, ngerprints and other biometric elements. e issuance of identity cards or

other identity credentials, which, in turn, will give individuals access to government

and private services, together with other documents, such as drivers’ licenses, pass

ports, bank cards and so forth, will be within the authority of the identity manage-

ment agency. In a number of countries, the integration of the civil registration system

with the identity management system has been a key factor in the creation and main

tenance of a secure, ecient and interoperable population data system. Such integra-

tion has reaped benets for both the Government and individuals in terms of access to

social rights, improved control of public expenditures and improved underlying data

quality for the production of vital statistics.

35. In countries where the civil registration system has been neglected for prolonged

periods of time, the identity management agency will initially have to respond to a

particularly substantive challenge: issuing identity documents to living individuals,

both adults and children, whose birth was never registered or who never received their

birth certicates. us the agency will have to develop mechanisms to ensure the reg

istration of every birth – and every death – in the country, while at the same time

issuing identity documents to those who never had one. at in particular aects late

birth registrations that need to be tabulated separately from the current births. It is

important to have provisions in the law that allow for the registration of deaths of

individuals whose births had never been registered. Ultimately, however, it is expected

that the agency will turn its operations into routine procedures for issuing birth and

death certicates and identity cards.

Introduction

36. Another challenge faced by an identity management agency, in particular if it

has subsumed the civil registration function, is to ensure the production of regular,

accurate and reliable vital statistics. All the information regarding the occurrence

of the event and the characteristics of the relevant stakeholders as per international

statistical standards needs to be incorporated into the reporting protocols and pro

cedures. Establishing the regular channels of communication with the national sta-

tistical authority is yet another critical component of the whole process of instituting

a holistic civil registration, vital statistics and identity management system at the

national level.

37. Figure 1 presents a model currently being introduced and implemented in a

number of countries that are developing holistic approaches to the process by link-

ing the civil registration function, identity management and vital statistics function.

By its very nature, the civil registration function, in terms of its legal implications, is

still distinct as its procedures for issuing legal tenders related to civil status of indi

viduals, by denition, require adequate and strict protocols. e establishment and

maintenance of population registers, in the model, go hand in hand with the civil

registration function. e vital statistics function remains with the national statis

tical authority, which is responsible for producing regular vital statistics based on

records submitted by the population register or the civil registration agency. e

identity management function is rmly incorporated by accessing the population

registers and issuing biometric identity credentials at dierent points in a lifetime of

an individual.

Figure 1

Model of a civil registration, vital statistics and identity management system

Live birth

Death

Courts

Fetal death

Marriage

Divorce

Annulments

Judical

separation

Judical

institutions

Population Register

• Unique ID

• Access protocols

Civil registration

1. Compulsory

2. Universal

3. Continuous/

Permanent

4. Condential

Confers legal

identity

Vital statistics

Compilation

Processing

Validation

Quality control

Dissemination

Complementary

and interim sources

• Population census

• Surveys

Additional sources

• Coronary

• Police

• Health records

Authorized

institutions

Adoption

Legitimation

Recognition

Health services

Certication of

cause of death

Relatives,

midwives

INFORMANTS

CR DB

PR DB

Identity management

agency and services

• Biometric ID, passports

• Capture (enrolment)

• Identication

• Verication

• Online and e-services

Vital St. DB

Administrative/Functional registers

• Education

• Employment

• Tax

• Social assistance

• Pensions

• Voters

• . . . .

This model represents a holistic approach

to civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management as recommended

by the United Nations (see Principles and

Recommendations for a Vital Statistics

System, Revision 3); it can be adjusted to

national circumstances and governing

structures as necessary.

Simplied ow

Informants

Vital

statistics

Civil

registration

Pop. register

ID mgmt.

14 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

38. is holistic model ensures the establishment of a mechanism for conferring

legal identity to all in a continuous, universal and inclusive manner, from birth to

death, which also allows for building upon the interoperability of the system in

terms of providing access to all the services in eective and equal fashion and

developing other registers for dierent purposes using the same denitions, clas-

sications and overall methodology. Countries are advised to adopt this longitu-

dinal solution of simultaneous build-up of civil registration and vital statistics and

identity management systems based on unique legislative foundations and overall

methodology.

C. Purpose of the Handbo ok and overview

of the contents

39. e purpose of the present Handbook is to help design and carry out self-sus-

taining, evidence-based and measurable communication for development (behaviour

and social change) interventions to support a target country’s overall improvement

programme of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems. It

outlines actions to be taken on a step-by-step basis to develop successful behaviour

and social change programmes.

40. e Handbook has been restructured to be consistent with the Principles and

Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System, Rev. 3, which were adopted by the

United Nations Statistical Commission at its forty-h session in 2014.

41. While the Handbook on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems: Manage

ment, Operation and Maintenance, Rev. 1, put a strong focus on the coordination and

communication between civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems, the Principles and Recommendations contain clear provisions on the impor

tance of communication and eective motivation of the general public to register

their life events: “Without the public’s being motivated to register events promptly

and accurately, civil registration and vital statistics systems will not function prop

erly. Every eort should be made to inform the members of the public of: the reasons

why they should practice timely and accurate registration; their obligations in this

regard; and the benets of compliance for both individuals and society. e general

public needs to know where, when and how to register vital events, and needs to

appreciate why they must do so”.

us, the present Handbook builds on the those

recommendations and applies the behaviour and social change tools (communica

tion for development) for eective programming. e Handbook contains new,

research-based approaches in the eld; incorporates good practices and lessons

learned in order to support target countries in achieving high rates of civil registra

tion of vital events.

42. Chapter I provides guidance on the organizational aspects of a communication

for development (behaviour and social change) programme. It includes the structure

of the communication for development oce, the importance of coordination, the

establishment and major activities of an inter-agency committee, the integration of

the communication for development (behaviour and social change) programme and

the overall civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improvement

programme, and the approach to obtaining nancial and political support.

43. Chapter II focuses on research, data and behavioural analysis to inform the

development of strategies and plans, identies stakeholders and population groups,

analyses the determinants of a certain undesirable behaviour in a certain group.

Principles and Recommenda-

tions for a Vital Statistics System,

Rev. 3, 2014, para. 641.

Introduction

44. Chapter III approaches the main determinants of a certain undesirable behav-

iour, selection of most eective interventions, strategy development, planning for

action and messages and arguments to be conveyed.

45. Chapter IV covers the management of strategy development, implementa

tion, monitoring and evaluation, resource mobilization, time frame and necessary

resources, assignment of responsible stakeholders, identication and mobilization of

necessary human resources for the communication for development programme.

46. Chapter V describes the technical process of launching, implementation, moni

toring, ongoing research, evaluation and adjustment of the communication for devel-

opment (behaviour and social change) programme.

47. Chapter VI contains specic recommendations to strengthen the national civil

registration, vital statistics and identity management systems.

48. e annexes outline in detail many of the components of the communica

tion for development programme and some country best practices or examples of

applied tools.

D. Theoretical framework

1. Communication for development

49. In 1996, the United Nations adopted the following denition of communication

for development: “Communication for development stresses the need to support two-

way communication systems that enable dialogue and that allow communities to

speak out, express their aspirations and concerns and participate in the decisions that

relate to their development”.

50. In 2006, the Rome Consensus from the World Congress on Communication for

Development

dened communication for development as “a social process based on

dialogue using a broad range of tools and methods. It is also about seeking change at

dierent levels, including listening, building trust, sharing knowledge and skills,

building policies, debating and learning for sustained and meaningful change. It is not

public relations or corporate communications”.

51. Communication for development is a systematic, planned, and evidence-based

approach to promote positive and measurable behaviour and social change.

Com-

munication for development is an approach that engages communities and decision-

makers at local, national, and regional levels, in dialogue toward promoting,

developing, and implementing policies and programmes that enhance the quality of

life for all. Communication for development uses dialogue and empowerment to tools

to engage populations, especially those marginalized or most at risk. Communication

for development aims to strengthen the capacity of communities to identify their own

development needs, assess the options and take action, and assess the impact of their

actions in order to address remaining gaps.

52. Communication for development strategies that promote behaviour and social

change are particularly relevant and, in many cases, are essential to development pro

grammes as they seek the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the

broader realization of the rights of children, women and men. Communication for

development strategies and approaches are required to help provide community mem

bers with the essential information and to help develop the skills and self condence

that they require to make informed decisions on issues that aect their lives and their

well-being. Supportive policies and legislation, resources and service delivery systems

See General Assembly resolu-

tion 51/172, para. 6.

World Congress on Communi-

cation for Development: Les-

sons, Challenges and the Way

Forward, World Bank, 2007.

Global Communication Strategy

Development Guide for Mater-

nal, Newborn, Child Health and

Nutrition Programs, UNICEF,

2015.

16 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

need to be introduced and strengthened. But unless engagement and empowerment

of the population is ensured, legislative reform and service and supply eorts on their

own, will have limited long-term impact.

53. Sustained behaviour and social change is eective only when combined with

changes in the broader socioeconomic environment within which families and com

munities live.

at includes addressing underlying and contextual factors such as

government policies, inequalities and systems of representation, as well as issues

related to poverty, discrimination and sustainable livelihoods. Within an enabling

environment, communication for development strategies and programmes can help

promote lasting changes in values and practices; in traditional, cultural and religious

beliefs; in attitudes and perception; in gender relationships; and in the power dynam

ics within and among communities. Such changes oen take time, are challenging to

measure and require sustained eort and application of resources. e need for them

is oen underestimated by governments, development agencies and donors.

54. Formerly known as “information, education, communication”, communication

for development uses research and consultative processes to promote human rights,

mobilize leadership and societies, inuence attitudes and support the behaviours of

those who have an impact on the well-being of concerned families and communities.

55. e current thinking in communication for development, across academia

and practice, draws upon key human-rights principles – participation, equality, non-

discrimination, indivisibility and interdependence. Participation of stakeholders

throughout the communication for development strategic process allows for local and

cultural specicities and perspectives to be included in the design, testing and plan

ning of communication strategies. Among the many models used for behaviour and

social change, the United Nations has adopted an approach that integrates the best

elements from several models, while also ensuring that key principles of human rights,

gender equality and results-based standards, are addressed.

56. From that perspective, participants are no longer perceived as passive recipients

of information (i.e., audience, target group) but as relevant actors of a communication

process aimed at realizing their rights. e full range of means of communication,

from mass media to interpersonal communication, traditional to new technologies;

printed to digital and so on, are considered, combined and used as they t the specic

purpose of an intervention while respecting such principles. Applying those principles

also require the development of partnerships with a broad range of stakeholders, the

use of evidence to inform programme design and implementation monitoring, the

adoption of results-based management principles and the capacity reinforcement of

the various participants in order to full their roles, with particular attention to the

capacities, self-ecacy and condence of women and men.

57. Communication for development uses a combination of strategies including

advocacy, social mobilization, behaviour and social change communication, and a

mix of interventions focused particularly at the community and household level, to

facilitate the process of behaviour and social change. Communication for development

will facilitate political support to shape and implement policies and ensure adequate

allocation of resources, by amplifying community voices and connecting them to

upstream policy advocacy; will motivate and mobilize civil society, community based

organizations, religious leaders and social networks to help traditionally excluded

groups to claim their rights; and will empower households and communities to make

the best decisions in the interest of their and their community well-being.

UNICEF Communication for

Development Position Paper.

Available at www.unicef.org/

cbsc/ﬁles/C4D-Position-Paper.

doc.

Introduction

2. Social-ecological model

58. Communication for development is a concept based on several theoretical mod-

els. e main theory behind is linked to the social-ecological model.

59. e social-ecological model

is a theory-based framework for understanding

the levels of inuence on an individual behaviour. at model shows clearly that

changes at individual and social levels may happen only when all ve hierarchical

levels are involved and contribute to these changes. Figure 2 shows the ve levels of

the social-ecological model: individual, interpersonal, community, organizational

and policy/enabling environment.

Figure 2

Social-ecological model

60. e individual level of the model refers to the characteristics of an individual

that inuence behaviour, including knowledge, attitudes, behaviour, self-ecacy,

developmental history, gender, age, religious identity, racial/ethnic identity, sexual

orientation, economic status, nancial resources, values, goals, expectations, literacy,

stigma and others.

61. e interpersonal level focuses on the formal and informal social networks and

social support systems that can inuence individual behaviours, including family,

friends, peers, co-workers, religious networks, customs or traditions.

62. e community level includes relationships among organizations, institutions

and informational networks within dened boundaries, including the built environ

ment (e.g., parks), village associations, community leaders, businesses and transporta-

tion. While community is a complex concept that is not exclusively nor necessarily

linked to geographical boundaries (e.g., online communities), the present Handbook

refers mainly to a community within the geographical boundaries of a primary reg

Global Communication Strategy

Development Guide for Mater-

nal, Newborn, Child Health and

Nutrition Programs, UNICEF,

2015.

Policy/enabling

environment

(national, state, local laws)

Organizational

(organizations and

social institutions)

Community

(relationships between

organizations)

Interpersonal

(family, friends,

social networks)

Individual

(knowledge, attitudes,

behaviours)

18 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

istration area, provided that the registration oce is accessible to every segment of

the population in the area. However, attention should be paid to the fact that dierent

communities may coexist within the same geographical area. Specic approaches may

be required for each if there are signicant dierences in their respective systems of

values, beliefs, norms, etc.

63. e organizational level concerns organizations or social institutions with rules

and regulations for operations that aect how, or how well, for example, civil registra

tion services are provided to an individual or group.

64. e policy/enabling environment level covers local, state, national and global

laws and policies, including policies regarding the allocation of resources for civil reg

istration, vital statistics and identity management systems and access to civil registra-

tion services, restrictive policies (e.g., high fees or taxes), or lack of policies that link

registration to the access to certain services.

65. e social-ecological model emphasizes the vertical and horizontal interactions

between, and interdependence of factors within and across all levels of a development

problem. It is completed by a number of theories and models that provide analytical

frameworks and cues for action at each of the levels.

66. Figure 3 shows the link between communication for development approaches

and the social-ecological model.

Figure 3

Communication for development approaches and the social-ecological model

Policy/enabling

environment

(national, state, local laws)

Organizational

(organizations and

social institutions)

Community

(relationships between

organizations)

Interpersonal

(family, friends,

social networks)

Individual

(knowledge, attitudes,

behaviours)

Advocacy

Social mobilization

Social change communication

Behaviour change communication

and social change communication

Behaviour change communication

Introduction

67. By applying a combination of those strategies through a systematically planned

and evidence-based process, communication for development can make a signicant

contribution to measurable results in areas such as:

(a) Increased knowledge about the benefits of civil registration, vital statis

tics and identity management systems and the obligations associated with

them;

(b) Increased recognition of the importance of civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management for the satisfaction of human rights and for gov

ernance and improved attitudes towards civil registration;

(d) Increased support to civil registration by family, friends, peers, religious

networks and so on;

(e) Shifts towards supportive customs, traditions and social norms, including

the culture-sensitive design of services and procedures;

(f) Increased community engagement in dialogue, planning and action for

the improvement of civil registration;

(g) Enhanced engagement, mobilization and coordination of stakeholders’

coalition to develop and implement communication strategies for improv

ing civil registration;

(h) Enhanced capacities at different levels for planning, budgeting, imple

menting, monitoring and evaluating a demand-creation programme

in support of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems, including the attitudes, interpersonal skills and commitment of

front-line workers in promoting civil registration;

(i) Civil registration, vital statistics and identity management policies, plans,

services, responsive to community demands, with particular attention to

the vulnerable and hard to reach groups.

68. A number of behaviour and social change theoretical models are used by com

munication for development professionals. ey include:

• Health belief model;

• Stages of change (transtheoretical) model;

• eory of planned behaviour for the individual level;

• Social cognitive theory;

• Social theories;

• Social network and social support models for the interpersonal level;

• Community organization and other participatory models;

• Diusion of innovations theory;

• Communication theory;

• Social marketing theories and the social network;

• Social support models for the community level;

• eories of organizational change; community organizing and development;

• Social movement norms for the organizational level; agenda-setting theory

for the policy level.

While such theories and models are not described in the present Handbook, they con

stitute the ground for the guidance and approaches contained in it. People in a techni-

cal role involved in formative research, communication analysis and civil registration,

Theory at a Glance: A Guide

for Health Promotion Practice.

National Cancer Institute, US

Department of Health and

Human Services, 2005; and

Communication for Develop-

ment Strategic Vision and Policy

Framework for Implementa-

tion of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan

2014-2017.

20 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

vital statistics and identity management communication for development program-

ming should be familiar with theories and/or rely on external expert assistance for

selective and appropriate application of theory. As a minimum, the transtheoretical

model and the diffusion of innovation theory should be considered when develop

ing a communication for development strategy. The use of theoretical models will be

explained further in the Handbook.

3. Steps for developing and implementing a strategic

communication programme

69. ere are certain basic components to consider when developing a communica-

tion for development programme. Figure 4 summarizes the ve steps that comprise

the majority of strategic planning models.

Figure 4

Steps in most strategic planning models

70. In addition to the ve steps, the establishment of managerial responsibilities

and of communication coordination mechanisms, partnerships and task forces can be

considered an overarching component of the process.

71. Partnerships and coordination are particularly relevant in the case of communi

cation for development for civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems because of the dierent systems concerned, including not only those systems,

but also a wide array of users and contributors. It is paramount for the communica

See Global Communication

Strategy Development Guide

for Maternal, Newborn, Child

Health and Nutrition Programs,

UNICEF, 2015.

Step 1:

Data collection

and analysis

Step 5:

Evaluation and

re-planning

Step 4:

Implementation

and monitoring

Step 3:

Development and

testing of messages

and materials

Step 2:

Strategic design

Communication

for

development

planning

process

Introduction

tion for development programme to maximize the existing assets and build on the

integration with various existing programmes like health education, child protection

or human rights education. For that reason, the choice for partners and the smooth

operations of coordination mechanisms are critical to the success of the programme.

72. Evaluation and re-planning should drive the adjustments to the current pro

gramme or the design of new programmes, therefore leading to a process of reection

and action.

73. Participation and involvement of stakeholders, including the population

expected to use civil registration services, in all steps of the programme process is

important to enhance ownership and sustainability and to bring dierent perspectives

and capacities into analysis, planning and action.

74. is Handbook provides detailed guidance for the dierent actions to be taken

within every step of the process.

E. Benefits of high-quality civil registration,

vital statistics and identity management systems

75. In Europe, many countries have advanced population registration systems that

yield statistics for municipalities of all sizes. Such systems are particularly useful to

identify persons who reside in each municipality or district who are eligible to vote in

those jurisdictions or who are liable for taxation there; they also provide information

about population mobility. e population registers receive a continuous ow of infor

mation from civil registration systems, which enables them to update their informa-

tion and keep the population registers up to date, and also allows for the continuous

updating of electoral lists

76. Many nations all over the world use civil registration information as the basis for

a national identication system of the residents/citizens of their countries.

77. Such information has been extremely valuable to the electoral system, by provid

ing accurate up-to-date lists of persons qualied to vote at various electoral levels: for

president, for members of parliament at the national or state/provincial level, and for

candidates for municipal oces. In fact, a civil registration system that yields exact

and accurate information contributes greatly to the accuracy of the electoral rolls and

to the ecient organization and monitoring of elections.

78. At the international level, accurate and comprehensive vital statistics provide

for comparison and evaluation of the dierences between countries and regions, and

for tracing the demographic stages of progress in geographic, social, political and eco

nomic conditions in the process of social and economic development.

79. Some countries, such as Chile, centralize a variety of government services under

their civil registration administration, including the issuance of identication cards

with advanced security features, including ngerprints, and the issuing of visas and

passports. An individual’s personal identication number may be linked to a variety

of social security benet programmes, including pensions. In other countries, espe

cially in Eastern Europe, the use of religious services (e.g., christenings, weddings,

funerals) are conditional on the presentation of an ocial civil registration certicate

(e.g., birth, death).

80. Centralization of registration services may also include issuance of citizenship,

immigration and emigration documents and visas, which could result in cost-eective

eciencies.

22 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

81. In general, registration records of vital events are intended primarily as legal

documents of direct interest to the person concerned. Individual records also serve

as the starting point of a number of operational programmes, particularly in public

health, family planning, medical research, maternal and childcare programmes, his

torical demography, genetic and epidemiological studies.

82. Death records are of particular importance in public health, for identifying

the magnitude and distribution of major disease problems. Data from those records

provides the starting point for epidemiological studies concerning highly infectious

diseases, such as Ebola, AIDS, polio, malaria and so on. In the same time, death reg

istration allows governments to better plan pension funds, to adjust the list of voters

and so on.

83. e information on the causes of death is essential for medical research into such

major health concerns as cancer and heart disease.

84. Death records are oen the initial indicators of the existence of epidemic and

infectious diseases that need immediate control measures. Since records would be

coded geographically, including by municipality, it would be possible to give informa

tion on causes of death in a municipality to civic ocials to assist them in carrying out

their responsibilities.

85. In areas where major epidemic diseases (e.g., smallpox, malaria, yellow fever and

plague) have been eradicated, the appearance of one of those diseases as a cause of

death should immediately trigger action to immunize or treat persons who may have

been in contact with the diseased person during the illness that led to death. e reg

istration of deaths in that case is not only of statistical importance, but also of vital

individual importance for community members in the respective region.

86. Death records are also of use in public safety and accident prevention pro

grammes, and in purging les dealing with social security, morbidity case registers,

electoral lists, taxation and military service les. ey are also used to identify the

need for programmes for the prevention of infant and maternal deaths.

87. Mortality statistics provide information on the magnitude and distribution of

major diseases and health problems and are useful in planning, conducting and evalu

ating control or prevention programmes. Statistics on death from drug use and poi-

son have been crucial in obtaining the passage of legislation to protect people. Drug

rehabilitation and poison control centres have been opened, and public education pro

grammes have been launched to alert the public to those dangers.

88. Mortality studies reveal a widening sex dierence in life expectancy in develop

ing countries, which has implications for the increase in the number of female heads

of household. Maternal and infant mortality studies require high-quality registration

data. Research into the spread of AIDS, including the perinatal transmission of that

disease, is dependent on reliable cause of death statistics. e availability of mortality

data for small political subdivisions has helped in delineating health problems and

formulation of relevant policies. e subnational data on cause of death has enabled

health planners to focus on the specic morbidity conditions of dierent communities

and even ethnic groups. Road accidents, violence and suicide continue to be signicant

causes of death among young adults in some countries. However, the assessment of the

gravity of the situation would be pure speculation unless data are available from a vital

registration systems.

89. For administrative purposes, birth records are used for many public health pro

grammes, such as vaccination and immunization.

Introduction

90. Birth records can also identify women who have had several live-born children,

and who may thus be eligible for family planning programmes.

91. For understanding the dynamics of fertility, data on the mother’s age and educa

tion, family size and composition has a signicant inuence on total fertility, and thus

can be instrumental in developing policies to limit the size of families.

92. e rapid growth of population in many countries has become a matter of seri

ous concern and has led to the adoption of family planning measures, which require

accurate fertility data.

93. Genetic studies and comprehensive studies of infant mortality and family repro

ductive histories are useful for research when birth records are linked with those of

infant deaths.

94. Statistics on birth, fetal, maternal and infant deaths are most important to mater

nal and child-care programmes. Such data, classied by place of occurrence (e.g., hos-

pital, home and urban rural areas), birth weight, gestation age, parity and age of the

mother, provide useful information for planning, operating and evaluating services to

prevent maternal and infant deaths.

95. Birth records are the starting point in public health care programmes for the

post-natal care of mothers and children. ey serve as a basis for visits by public health

nurses to teach mothers how to care for their newborns, to arrange for special care for

premature infants, for vaccinations and immunization, and for the identication of

congenital malformations and other conditions that require medical attention.

96. Marriage and divorce records are used in social and demographic studies to

assess the dynamics of the social and demographic progress on a local, national or

regional level. Marriage and divorce registration would oer a bigger protection of

women’s rights in marriage and in the process of divorce. at will contribute to a

better protection of child rights, ensuring the responsibility of parents towards their

children aer divorce. e ocial registration of marriages, in combination with clear

punitive system, could prevent child marriage. e statistics collected in that case may

trigger changes in the legal provisions and measure the impact of various demographic

programmes (e.g., increase in the age at marriage in men and women).

97. In the demographic eld, the uses of vital statistics data include the prepara

tion of population estimates and projections and studies of various characteristics of

the population, as well as studies of mortality, fertility and nuptiality. ose data are

essential for the construction of life tables and is used for the planning, implementa

tion, monitoring and evaluation of programmes in maternal and child health care,

education, housing and social security.

98. Records of vital events and civil registration can be used for genealogical research

to trace the lineage of persons interested in documenting their family trees. Special

genealogical certicates can be issued, which will bring in additional revenue.

99. A good civil registration/vital statistics system can provide invaluable informa

tion to assist in the design and implementation of eective programmes to combat

inequalities among various population groups.

100. e basic data for the calculation of various indices of mortality is obtained

from vital statistics. For the purpose of international comparison, the World Health

Organization (WHO) has recommended that the infant mortality rate, life expectancy

at birth, the crude death rate and the proportionate mortality rate at age 50 years and

over be used to measure the levels of health.

101. Reliable information from birth and death records is used in the development

of public policies and programmes, particularly with regard to the identication of

24 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

subgroups of population needing medical, health and nutrition programmes, family

planning, maternal and child-care programmes and other services. It is understood

that for that purpose death registration must be done immediately, say within 24 hours

of its occurrence, so that the information is quickly processed and made available.

Backlogs of three, four or more years of death records will not help that purpose, and

death statistics will be useful for historical purposes only.

102. at the use of information in civil registration vital statistics records is very

important to monitor a country’s population policy goal attainments is supported by a

1993 report.

e report found that demographic data from civil and vital event reg-

istration played an important role in the development of a country’s policies and pro-

grammes on population, environment and socioeconomic development, and in the

monitoring and evaluation of those policies.

103. It was found that, in order for those policies to be eective, the country must

set targets for regions, provinces and even communities. In that regard, vital statis

tics obtained from civil registration have clear advantages over survey data because

they permit time-series estimation of fertility and mortality at the national and subna

tional levels. In addition, civil registration provides further insights into trends, such

as trends in infant mortality, for which data can be tabulated by infants’ age in days,

weeks and months.

104. Estimated annual population by age and sex is required not only for use as

denominator for computing age-specic fertility and mortality rates, but also for other

aspects of development planning, such as employment and housing, transportation

and education, as well as for the computation of per capita gross national product.

When reliable vital statistics are available and international migration is measurable,

yearly estimates of population may be obtained from a simple equation utilizing cen

sus data. Also, since the coverage of both population census and the civil registration

system is such that they provide data at subnational and even community levels, rea

sonable estimates may be obtained for localities and communities. ose data are now

in very high demand by the private sector, while town planners and local administra

tions have always been seeking data at that level.

105. At the international level, accurate and comprehensive vital statistics provide for

comparison and evaluation of the dierences between countries and regions, and for

tracing the demographic stages of progress in geographic, social, political, and eco

nomic conditions in the process of social and economic development.

106. To monitor the achievement of that worthwhile goal, accurate information from

comprehensive, eective civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems must be available.

107. Birth registration is essential because it is the inalienable right of every child to

have legal identity. at principle is expressed in article 24 of the International Cove

nant on Civil and Political Rights, in which it is stated that every child shall be regis-

tered immediately aer birth and shall have a name. Another covenant, on consent to

marriage, minimum age for marriage and registration of marriage, proclaims that all

marriages shall be registered in an appropriate ocial register by the competent

authority. e link between human rights and registration of vital events was empha

sized in the World Population Plan of Action adopted in 1974.

108. e Plan of Action identied a number of areas requiring research in order to ll

existing gaps in knowledge, one of which was the collection, analysis and dissemina

tion of information concerning human rights in relation to population matters, and

the preparation of studies designed to clarify, systematize and more eectively imple

ment those human rights.

See “Uses of civil registration

records and vital statistics in

population policymaking and

evaluation”, paper presented

by the Statistics Division,

Economic and Social Commis-

sion for Asia and the Paciﬁc

(ESCAP), at an East and South

Asian Workshop on Accelerat-

ing the Improvement of Civil

Registration and Vital Statistics

Systems, held in Beijing in

1993.

See www.un.org/en/devel-

opment/desa/population/

migration/generalassembly/

docs/globalcompact/E_

CONF.60_19_Plan.pdf.

Introduction

109. e human rights concerned were for the most part those set forth in the Univer-

sal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration on the Rights of the Child, and two

international treaties, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural

Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

110. e United Nations also adopted the International Convention on the Elimina

tion of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,

and the Convention on the Elimination

of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

111. In 1976, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights came into force as legally

binding instruments of international law.

112. However, because registration systems do not operate eectively, in many coun

tries a large number of individuals are deprived of the right to proof of birth, marriage,

divorce, death, which would establish the person’s name, age, marital status, etc. and

eligibility for civil and human rights. Safeguarding the right to civil registration is

necessary to protect human rights. In that sense, for women and individuals belonging

to minorities, quality civil registration, vital statistics and identity management sys

tems are paramount in both identifying and solving inequities in accessing services

and participating in civic rights. Maintaining a quality civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management system can have disproportionately positive benets for

women and girls.

A legal record can help women retain their share of assets and

other protections in the event of divorce. A marriage certicate can provide legal

backup for a widowed woman to exercise inheritance rights. Registering girls at birth

and recording their marriages can reveal early and forced marriages and provide

women with the possibility of legal recourse. Indeed, having individual legal identity

allows women to exercise rights and responsibilities.

113. Article 10(2) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural

Rights provides that special protection should be oered to the mother during a rea

sonable period before and aer childbirth. If the birth of a baby is not registered at

once, then there is no link made to the medical care unit that deals with child and

maternal health care. ere, non-registration could deny the right of the mother to

such “special protection”.

114. Data from death registries guide in the development of public health pro

grammes designed to protect and improve the health of the whole population. Such

programmes are necessary to ensure that, as provided in article 12(2)(a) and (c) of the

Covenant, States can take the steps necessary for the healthy development of the child

and the prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational and

other diseases.

115. Child marriages were prohibited under the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights, which states that men and women of full (marriageable) age have the right to

marry. Full marriageable age in that context means the age set by law of the country

where the marriage is to take place as the minimum age for marriage, a minimum

designed to prohibit child marriage.

116. e State can determine if each intending spouse is of “full age” to marry in

accordance with the country’s laws if both the bride and the groom are required to

produce birth certicates to prove that they have met the age qualication for enter

ing into a legal marriage. Since it contains information on parental liation, the birth

certicate can also provide proof that the intending spouses are not related by blood to

the degree that would deny them the right to marry on the basis of consanguinity. In a

monogamous society, if a party to an intended marriage had previously been married,

See www.ohchr.org/EN/Profes-

sionalInterest/Pages/CERD.

aspx.

See www.un.org/women-

watch/daw/cedaw/.

See www.data2x.org/partner-

ships/crvs/.

26 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

a death certicate for the previous spouse or a certicate of divorce would provide

evidence of eligibility to remarry.

117. Other benets of civil registration/identity management/vital statistics include

their importance in human rights to a nationality, family and parental support, food

and nutrition, education, employment, as well as and the right to vote and stand for

election, to own property and to migrate.

118. Vital records are a potent force in the exercise of human rights, and people

should be made aware of the ways in which those records are important in their lives.

119. In 2015 the global community committed for the time period 2016–2030 to

achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which seek “to end all forms of pov

erty, ght inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is le

behind”. e 2030 Agenda, delineated by General Assembly resolution 70/1 (2015)

“Transforming Our World: e 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, contains

19 goals and 169 targets. e nal list of indicators proposed by the Inter-Agency and

Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators included 230 indicators,

67 of which can be measured eectively by using data derived from well-functioning

civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems. Some targets and

indicators are directly related to civil registration, vital statistics and identity man

agement , such as measuring the “proportion of children under 5 years whose births

have been registered with a civil authority”.

ere is also a clear indicator, 16.9,

which states “By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration”.

120. It is hoped that educating people on the role that civil registration plays and

engaging people and communities in promotion of civil registration will help to

strengthen it throughout the world, and also improve the vital statistics derived from

vital records. In addition, civil registration should be considered a national institution

for the promotion and protection of human rights.

121. A country that operates a population register or wishes to establish one relies

heavily on the notications of vital events recorded in the civil registration system to

update its les. erefore, accuracy and reliability of the population register is contin

gent upon the reliability of civil registration records.

122. A population register should not be confused with a civil registration system.

e latter is an individualized data system that is used to continuously record and/or

coordinate linkage of selected information about each member of the resident popula

tion of a country or area, thus making it possible to determine current information

about the size and characteristics of the population at selected time intervals.

123. A population register contains an inventory of the resident population of a coun

try. Characteristics recorded could include the name, sex and age of the individual, as

well as the facts of birth, marriage and death, adoption, legitimation, divorce, level of

education, residence and occupation.

124. Updating of such a register is a continuous process by which the notication of

certain events recorded in dierent administrative systems, such as civil registries, is

automatically linked to a population register on a current basis.

125. For a detailed list of the uses and benets of civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management systems, see the Handbook of Vital Statistics and Methods, vol. I,

Legal, Organizational and Technical Aspects, 1991, paragraphs 80–112.

Samuel Mills and others, Civil

Registration and Vital Statistics

(CRVS) for Monitoring the Sus-

tainable Development Goals

(SDGs). Paper prepared for

the eLearning course on Civil

Registration and Vital Statistics

Systems, 2017.

See https://unstats.un.org/

unsd/demographic/crvs/

Global_CRVS_Docs/news/

CRVS_and_the_SDGs_2016.

pdf.

Chapter I

Organizational aspects of communication

for development for eﬀective civil

registration, vital statistics and identity

management systems

Overview

Development of the initial plans and the basic framework of the communication for

development programme requires not only a high degree of expertise in a wide variety

of fields, but also a measure of creativity and original thinking. See the following steps:

(a) Setting up a communication for development office;

(b) Establish an inter-agency committee and a communication for development sub-

committee;

determinants of a successful registration process;

(d) Setting the priorities;

(e) Development of the impact goals;

(f) Formulation of a preliminary national communication for development concept;

(g) Obtaining government approval and commitment of resources from the Govern-

ment and development partners;

(h) Setting specific behavioural and social change objectives, results and indicators for

the various participant groups in the different levels of the social-ecological model;

(i) Developing a comprehensive strategic approach for behaviour and social change,

with due regard to the most deprived and marginalized;

(j) Identifying of best interventions;

(k) Developing key messages, supporting information, communication materials and

dissemination plan;

(l) Developing of the communication for development implementation plan:

(i) Development of a comprehensive media campaign, using all media and other

communication tools;

(ii) Development of training materials, planning and organizing capacity-building

activities;

(iii) Establishment and operationalization of coordination mechanisms at national,

regional and community levels;

(iv) Identification and mobilization of human resources, particularly the formali-

zation of roles and responsibilities of actors involved in the programme and

definition of accountability and supportive supervision mechanisms for com-

munication and community participation;

(v) Development of a monitoring and evaluation framework and tools;

(m) Collecting implementation data and impact information, monitoring the imple-

mentation and ensuring the correction of the implementation plan, if needed.

28 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

A. Organization and management of the

communication for development concept note

Role in civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems

126. e development of an eective communication for development programme

is essential for successful improvements to a country’s civil registration, vital statis

tics and identity management systems. Organization and establishment of the com-

munication for development oce should be an integral part of the entire process,

from initial planning to nalization of a national plan of action. If the Government

shows hesitancy, development partners may support it to achieve planned results. For

example, in Mozambique, development partners supported the Government in hiring

communication experts and developing a communication for development strategy.

127. e communication for development programme should be designed to increase

the rates of civil registration among the public in general, and in particular among

people in areas where it is known that vital events are greatly underreported. e pro

gramme will motivate people to make timely registration of such events and accept it as

a regular part of their lives. It will be aimed also at overcoming the barriers impeding

proper life events registration, engaging and empowering populations; communities;

civil registration; vital statistics and identity management authorities; civil society;

and religious, formal and informal leaders to actively promote civil registration

128. e other elements of an overall registration improvement programme are

essentially more of an administrative/management nature, resulting in changes to the

legal, administrative and technical aspects of the civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management systems, which are dealt with in the Handbook on Civil Registra

tion and Vital Statistics Systems: Management, Operation and Maintenance, Rev. 1 and

the Guidelines on the Legislative Framework for Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and

Identity Management.

129. However, if people do not perceive registration as necessary and don’t know the

benets of registration; if they lack the ability or the self-condence to eectively reg

ister vital events; if they are not supported by their family, peers and communities;

and if opportunities are not available for communities to inuence the delivery of

civil registration services and build trust between service users and providers, then

any administrative changes in civil registration will not by themselves result in a sig

nicant improvement in terms of increased coverage. Generating demand for reg-

istration must be a long-term, continuous process that addresses the dierent levels

of the social-ecological model and combines mass media and direct promotion with

sustained communication interventions where dialogue and interpersonal communi

cation play a central role. In Peru, a great example of taking into account the needs of

local populations was employed, the authorities issuing the certicates both in Span

ish and in the local language.

130. In a communication for development programme, there are two crucial ele

ments: eectiveness and eciency. ey should be given consideration at every step

of the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation process. Eectiveness

means doing the right things, focusing on the results to permanently measure if actual

results meet the planned results. Relevant implications for a communication for devel

opment programme include the importance of selecting specic behaviour and social

change results based on an analysis informed by evidence; developing monitoring and

Organizational aspects of communication for development

evaluation frameworks, mechanisms and tools that can actually track behavioural and

social changes; and taking corrective action as necessary based on such information.

Eciency means doing things right. It focuses on the process and aims at optimiz

ing the use of resources, which means getting the maximum outputs with the mini-

mum resources. In the case of a communication for development programme for civil

registration, vital statistics and identity management systems, eciency particularly

appeals to the essential role of stakeholders’ coordination, integration of communi

cational content and interoperability of programmes. A comprehensive programme

based on communication for development approaches requires concrete capacities at

central and decentralized level. Maximizing the use of all the existing assets will be

paramount for the success of the programme.

131. e design of the communication for development programme needs to map

and build on the relevant existing assets/programmes/delivery platforms for com

munication within and outside the civil registration, vital statistics and identity man-

agement systems and (eventually) their users and contributors. Each of them may

have a specic added value in terms of knowledge and evidence, skills and capacities,

reach and scope, trust relation with the community, communication means, ongoing

activities or the ability to tackle underlaying factors in the framework of more holistic

social development interventions. For example, in a country where timely birth reg

istration is aected by a custom or a cultural practice like not giving name to a child

until his/her baptism, civil registration, vital statistics and identity management sys

tems may opt for adapting the registration procedures to the existing norm. e civil

registration, vital statistics and identity management systems may have more limited

capacities to implement interventions oriented at behaviour and social change. How

ever, when a communication for development strategy is developed at country level

and people involved in civil registration, vital statistics and identity management are

fully engaged in the implementation of that strategy, the demand for civil registration

will increase.

132. e communication for development programme should not neglect the sys

temic approach to ensure that strategies and plans will be implemented in an ecient

and eective manner. In that regard, the Principles and Recommendations suggests

linking the civil registration and vital statistics communication interventions with

other communication programmes in such areas as immunization, prenatal health

care, family planning and food rationing, to maximize the eect and reduce interven

tion costs.

133. Chapter I of the Handbook on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems:

Management, Operation and Maintenance, Rev. 1, describes the possible institutional

arrangements for civil registration and the interface with the vital statistics system in

dierent scenarios, including single and separate agencies for administering civil reg

istration and vital statistics, and centralized and decentralized structures. It presents

vital statistics and civil registration as separate entities, with the ultimate goal being to

establish, maintain and exploit those two entities as components of a coordinated and

coherent system for registering and producing vital statistics. It also adds a layer to the

system’s structure in the case of identity management systems that are interconnected

with civil registration.

134. e organization of the communication for development programme needs to

respond to the existing civil registration, vital statistics and identity management sys

tems structure and build on the available capacities within it. Moreover, it should also

look at the wider systems’ landscape for implementing communication for develop

ment approaches, including those external entities that are not contributing to the

Handbook on Civil Registration

and Vital Statistics Systems:

Management, Operation and

Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021.

30 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

systems in terms of data collection, but could contribute for communication purposes.

e establishment of a coordination mechanism between all actors inside and outside

civil registration, vital statistics and identity management system, but who can con

tribute to the proper development and implementation of the programme is strongly

recommended.

135. e communication for development programme is a long-term ongoing pro

cess. It requires a complex planning process, starting with strategy development at the

central level and going down to operational plans at the community level, targeting

communities with a low registration rate. Ideally, the responsibility for the communi

cation for development programme should be given to the central government author-

ity responsible for civil registration (e.g., department of registrar general, department

of civil registration). In some cases, there is a single authority responsible for both

civil registration and vital statistics. e Head of the communication for development

oce will report directly to the Head of the respective department. e communica

tion for development oce is recommended for an eective implementation of social

change interventions. However, if the creation of an oce is not possible, then at least

one responsible person should be hired. Although, in countries with low registration

rates more qualied professionals should be dedicated to increase the demand in civil

registration services.

136. In some cases, the country does not have a national registration oce with the

authority to actually administer the civil registration system. As stated in the Hand

book on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems: Management, Operation and

Maintenance, Rev. 1, the production and dissemination of vital statistics in the case of

fully decentralized administration of civil registration, usually requires at least one

agency at the national level to enforce and standardize the work of civil registration

and vital statistics.

In that context, in the Philippines, the National Statistics Author-

ity technically supervises local registration oce activities, the local registrars are

appointed by the cities and municipalities, and their salaries are paid wholly from

local government funds – therefore, both functions, civil registration and production

of vital statistics are housed in the same agency. us, there would be a need to create

a communication for development oce, even if reduced to one person at the central

level. e oce will be responsible for the nation-wide communication for develop

ment strategy and will ensure the involvement of decentralized Communication for

Development focal points.

137. e possible organizational arrangements for a communication for development

programme will depend on the country civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management systems’ structure and the existing capacities within it. In all the possible

scenarios, it is paramount to ensure a minimum level of dedicated capacity at central

level that is sustained throughout the entire life of the programme, from analysis and

design to monitoring and evaluation. It must also be recognized that in many develop

ing countries, the civil registration authority is only a small body within the Ministry

of the Interior or the Ministry of Justice or the Oce of the Prime Minister and so on,

whereas the vital statistics system is the responsibility of the national statistical oce.

However, existing units within the larger government agency could take the lead in

establishing a communication for development programme for civil registration, vital

statistics and identity management systems. In a case like Jamaica, the experience and

capacities for delivering health education programmes would be strong assets for the

demand-generation programme. Should there not be the possibility of involving such

units, the corresponding agency may wish to initiate a communication for develop

ment programme by means of a task force for which members can be drawn from

Ibid.

Organizational aspects of communication for development

dierent government agencies involved in civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management systems.

138. Although the ideal situation is to create a communication for development oce

within a civil registration department that administers a national, standardized reg

istration system throughout the country, it should be emphasized that the actions and

strategies outlined in the Handbook are designed as guidelines to be adapted only if

they are appropriate and practical in the country undertaking a registration improve

ment programme. ose guidelines may be adapted and revised in accordance with

circumstances in the country concerned, the communication for development oce

sta and all others involved in those aspects of an overall registration improvement

programme.

139. e communication for development oce will be responsible for directing and

monitoring the communication for development programme nationwide, as well as

coordinating all concerned partners/allies and the decentralized civil registration

oces throughout the entire programming process up to the monitoring and evalua

tion. Subsequently, it will ensure that the relevant actions are taken for the implemen-

tation of the steps outlined in this Handbook when applicable, and work to mobilize

the required resources and technical expertise.

140. During the assessment, analysis and planning phase the communication for

development oce should ensure the gathering and analysis of all information, and

the preparation of a national strategy development workshop leading to the develop

ment of the national communication for development strategy. e communication

for development oce should participate in meetings and processes pertaining the

overall civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems improve

ment plan. It is benecial for the overall goal of achieving universal registration and

legal identity for all that communication for development focal points contribute to

the analysis and planning of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems. Overall priorities and goals will aerwards set the stage for the contribution

of the communication for development programme. e communication for develop

ment oce needs to be permanently aware of the administrative/management ele-

ments of the overall registration and identity management improvement programme,

since changes to the legal, administrative and technical aspects of the civil registra

tion, vital statistics and identity management systems need to be reected in com-

munication interventions. Moreover, one of the functions of the communication for

development programme is obtaining inputs from the communities for shaping the

organization of the services and the legal and policy environment.

141. e communication for development oce provides technical guidance and

resources to the network of subnational and local civil registration oces and to the

partners and allies of the communication for development programme. It should

contribute to shaping communication for development functions at dierent levels

through the development of job descriptions and terms of reference, provide guide

lines and training materials, organize training activities, facilitate the exchange

between operators through meetings and thematic means, and facilitate quality over

sight through the supervision of the communication work of the local registration

units. At the national level, the communication for development oce directly organ

izes communication activities like media campaigns, advocacy meetings or digital

engagement campaigns.

142. e actions described in the Handbook are based on the assumption that there

is a communication for development oce at the central level, even if it is just a small

32 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

unit of one or two persons. If that is not the case, they may be adapted in accordance

with the realities of the situation within the country.

143. e communication for development oce will be responsible for the develop

ment, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the national communication for

development strategy. e oce will facilitate the operationalization of the strategy

at regional and community level and will be responsible for preparation of commu

nication products at the national, regional and local levels. e communication for

development oce will develop and apply the framework, mechanisms and tools to

monitor and assess the impact of the communication for development strategy. It will

collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative data, organize meetings with partners

to assess progress and take corrective action when needed. e oce will be in charge

of documenting and disseminating good practices and lessons learned. e communi

cation for development oce will develop a mechanism for supportive supervision in

communication and community participation, for its use with the network of decen

tralized registration units and, when required, assist in the supervision of actors out-

side the civil registration system.

144. During the approval process, the communication for development oce will

involve high-level ocials in the promotion of the strategy. us, it will make sure

that preferably the head of state/president/prime minister or appropriate minister

announces the launching of the strategy as one of priority areas of interventions of

the State.

145. e oce should also hold extensive consultations with regional and district and

local ocials to identify local media, community leaders, inuential spokespersons

and community organizations. e communication for development oce will pre

pare a handbook for use at training sessions, some of which will be held at the regional

and local levels for communicating with and educating leaders and key ocials and

organizations.

146. Development of the initial plans and the basic framework of the communication

for development programme requires not only a high degree of expertise in a wide

variety of elds, but also a measure of creativity and original thinking, because those

phases include:

(a) Identification of problem areas, behaviour and social barriers to registra

tion, determinants of a successful registration process;

(b) Setting the priorities;

(d) Formulation of a preliminary national communication for development

concept;

(e) Obtaining government approval and commitment of resources;

(f) Setting specific behaviour and social change objectives, results and indica

tors for the various participant groups in the different levels of the social-

ecological model;

(g) Development of a comprehensive strategic approach for behaviour and

social change, with due regard to the most deprived and marginalized;

(h) Identification of best interventions;

(i) Development of key messages, supporting information, communication

materials and dissemination plan;

(j) Development of the communication for development implementation

plan:

Organizational aspects of communication for development

(i) Development of a comprehensive media campaign, using all media

and other communication tools;

(ii) Development of training materials, planning and organizing

capacity-building activities;

(iii) Establishment and operationalization of coordination mechanisms

at national, regional and community levels;

(iv) Identification and mobilization of human resources, particularly the

formalization of roles and responsibilities of actors involved in the

programme and definition of accountability and supportive supervi

sion mechanisms for communication and community participation;

(v) Development of a monitoring and evaluation framework and tools;

(k) Collecting implementation data and impact information, monitoring the

implementation and ensuring the correction of the implementation plan,

if needed.

147. All of those actions must be completed well in advance of the actual launching

of the communication for development programme, and its ongoing implementation.

B. Structure of the communication for

development office

148. As an example, it is proposed that the communication for development oce

be staed by four members. According to the circumstances of each country, there

may be sta members of the registrar general’s department and/or persons on loan

or secondment from the government agencies involved in civil registration, vital sta

tistics and identity management systems, including the national statistical oce and

the identity management agency. It could also be supplemented by consultants, if

resources permit. e proposed positions are the following:

• Head of the oce (Director)

• Assistant to the Head (Assistant Director)

• Research and planning ocer

• Secretary

149. e Head of the communication for development oce should be a person with

overall expertise in communication for development, who would report directly to the

registrar general. e person selected would consult closely and extensively with tech

nical personnel and would obtain the assistance of other government communication

specialists, particularly those working in health promotion and education.

150. Various approaches should be considered in selecting the Director of the com

munication for development oce.

151. One approach would be to second from existing government service a top-level

expert in communication for a period sucient to draw up the framework for the

entire programme, who would stay until it is launched and operating for a short period

of time (e.g., one and a half years), then return to his/her previous position. He/she

might be an expert in communication at the national statistical oce who might have

been involved in census communication campaigns or working in the Ministry of

Health and dealing with health awareness programmes.

152. An Assistant Director could be appointed, once the oce is established, and step

in as Director when the person who was initially seconded to the oce returns to his/

her regular position.

34 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

153. A person within the present government service could be recruited for the posi-

tion of Director on a permanent basis.

154. Another option would be to go outside government service and select, either on

a short-term or on a permanent basis, a person with the required qualications and

experience.

155. If it is decided to obtain, on a permanent basis, the services of a person who will

work on both developing the campaign and its long-term implementation, then it may

be helpful to engage outside consultants to assist in the initial stages.

156. e actions outlined in the present Handbook can be carried out at the regional

or community level in a decentralized registration system, and many of the recom

mended actions could be very eectively implemented by local registrars, respected

local authorities and health personnel, once properly trained.

157. It could be considered employing one person in a high-level position in the

Government to head the communication for development oce during the planning

period and for the launch and initial evaluation of the national programme. en,

the position could be turned over to another person, who may have a lower degree of

expertise in professional and technical aspects of development of the programme, and

who could provide eective direction on a long-term basis to the implementation and

operationalization of the programme. Ideally, that person would work for some time

with the temporary Director who developed the overall plans before being appointed

as Director on a permanent or long-term basis.

158. For countries that wish to use the organigramme for the oce, annex VI pro

vides brief job descriptions of the types of qualications and experience that would be

required of personnel in the communication for development oce.

159. In principle, the communication for development oce is the only institution

within the civil registration, vital statistics and identity management system responsi

ble for the communication for development programme.

160. When discussing the designation of responsibilities and organization of civil

registration at the local level, the Principles and Recommendations include the respon

sibility to inform the public of the necessity, procedures and requirements of registra-

tion, and the value of vital statistics.

e local registrar’s functions should also

encompass activities designed by the system’s management to promote the eciency

of the system, such as implementing communication programmes or securing sup

port from local leaders to inform community members. For fullling his/her func-

tions, the registrar is expected to play an active role at community level.

161. e organization of the necessary support for civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management improvements and the coordination of the participation of

interested technical, professional and governmental groups can take place through

national and regional civil registration and vital statistics committees.

Such com-

mittees are part of the strategies included in the Principles and Recommendations. In

a decentralized system, the committees are fundamental for the implementation of

the demand creation programme. ey should include representation of all entities on

the ground that are relevant for the communication for development programme, not

necessarily limited to those included or technically associated to the civil registration,

vital statistics and identity management systems. Health education, human rights

education, hygiene, child protection programmes or programmes to support women

are good examples of potential allies that should be represented in the committees.

Principles and Recommenda-

tions for a Vital Statistics System,

Rev. 3, 2014.

Ibid.

Organizational aspects of communication for development

162. Coordination and establishment of communication for development inter-

agency committees are further discussed in the following section and in Chapter III

of the present Handbook.

C. Inter-agency committee and communication

for development subcommittee

163. e success of behaviour and social change for civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management systems depends on the eective coordination of a working

group responsible for conducting the communication analysis, planning, implemen

tation and monitoring. As discussed in the previous section, strong coordination is

paramount for maximizing the existing assets, making use of the opportunities pro

vided by other relevant programmes, harmonizing messages and approaches.

164. e coordination of communication for development eorts linked to civil reg

istration, vital statistics and identity management systems is an important factor for

smooth and ecient operation,

as reected in the Principles and Recommendations.

ey recommend the establishment of both civil registration, vital statistics, identity

management and inter-agency coordination committees comprising sta members of

the agencies involved in the systems. It is possible that one committee might serve the

needs of both civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems.

165. e Principles and Recommendations also include the creation of national and

regional civil registration and vital statistics committees as one of the strategies for

improving civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems. e

objectives of such committees should focus on active involvement of interested techni

cal, professional and governmental groups.

166. e Handbook on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems: Management,

Operation and Maintenance, Rev. 1, describes coordination in similar terms and states

that coordination eorts should be as strong as possible. Whether the structure is cen

tralized or decentralized, coordination and integration processes must be built into

the civil registration and vital statistics systems from the beginning.

167. Following formal approval by the Government of the proposed civil registration,

vital statistics and identity management programme, the Government will ocially

appoint the inter-agency committee to oversee the planning and implementation of

the programmes related to civil registration, vital statistics and identity management.

168. It is recommended that persons with the status of Deputy Minister (or equiva

lent) be appointed to the inter-agency committee. Where necessary, the Deputy Min-

ister could delegate an appropriate subordinate (e.g., a director of a division) to attend

meetings and carry out assignments. e Deputy Minister would keep the Minister up

to date on the progress and plans of the committee. e Director of the communica

tion for development oce would be a member of the inter-agency committee. e

committee may include such programmes as maternal and child health, family plan

ning, social services, population registers, identity management agencies, electoral

rolls, immigration and naturalization, demography and population dynamics, and

police.

e committee will include also other government ocials with the relevant

expertise/experience, as well as demographers, statisticians, epidemiologists among

others. e inter-agency committee would be headed by a senior administrator with

experience in long-term governmental planning and implementation of new pro

grammes. It is important that appropriate department planning oces (e.g., health

and education, social and economic development) are represented by senior ocials.

Ibid.

Handbook on Civil Registration

and Vital Statistics Systems:

Management, Operation and

Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021.

Ibid.

36 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

169. Depending on the system of registration in the country ocials responsible for

civil registration should be involved: registrars from state provincial jurisdictions, as

well as local registrars, who in some areas may be employees of a municipality or a

village chief with no organizational link at all to the oce of the registrar general or

health department sta.

170. Additionally, subcommittees with specialized functions could be considered

to maintain the operational aspects of registration and vital statistics. One of such

subcommittees can be responsible for managing communication for development

programme.

171. Strong coordination is a precondition for the communication for development

programme to deliver results. A coordination mechanism for communication for

development should remain functional throughout the entire programming pro

cess, from data collection and analysis to the evaluation of the programme. Su-

cient resources should be allocated for its functioning. Ideally, membership should

include agencies strategically selected on the basis of their institutional capacity to

undertake and manage behaviour and social change, advocacy, social mobilization,

community engagement, media relations and resource mobilization. at includes

entities that may not necessarily be part of civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management systems. Individual members should predominantly possess technical

knowledge and management skills in the communication programming process, and

experience in applying those competencies in relevant sectors, like health, education,

social protection and so on. e multiplication of coordination structures should be

avoided, and one mechanism could serve purposes related to communication analysis,

communication for development strategy, planning for action, implementation, moni

toring and evaluation.

172. e ideal option for ensuring strong coordination of actors involved in the com

munication for development programme is establishing a communication for devel-

opment subcommittee that operates on a permanent and continuous basis. It will be

a subcommittee within the inter-agency committee, with representation of relevant

actors from civil registration, identity management, vital statistics and other relevant

stakeholders.

173. e composition of the communication for development subcommittee needs

to be carefully considered and should reect the structure of the overall inter-agency

coordination committee. Members would include representatives of various depart

ments and agencies that are involved or have an interest in civil registration, vital sta-

tistics and identity management systems. Moreover, membership of any other actors

who are expected to play a major role in implementation will have positive eects in

terms of ownership and enrichment of the analysis and plans. Potential partners and

allies include all those who have capacities in place for delivery of quality communica

tion for development interventions, and who also have programmes where civil regis-

tration of all or some of the vital events can be embedded in a coherent manner (e.g.,

health education, social protection, human rights education and the empowerment of

women). To identify the relevant entities, the communication for development oce

should map the existing programmes that can serve as platforms for the delivery of

communication interventions, linking each programme’s priorities and goals to the

dierent vital events prioritized in the overall improvement programme and the cor

responding benets of the civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems. e subcommittee should ideally include representatives of relevant civil

society organizations, women and youth associations, and/or the population that will

Organizational aspects of communication for development

benet from the programme. e participation of academia and mass media is also

advisable, whether it is on a regular or an ad hoc basis, or acting as resource persons.

174. In general, the participation of entities (governmental or other) not directly

involved in civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems may

require advocacy eorts, and it may not be possible in the initial phases. For that rea

son, there should be exibility for further involving additional members at later stages.

175. A tentative list of members of the communication for development subcommit

tee might include:

(a) Agency responsible for the vital statistics system, if different to that in

charge of civil registration;

(b) Agency in charge of the identity management system;

(d) Department of health;

(e) Department of education;

(f) Department of justice/attorney general;

(g) Department of social services;

(h) Department of social development;

(i) Department of women’s affairs;

(j) Department of planning and finance;

(k) Representatives of civil society organizations;

(l) Representatives of religious communities;

(m) Representatives of media;

(n) United Nations agencies that may eventually support civil registration, vital

statistics and identity management system improvement programmes;

(o) Representative/s of the general population and/or deprived and under

served groups.

176. Others, such as those listed below, could be invited to attend specic meetings to

make their contributions:

(a) Department of culture/heritage;

(b) Department of the interior or the department in charge of administration

of government services at the regional/provincial/state/county level;

(d) The government’s central planning agencies;

(e) Department of information and communication.

177. e emphasis should be on persons who have experience in education/

awaremess-raising, who can explain new programmes and motivate people to meet

the requirements. For that reason, the expertise of persons who have been involved

in successful campaigns to promote such programmes as immunization/vaccination,

child and maternal health care, nutrition, family planning and so on should be used.

In some countries successful community campaigns to modernize farming methods

for an increased food production were organized. If this is the case, the person(s) who

designed and implemented such programmes should be called upon for advice. All

those described above do not have to be full members of the subcommittee, but should

be considered as key resource people, whose expertise will help in strategy develop

ment and implementation.

38 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

178. Religious leaders at national and community levels should be also made part of

the inter-agency committee and, subsequently, of the communication for development

subcommittee.

179. Aer the communication for development subcommittee is appointed to oversee

the activities of the communication for development oce, the following tasks will be

carried out:

(a) Participation in the overall evaluation and analysis of the country’s current

civil registration/identity management/vital statistics systems;

(b) Setting of the main goals and objectives of the communication for devel

opment programme within the larger civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management improvement plan;

ment programme;

(d) Approach Government for approval of plans and commitment of sufficient

resources to implement the proposed communication for development

programme;

(e) Contribution to and approval of the national communication for develop

ment strategy and plan of action, including capacity-building of key actors

involved in the field.

180. e development and implementation of action plans to improve civil registra

tion, vital statistics and identity management is one of the strategies included in Princi-

ples and Recommendations. ey should be based on factual knowledge of the current

situation of the civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems,

including evidence on the behaviour and social determinants that aect registration.

For undertaking the initial activities listed above, guidance in the present Handbook

is based on the assumption that the development of the communication for devel

opment programme is an integral part of an overall civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management systems improvement workplan, for which an inter-agency

coordination committee has been established

181. During the assessment, analysis and planning phase the communication for

development subcommittee should ensure the gathering and analysis of all informa

tion, and the preparation of a national strategic plan for communication for develop-

ment programme to be presented to the inter-agency committee. e communication

for development subcommittee should participate in meetings and processes pertain

ing the overall civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems

improvement plan, ensuring the appropriate articulation between communication

for development and the other components of the plan. It is benecial for the over

all goal of achieving full registration coverage that communication for development

focal points contribute to the analysis and planning of civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management systems. e communication for development subcommit

tee needs to be permanently aware of the administrative/management elements of the

overall registration improvement programme, since changes to the legal, administra

tive and technical aspects of the civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage-

ment systems need to be reected in communication interventions. Moreover, one of

the functions of the communication for development programme is to obtain inputs

from the communities for shaping the organization of the services and the legal and

policy environment.

182. If the country has a decentralized registration system, the actions recommended

here will have to be adapted in accordance with those circumstances.

Organizational aspects of communication for development

D. Setting priorities and identifying the goals and

objectives of the communication for development

programme

1. Identification problem areas and setting priorities

183. An ecient communication for development programme cannot be designed

unless an in-depth study that assesses the adequacy of the civil registration, vital sta

tistics and identity management systems is available. If the country has not already

done a study on the current status of the systems and a socioanthropological study

of the determinants of timely registration, then one should be undertaken to pro

vide precise information for the national civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management improvement programme within which the communication for devel

opment programme will be designed. If that is not yet done, the inter-agency commit-

tee may wish to use the following guidelines for the systems’ evaluation: “Review and

assessment of the national civil registration and vital statistics systems” and “Outline

for preparing a country report on current status of civil registration and vital sta

tistics systems”. ey should be available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Rus-

sian and Spanish upon request. e inter-agency committee will analyse study results

concerning the current systems, including their weaknesses and shortcomings.

184. In evaluating a country’s civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage

ment systems, the following general standards should be met:

(a) An efficient civil registration system yields timely, accurate and complete

data and information on vital events: live births, deaths, fetal deaths and

civil status events, marriages and divorces. It is free of omissions, delayed

registrations, double registrations of a single event, and it is less vulnerable

to misuse, counterfeiting and forgery of vital records. It renders prompt

services, which are of legal and economic value to the individual and the

society;

(b) To be considered complete, there must be as close as possible to 100 per cent

registration coverage of vital events occurring in a country. The records are

registered in a timely manner, and the information and records are filled in

completely and accurately. The reporting procedures are smooth;

recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events in accord

ance with the legal requirements in each country. Civil registration is car-

ried out primarily for the value of the legal documents;

(d) Consistent vital statistics system has an integrated analysis of civil regis

tration data and provides accurate, permanent and need based reports for

various sectors in the country.

185. Such an evaluation should identify the determinants and bottlenecks

of a com-

plete and timely registration and the production of vital statistics. Determinants would

be grouped according to their nature, and would be prioritized for action in the fol

lowing broad categories (see table 1).

See UNICEF, Enhanced

Programming and Results

Through Monitoring Results

for Equity Systems (MoRES),

Brieﬁng Note, 2013.

40 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Table 1

Determinants by category

Category Determinant

Enabling environment Social norms

Legislation/policy

Budget/expenditure

Management/coordination

Supply Availability of essential materials/commodities

Access to adequately staﬀed services, facilities and information

Demand Financial access

Continuity of use

Social and cultural practices

Quality Quality of services

186. us, the following main issues may be identied:

(a) Structural and administrative problems, such as lack of an agency to

administer registration, insufficient number of registration offices, poorly

equipped and staffed registration offices, frequent turnover of registration

personnel, poor coordination among the agencies participating in registra

tion and vital statistics and so on.

(b) Technical, unstandardized procedures for vital registration and statistics,

inadequacy of time allowances for registration, lack of guidance for reg

istration, transmission problems to and from the registration offices and

so on.

practices and so on. Groups more frequently missed by the system would

also be identified.

(d) Deficient legal framework, the law is too old/too general, responsibilities

not clearly defined, overlapping of functions with other government agen

cies and so on.

187. Whether the identication of problem areas and priorities is done based on a

national in-depth evaluation or through other means, the national communication for

development subcommittee will work under the direction of the inter-agency commit

tee that oversees the country’s civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage-

ment improvement programme. It will work in close coordination and collaboration,

and the communication for development subcommittee should take the lead in data

collection and analysis of behaviour and social determinants of registration and in

formulating the priorities that are specic to communication for development. e

communication for development subcommittee or the communication for develop

ment oce should be represented in the inter-agency committee and inuence the

formulation of other priorities as relevant to the communication for development pro

gramme too.

188. e bottlenecks should be carefully studied and analysed to be able to make cor

rections, if needed. For example, current registration may cover only an estimated 50

per cent of births, 30 per cent of deaths and so on; the quality of information may be

very low; records may contain 40 per cent inaccuracies and events may not be reported

as they occur, so that information/statistics cannot be produced in a timely manner

to be useful for government planning. e coverage, accuracy and timeliness may

vary from region to region within the country, and, if that is the case, those variations

should be also researched. Geographical areas where 90 per cent of civil registration

Organizational aspects of communication for development

coverage has been achieved should not be a primary concern. Aerwards, applicable

communication for development interventions for each bottleneck will be identied

189. It is also very important to conduct a socioanthropological study at the coun

try level to be able to segment the target populations and to identify the social and

behaviour factors hindering the registration process. In some societies death is not

to be mentioned, so people do not want to register a death. Or there may be customs

that prohibit naming a child at birth, which would work against timely registration of

the birth. ere may be resistance to having a child’s illegitimacy recorded on a birth

registration record. Or marriage may be performed only by tribal custom, ociated by

a person with no knowledge/experience in registering the event. A communication for

development programme tailored to a particular country and to specic target groups

should be able to work out those problems.

190. e analysis needs to determine also if the quantity and quality of communi

cation interventions is enough to guarantee proper knowledge of civil registration,

vital statistics and identity management systems among the population. Nevertheless,

communication for development can contribute to remove barriers of a very dierent

nature, including for instance those related to the legal framework (through advocacy

approaches); the availability and quality of registration services (through adminis

trative mobilization initiatives); or religious, traditional and cultural beliefs or social

norms (through behaviour and social change communication).

191. All of the most recent available demographic information related to the popula

tion of the country should be examined carefully. For example, census data would

provide a population estimate, and there may have been household or ad hoc surveys

that provide that type of information. In addition, each country usually prepares its

own population estimates and projections.

192. By projecting those factors onto the estimated population, it should be possible

to arrive at reasonably accurate gures for the number of actual births and deaths that

occur. ose gures should be compared with the actual registration of those events

by regions and other administrative subdivisions to reveal areas where underregistra

tion is a problem, so as to guide the design of the communication for development

programme.

193. Depending on the availability of skilled human resources in a particular country,

members of the inter-agency committee would participate in the analysis, outlining

the problems in the present civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems and listing problems that aect their departments/agencies.

194. For example, the health department may nd it impossible to plan accurately

for the provision of health services, such as maternal/childcare and immunization.

Also, deaths may be greatly underreported. If there is not accurate information about

deaths from infectious diseases, then the proper measures cannot be taken to immu

nize those in contact with the deceased person. In the education eld, there must be

reliable information on the future school population in order to create sucient facili

ties and hire teachers. Planning for housing, future employment needs and economic

growth would also be aected by lack of accurate information that could be obtained

from eective civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems.

195. At the initial meeting of the inter-agency committee, one of the rst steps

towards obtaining a wide-ranging view of the problems would be to give each mem

ber an assignment to prepare a description of the problems and their sources as he or

she sees them. Questions to be considered would include: What is the problem? When

and where does it occur? Why and how does it occur? Who or what is responsible?

How does that problem impact the immediate and long-term provision of services to

42 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

the people by the Government? How can the communication for development pro-

gramme contribute to solve the problems? Formative research could be conducted

beforehand.

196. In areas where there are particularly severe deterrents to registration, such as

cultural traditions, it may be useful to hold focus group meetings to learn the specic

problems rst-hand from representatives of the persons concerned, who may provide

good suggestions about most eective means to overcome those deterrents. Local

community leaders should also be consulted.

197. When all available information about the problems is obtained, each member

of the communication for development subcommittee should then identify the most

appropriate strategies to correct the problems. at can be achieved by each member

of the committee with the support of the template included in the annexes to the pre

sent Handbook. It is advisable to do it during a workshop facilitated by an experienced

committee member, since that will ensure a more compact and internally coherent

document. At that point, the suggested strategies need not be too specic but rather

should indicate the general direction that, in the committee’s opinion, should be

taken. A dra working document identifying the problem areas and suggested strate

gies could then be produced by the director of the communication for development

oce under the direction of the registrar general (or equivalent) and presented to the

next meeting of the communication for development subcommittee. Aer the docu

ment is approved, then the committee should study the problem areas and set out the

priorities in order of importance. As discussed, depending on the context and the

timing, the setting of priorities may happen whether as a preparatory work for the

processes that will develop the overall civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management improvement plan, or as an integrated and coordinated work with the

inter-agency committee.

2. Developing the main goals and objectives of the

communication for development programme

198. e following are some examples of goals of the overall improvement pro-

gramme that should have been prepared by the inter-agency committee appointed for

that purpose which provides the framework for the communication for development

programme.

199. e programme goal is a general statement that describes the overall improve

ment that you strive to achieve for the intended population, for example, “To increase

civil registration rates”. Each goal will have one or more behavioural objectives that

describe more specically what the outcomes of the programme will be.

200. ose objectives must be SMART, that is:

(a) Specific in terms of an issue (a behaviour, a skill, knowledge, attitudes), of

a specific group and of the geographical location;

(b) Measurable in such a way that changes in people’s behaviour can be meas

ured, either quantitatively or qualitatively;

feasibly be attained;

(d) Relevant so that the planned behavioural result(s) represent a milestone in

the results chain;

(e) Time-bound in that a time frame has been set within which change is

expected to happen.

Organizational aspects of communication for development

201. Various types of objectives could be considered, for example:

(a) Institutional capacity-building objectives (e.g., to improve skills for imple

menting a programme or specific component of a programme such as

evaluation);

(b) Communication objectives (e.g., to change knowledge, attitudes, skills,

behaviours, and social norms);

202. Each objective will require a series of activities (e.g., training, conducting

mobile theatre events, media campaign), and each objective will be translated into

programme indicators and used to evaluate the progress of the programme from the

baseline research to the nal impact research. It is good practice to focus the objec

tives for the communication for development programme so that the activities and the

indicators will be manageable. e activities should help to achieve the objectives and

the objectives should help to achieve the programme goal.

203. e following questions will help to develop behaviour objectives/results:

(a) Whose behaviour needs to change to achieve the desired social outcome

(mothers; fathers; neighbours; volunteers; health workers; religious lead

ers; teachers; politicians)?

(b) What are the current behaviours? Why are people currently doing it all the

time, doing it sometimes or not doing it at all? What factors account for

the difference?

behaviour? How can you best influence and support that behaviour? What

are the barriers to change?

(d) What factors (social, cultural, economic, environmental, psychological,

and physiological, and so on? Who, what, where are the most influential

channels that can motivate changing or maintaining the behaviour?

(e) What skills and resources are needed for the affected groups to practice the

desired behaviours?

204. e following are examples of goals:

(a) To make registration universal nationwide (all groups of the population

should be covered, registration should not be voluntary for certain ethnic

and tribal groups since that would increase the likelihood of vital events

going unregistered);

(b) To adopt a common framework to govern all matters pertaining to civil

registration, vital statistics and identity management in the country;

(d) To standardize all registration procedures and statistical reporting

throughout the country and enforce them;

(e) To increase the registration coverage to at least 90 per cent, an acceptable

international standard, and to provide prompt and efficient services to

members of the population;

(f) To improve the accuracy and completeness of required information on

civil registration/vital event records;

(g) To improve the timeliness, quantity and quality of statistics and other

information gathered from civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management records;

44 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

(h) To improve the accessibility of registration facilities to the public;

(i) To make certificates of birth, marriage and death more easily available to

the public;

(j) To ensure legal identity for all.

205. Some of the following objectives of the civil registration improvement pro

gramme could be supported by the communication for development programme:

(a) For births, to achieve 90 per cent of registration coverage within two years

of initiation of the communication for development strategy;

(b) For fetal deaths, to achieve 85 per cent of coverage within three years;

years;

(d) For marriages, to achieve 85 per cent of coverage within three years;

(e) For divorces, to achieve 90 per cent of coverage within three years;

(f) To improve the accuracy of information on registration records, particu

larly in case of death, to a rate of 90 per cent within three years;

(g) To improve the timeliness of information/statistics from civil registration/

vital statistics records by making them available (in a preliminary form)

within six months after the close of the Government’s fiscal or calendar

year, and by having a completed report available within 12 months of the

closure of the year;

(h) In three years from the launch of the communication for development

programme, to make the general public, particularly target groups, have a

positive perception and understand the importance of the registration of

births, fetal deaths, deaths, marriages and divorces;

(i) To ensure the establishment of a registration office within each registra

tion administrative unit as defined by the district administrator within

two years, or where that is not possible, to ensure that a deputy registrar

visits each remote area in certain subdivisions of the developing countries

once every month (or two months);

(j) Within two years, make birth, marriage and death certificates available at

locations reasonably accessible to the general population;

(k) Within three years, standardize legislation governing civil registration,

vital statistics and identity management systems;

(l) Within four years, standardize the registration forms’ and certificates’ lay

out.

(m) Within four years, develop and implement standards for legal identity cre-

dentials.

206. Aer collecting all needed information, the behavioural results should be prior

itized. It is important to keep the list short: too many behavioural expectations are as

bad as none.

Organizational aspects of communication for development

E. Major activities of coordination and management

bodies

1. Formulation of the preliminary national communication

for development concept

207. e formulation of the preliminary national communication for development

plan would be undertaken by the communication for development oce, under the

direction of the registrar general and the communication for development subcom

mittee. It should be noted that later, aer government approval, a very detailed action

plan will be developed. e plan to be formulated at this stage, which is to be pre

sented to the Government, could be more general in nature, outlining the main stra-

tegic directions. However, the level of accuracy of the plans at this stage will especially

depend on the existing data/evidence, and on the available resources for conducting

additional research and for consultations and meetings.

208. is preliminary plan for the communication for development programme

should dene general goals and objectives and contain an outline of the strategy at the

national level. Also, generalized recommendations should be made concerning eec

tive techniques for reaching not only the general public, but also dicult to reach popu-

lations, such as illiterate people, rural populations or those who have cultural traditions

or social norms that present barriers to registration. At a minimum, it should include

a description of the proposed programme strategic approaches; the system’s structure

for the planning, implementation and monitoring of the programme’s interventions;

potential partners and allies and coordination mechanisms; and the immediate actions

to be taken in order to develop a complete strategy and detailed action plan.

209. Identication of the communication objectives and indicators for the commu

nication for development programme will occur aer extensive behavioural analysis,

identication of participant groups and of the most eective communication imple

mentation plan will be developed. at will normally happen once the preliminary

plan is approved, and sucient resources are committed by the Government. Con

sultations will be held, if needed, with professional media/strategic communications/

development communication companies or experts.

210. In formulating the preliminary national plan, it should be emphasized that, where

possible, non-commercial means of communication should be taken advantage of, such

as government-owned radio and/or television stations or networks, no-charge public

aairs and community events programmes, editorials and news stories in the print and

electronic media, community/agricultural newsletters, and such organizations as home

and school associations/service clubs. Free of charge social media/networks also oer

important opportunities for wide dissemination of information and for two-way com

munication. In any case, the choice of communication interventions will be based on

their accessibility and consumption patterns by the relevant population.

2. Ensuring government ownership and commitment of

sufficient resources to implement the programme

211. e communication for development subcommittee, with major input from the

communication for development oce, will prepare detailed plans for presentation

to the Government for approval of the proposed programme and the commitment

of sucient resources for its implementation. e concept approved by the Govern

46 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

ment might be used also to leverage funds or start discussions with the development

partners.

212. e rst document to be presented to the Government should emphasize the

following obvious points:

(a) The overall project – the improvement of civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management systems is important to the country, and there

are significant benefits (see introduction);

(b) To achieve any degree of success in the improvement programme, it is

essential to have, among other things, an effective communication for

development programme. Because, unless the people know about registra

tion, when, where and how to do it, and the benefits to them as individuals

and to their families; unless they have the ability or the self-confidence to

effectively register vital events; unless they are supported by their families,

peers and communities; and unless there are opportunities for communi

ties to influence the delivery of civil registration services and build trust

between service users and providers, it will be very difficult to get them

to register in sufficient numbers and to make the civil registration, vital

statistics and identity management systems truly effective.

hearted approval to the programme, assumes ownership and promotes it

widely to the public. The commitment of the Government will be easily

demonstrated by allocating sufficient resources to accomplish the desired

results. The Government’s approval should be made known at the national

level in all media. At other levels, speeches should be made to appropriate

groups, and press releases by government should be circulated widely;

(d) The presentation should outline the programme strategic approaches in

relation to the participants identified at the different levels of the social-

ecological model (see section D, Theoretical framework, in the Intro

duction of the Handbook), which will be used to engage individuals,

communities, institutions, politicians and particular influential groups,

such as legal societies and their members, the judiciary, health care pro

fessionals, educators, religious groups and so on. It is important to have

members of influential groups express their support for the programme.

(e) The documentation should also outline the approaches to the regional/

state/provincial/county levels (which should be accompanied by speeches

and so on by political, administrative and religious leaders at regional

and other levels). If the country has a decentralized registration system,

the documentation should include plans to involve all jurisdictions in the

overall improvement project and to obtain their agreement to participate.

The document should also describe the types of activities planned at the

local community level to attract the attention and interest of people there,

and should emphasize how the programme will work to reach generally

inaccessible locations and the less advantaged population such as illiter

ates, minorities who have little contact with the Government and so on in

order to motivate them to cooperate.

(f) With regard to an eventual media campaign, the details will be formu

lated later as part of the complete programme strategy and action plan

(see chapters II and III), so references to the media campaign in the docu

ments presented to the Government at that time would have to be general

in nature. The programme will normally include mass media campaigns,

Organizational aspects of communication for development

however there may be particular situations in which a campaign is not

needed. The communication analysis, the programme goals and objectives

and the programme strategy approaches determine the need for a mass

media campaign and its role.

213. e documentation should also outline the contribution to the programme

required from the various involved departments/agencies in civil registration, vital

statistics and identity management systems. For example, material for the development

of a series of lessons to be given in schools, or material useful in teaching secondary

students or college students, should be prepared by someone within the department of

education. If there is a medical school, then material should be prepared for inclusion

in the course of future physicians. Material should be prepared for inclusion in any law

school curriculum.

214. Similarly, the department of health should be able to make some contributions to

material/recommendations for actions to encourage registration that could be used in

relation to health care institutions and health promotion functions, particularly mate

rial that could be used by medical schools, nurses and midwives, and in conjunction

with immunization programmes, since that may be the rst point of contact between

the mother with a newborn and government services. Apart from reaching the pop

ulation with relevant health education programmes, the health system needs to be

involved because of the particular importance of health sta for registration of death

as well, in particular when death occurs at facility level, they have the role in notifying

death and capturing causes of death in the health management information system.

215. e presentation will include a covering/overview document with highlights of

the civil registration, vital statistics and identity management system improvement

proposal, featuring (in brief):

(a) Need for programme to improve civil registration, vital statistics and iden

tity management systems;

(b) Benefits of improved civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage

ment systems;

affecting demand for civil registration services, including behaviour and

social factors;

(d) Outline of goals;

(e) Outline of objectives;

(f) Description of the implementation plan, highlighting role communication

for development will play, and note that this is essential to the success of

the programme.

216. e second document will consist of a description of the general national plan

for communication for development, which will be a component of the above-men

tioned long-term workplan for the overall, continuous improvement project.

217. e third document will consist of a global estimated budget for the communi

cation for development programme with details for the planning functions. It should

include tentative estimates for the production of materials and printed media adver

tisements, radio and television media spots, press releases, and launching of the medial

education communication campaign, if these are envisaged by the strategy. It should

also provide implementation for a specic period, for example for the rst year, with

another separate estimate for the second year, ongoing monitoring and evaluation and,

where necessary, adjustment of the programme. e budget should also include sta,

oces, telephone, supplies, equipment and travel. ere should also be a budget allo

48 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

cation for the development of training materials and the implementation of capacity-

building activities, for meetings with professional groups, such as medical and legal

societies, other health care professionals, educators and religious organizations. at

includes meeting with community leaders (arranged through regional/district oces),

meeting with people who will assist with registration, such as municipal employees

who act as registrars, formal and informal leaders and traditional birth attendants.

e budget should also provide, if needed, for booths at local markets, perhaps drama

presentation at community meetings, information kiosks, signs and billboards, as well

as for any additional costs for interventions aimed at specic target groups.

218. It will be dicult to determine at this point what would constitute “sucient

resources” for the communication for development programme. To forecast the

required resources is dicult, and there are many factors inuencing the programme

and which will be determined only once the full strategy and action plan are devel

oped based on research, aer the approval of the Government is obtained. See chapter

IV for details on potential costs to be considered.

219. ere are certain elements of the communication for development budget that

can be determined in advance. At the time the presentation is made to the Govern

ment, a detailed budget of estimated expenditures for the communication for devel-

opment oce can be made, including sta salaries, oce space, equipment, supplies

and travel. ere should be an allocation for the communication for development

subcommittee meetings and for consultation and meetings with regional/provin

cial/state/county ocials and local community leaders. Costs for the functioning of

decentralized communication for development committees should be considered for

geographical areas prioritized for support from the communication for development

programme. is is particularly important if a bottom-up approach is adopted for the

development of the plan of action and budget.

220. Formative research to inform the full strategy and action plan requires resources

that can be planned at this stage as well. ese resources may include external consult

ants or subcontractors. Rapid qualitative assessments can be an in-house task of the

communication for development oce, or, in a decentralized system, of appropriate

ocials in those jurisdictions, provided that proper resources are allocated. More sci

entic research and in general quantitative studies require a higher level of expertise

and important time investment. e communication for development oce should

assess its internal capacities against the research needs and decide accordingly. Meth

ods for gathering data and information are discussed in chapter II of this Handbook.

Formulation of the communication for development strategy and plan of action entails

costs, particularly derived from the organization of workshops, allocation of sta time

and eventually external consultants. External consultants may play a facilitation role

or work directly on the development of plans. Similar as to the case of research, as far

as the appropriate skills are available, the communication for development oce may

opt for directly performing the tasks or hire an external consultant or rm.

221. e communication for development programme requires a high degree of

expertise and experience, as well as a detailed knowledge of the country’s media and

communications landscape (its coverage and eectiveness, especially with vulner

able and hard-to-reach groups) and the impact of communication/adult education/

community engagement strategies and techniques. If high-quality consulting services

are readily available, the advice of a consultant with communication for development

background may be valuable, and may result in a more economical, eective and e

cient programme. In such cases, budgetary provisions should be made for a consultant.

Organizational aspects of communication for development

222. If an advertising agency is to be involved in the media campaign, then neces-

sary provisions should be made. e client, in this case the Government through the

communication for development oce of the department of registrar general or a

decentralized government authority, would be responsible for thoroughly brieng the

advertising agency. e brief will include the purpose of the media campaign, the tar

get audience(s) who have to be reached, the timing of the message, taking into account

seasonal conditions, such as harvest time and the monsoon season.

223. It is recommended that a global estimated budget be presented to government.

at estimate will have to be revised and nalized later in accordance with the specic

implementation plan.

224. With the above in mind, the inter-agency committee will convey a gure of esti

mated expenditures to the Government with the presentation. It is suggested that the

committee assemble the available estimates for the establishment and running of the

communication for development oce and the communication for development sub

committee and use tentative estimates for the rest of the overall campaign. e esti-

mates should answer the following questions:

(a) How much should an effective programme cost?

(b) How much can the country afford to allocate to the programme?

firm commitment to allocate to the programme?

225. In preparing the budget, the importance of interpersonal communication should

not be underestimated. Sucient nancial resources should be devoted to interper

sonal communication with the most disadvantaged: poor, illiterate, those in remote

rural areas with limited communication and other vulnerable groups. It is important

to realize that in developing countries the most eective means of communication is

person-to-person contact with respected opinion, community leaders; spiritual and

religious organizations; peers; health and registration ocials in local oces, hospitals

and clinics; and through schools rather than through the commercial mass media.

Using such means of communication will require capacity-building interventions

focusing on both specic civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

contents and cross-cutting interpersonal and community engagement skills.

226. In order to estimate the budget, the budget and breakdown of a recent commu

nication for development programme could be considered in areas such as immuniza-

tion, nutrition, family planning and so on. e cost of a population census campaign

in the country, if recently implemented, can also be considered. For that end, it is

important to assess if the activities in such budgets are in consonance with the stra

tegic direction of the civil registration, vital statistics and identity management com-

munication for development programme.

227. Another option would be to use a two-step budgeting process, with the rst step

covering only the preliminary planning stage. e preliminary stage would include

the establishment and operation of the communication for development oce and the

inter-agency committee and the communication for development subcommittee, and

planning for the necessary training materials and meetings.

228. e second stage would cover the actual implementation of the programme,

including monitoring and evaluation costs, as well as the ongoing operations of the

communication for development oce and the communication for development sub

committee. at budget should cover an extended period (e.g., 3 to 10 years) with a

budget gure determined for the initial and for each of the subsequent years.

50 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

229. e drawback of the two-step budget process is that the Government may

approve the rst step but then, aer planning has been done and the second step of

the budget has been prepared with a detailed estimate of the costs of the programme

and its ongoing operation, may decide that the country cannot aord the proposed

programme or that it should cut down in costs so the implementation will not be eec

tive. is situation will be discouraging and might stop all progress in improving civil

registration rates.

230. Strong preparation for meeting with the Government is essential. e strategy to

be used should be planned in advance, carefully considering what approach would be

most eective. If possible, the meeting should be held with the president/prime minis

ter and either the whole cabinet or at least ministers concerned with civil registration,

vital statistics and identity management systems. e chief spokesperson will be the

head of the communication for development subcommittee, backed up by the registrar

general, who is assisted by the director of the communication for development oce.

Other members of the communication for development subcommittee will attend the

meeting. All participants should be familiar with the documents presented to the Gov

ernment and can answer any questions that may be asked concerning his/her depart-

ment or agency.

231. All members of the presenting delegation should be very enthusiastic and posi

tive about the programme, and well versed about the benets that would accrue due

to improved civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems. e

presentation will emphasize that the proposed plan has been well researched, that the

goals are commendable, and the objectives are reasonable and can be attained. e

proposed plan is a practical one that can be successfully accomplished; the strategy

and plan need to be further developed based on research. Successful examples from

the country or abroad will be presented to support arguments for the allocation of

resources and time for research, full strategy development, complete planning, imple

mentation, monitoring and evaluation.

232. Advocating for the programme with inuential ministers and ocials before

the formal presentation meeting is crucial. It should be emphasized that a civil reg

istration, vital statistics and identity management improvement programme will not

succeed without a strong communication for development components and that the

Government, in approving the plan and allocating the required nancial resources,

will receive recognition both within the country and internationally.

233. e proposal will conclude with a request for the Government’s approval and

commitment of sucient nancial resources, and the appointment of members to

inter-agency committee.

3. Development of the communication for development

strategy and implementation plan

234. Once the preliminary communication for development plan has been approved

by the Government and sucient resources have been allocated, the communication

for development subcommittee would share responsibility with the registrar general

(or head of the corresponding department) and the inter-agency committee for the

development of a complete long-term strategy and implementation plan covering all

aspects of the communication for development programme. e communication for

development programme will be part of the overall registration improvement pro

gramme, including the management, operation and maintenance of civil registration,

vital statistics and identity management systems.

Organizational aspects of communication for development

235. In order to perform this task, the communication for development subcommit-

tee will ensure that a communication analysis is conducted based on solid data and

evidence. Following a review of existing information in the country, arrangements

should be made to conduct/commission additional research as necessary. Based on

the available resources and information needs, the communication for development

subcommittee will decide on the research scope and methods to be applied, as well as

the utilization of external consultants or research institutions.

236. Communication analysis includes the identication of groups that will partici

pate in the programme (i.e., target groups in traditional communication jargon), of

determinants aecting demand for registration, of most eective means of communi

cation, and of communication capacities within civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management systems. e social-ecological model should inform the com

munication analysis.

237. Specic communication objectives will be derived from the communication

analysis. Expected results should reect actual change in dierent behaviour and

social dimensions at the dierent levels of the social-ecological model, and indicators

should be selected or developed to track such changes.

238. e strategic approaches will be developed considering how the combination

of behaviour change communication, social change communication and community

participation, social mobilization, advocacy, capacity-building and so on can better

contribute to the achievement of results.

239. e strategy design will also select communication channels/means, activities,

partners and their roles, and the creative elements for the development of messages

and materials.

240. e communication for development subcommittee will complete the pro

gramme framework by developing the communication messages and materials,

and plans for implementation, dissemination of materials, training, monitoring and

evaluation.

241. e involvement of all relevant stakeholders, including representatives of civil

society organizations, of the population and in particular vulnerable groups in all the

steps will ensure ownership of the programme by those expected to take a relevant

role in implementation. To that end, participatory processes can be applied for ana

lysing the situation, setting priorities and goals, dening strategies and planning for

action. e participation in analysis and planning meetings and workshops could be

expanded beyond the members of the communication for development subcommit

tee, for which strong facilitation skills are required.

242. Depending on the time and resources available before the Government’s approval

of the preliminary plan, some of those steps may have been taken in advance. e most

important is that throughout the entire process all the necessary steps are taken to

produce a complete strategy and plan of action according to the guidelines provided

in chapters II and III.

243. Formulation of a national strategy will include a long-term implementation plan,

similar to the indicative implementation plan outlined in the annex below.

244. e present Handbook does not elaborate on the review of the legal framework

or preparation of administrative and instructional handbooks for use by the local reg

istrars and other vital statistical personnel, including all routines of data processing

and so on,

which are certainly components of the overall civil registration, vital sta-

tistics and identity management systems improvement programme.

See Guidelines on the Legislative

Framework for Civil Registra-

tion, Vital Statistics and Identity

Management, (forthcoming).

See Handbook on Civil Registra-

tion and Vital Statistics Systems:

Management, Operations and

Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021.

52 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

245. e present Handbook also assumes that there is a registrar general’s oce to

administer the system. In instances in which there is no administering oce, the

agency responsible for identity management can initiate and lead the communication

for development programme, in coordination with the national statistical oce.

246. In any civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improvement

programme, it should be anticipated, however, that preparation/modication of the

legal framework, particularly the draing of legislation and obtaining of legislative

approval, will be a lengthy process and may require several years to accomplish.

247. Some administrative, organizational and procedural improvements will require

legislative/regulatory action. erefore, plans for overall administrative and organiza

tional improvements, along with preparation of plans for the management, operation

and maintenance of the registration systems, will have to be started well before work

is commenced on the legal framework.

248. Study of the computerization of the civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management systems should also be undertaken before nalization of the legal frame

work, in case legislative approval is required for the electronic automated collection

and storage of registration data.

Work on computerization of the systems could be a

separate component of the overall programme, or it could be combined with adminis

trative/managerial/organizational improvements.

249. Work may commence on communication for development programme and

strategies soon aer the above other components of the registration improvement pro

gramme are launched. Some aspects of the communication for development strategy

will be dependent to some degree on those other elements. Communication for devel

opment should always be transparent. e trust between civil registration, vital statis-

tics and identity management systems providers and users/population is paramount to

motivate people to utilize the systems. For this reason, the communication for devel

opment programme should avoid overstating the performance of civil registration,

vital statistics and identity management, recognize needs for improvement when they

exist, and appeal to the engagement of each party involved for achieving high-quality

civil registration, vital statistics and identity management services.

250. e national committee of the overall civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management systems improvement programme may seek the assistance of

potential donor agencies, international, bilateral or non-governmental organizations

(NGOs) to cooperate with the Government in a behaviour and social change eort to

upgrade the current registration systems.

251. Coordination with ongoing United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) activi

ties, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), NGOs and others would benet the

improvement and the communication for development programme because they share

an interest in high-quality data to monitor the impact of their own locally oriented

programmes. ey are frequently members of a national civil registration, vital statis

tics and identity management steering committees and usually can provide assistance

in developing communication for development strategies, plans and tools. In addi

tion, they may, for example, be requested to print pamphlets; contribute videotapes to

encourage registration; or produce posters, banners and guidebooks for birth attend

ants, doctors and nurses, and supplement government eorts in developing countries.

Ibid., chap. VII.

Chapter II

First steps for an eﬀective communication

for development strategy

Overview

The key for developing a comprehensive communication for development programme is

formative research, analysis of the determinants of underregistration and identification of

programme participants. The following steps should be taken:

1. Collect and analyse the available information.

2. Define the need and the goal of the formative research.

3. Identify the intended communities and participants of interest.

4. Identify research questions.

5. Decide on a full or partial outsourcing of the research based on the capacities of the

communication for development office and the communication for development

subcommittee.

6. Determine the sources for secondary data.

7. Determine the sources for primary data:

(a) Define study population and participants;

(b) Develop the methodology (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods);

(d) Develop the data collection instruments (e.g., focus group discussion guide,

survey questionnaire);

(e) Pretest the instruments.

8. Develop a research implementation plan (including timeline, persons responsible

for specific tasks and budget).

9. Collect the data from all sources and involve local people in data collection, includ-

ing rapid assessments.

10. Analyse data from all sources.

11. Write a report that summarizes the key findings and points to evidence for imple-

menting a specific programme or set of activities.

12. Share the findings with stakeholders and with communities and groups from

which data was collected.

13. Based on collected data, identify the main groups of participants according to the

social-ecological model.

54 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

A. Introduction

252. e development of a communication for development strategy and action plan

requires a sound understanding of the problems, the characteristics of the concerned

population, and the behavioural, social and environmental factors that determine

the extent to which civil registration services are utilized and demanded. For that to

be achieved, the communication for development oce and the communication for

development subcommittee will use data or evidence from a situation analysis, also

called formative research.

253. Data collection and analysis should be guided by the social-ecological model

(see section D, eoretical framework, in the Introduction of this Handbook),

therefore including contextual issues and the complex interaction of factors at its

various levels (i.e., individual, interpersonal, community, organizational and policy

or enabling environment).

254. e present chapter focuses on describing key information to be collected, pro

viding a framework for analysis and identifying methods for data gathering. It is not

realistic to expect that every question raised during the analysis phase will be answered

in all contexts. However, it is always important to keep in mind the level of depth that

is required to understand the complex, multilayered and interconnected diversity of

factors that inuence people’s behaviours with regard to civil registration, vital statis

tics and identity management systems.

255. For conducting a situation analysis, a desk review of existing secondary data

from available surveys, studies and current databases will be conducted. At that point,

any assumptions on factors aecting demand for civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management should be checked against existing research. Considering the

available evidence, data gaps need to be identied to inform decisions on obtaining

primary data through additional studies commissioned to a research rm or consult

ant, who should apply relevant theories as appropriate. Methods for data collection are

discussed in the present chapter.

256. Practitioners may nd an interest in using a causality analysis framework as a

means to document what is already known and what is le to know, ensuring that

the analysis is deep enough to look at both immediate and underlying causes of the

problems and to get a broad view of its consequences. A limited analysis oen mis

leads the determination of objectives and/or strategies by focusing on eects more

than fundamental causes of the main problem, or by adopting wrong assumptions

about it.

257. While the present chapter packs all the steps for conducting the analysis, such

a process can be split in two phases: before and aer the approval of the initial

programme and the commitment of funds by the Government. e more steps that

are taken for a complete analysis to inform the initial programme, the more accu

rate the strategy, plan and subsequent budget will be. Sound evidence and quality

analysis will be a stronger backup for lobbying for resources. Nevertheless, as dis

cussed in chapter I, the chances to conduct a complete analysis and more accurate

planning before the commitment of funds will depend on already available data,

existing resources and the overall process for the development of the wider civil

registration, vital statistics and identity management improvement programme. In

a context of very limited resources, the analysis can at least build on any existing

information and on consultations with key stakeholders who can oer dierent

perspectives, including representatives from the general population. e frame

work provided by the present chapter should be considered in data collection and

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

analysis that will take place before the development of the initial communication

for development programme. At a minimum, the preliminary analysis for the ini

tial programme for government approval could include a problem statement, a pro-

gramme analysis and identication of major determinants of registration (see the

following sections).

258. e situation analysis should take into account particularities of the various

vital events, especially those prioritized by the overall civil registration, vital statis

tics and identity management improvement programme. While some factors may

be common for all vital events in a given context (e.g., discriminatory attitudes of

local registration ocers towards a particular population group), many others will be

specic to and exclusive of a concrete event (e.g., taboos related to death). An analysis

should clearly identify which factors aect all vital events, and which are specic to

particular events.

259. Guidance outlined in the present chapter can be applied in situation analysis for

dierent intervention aims, including all geographical levels and specic population

groups. Ideally, capacity should be ensured at the local level to make a light use of these

approaches to inform local tailoring of the national strategy.

260. e situation analysis is a rigorous research exercise that should be regularly

reviewed according to the evaluations’ timeline planned in the overall civil registra

tion, vital statistics and identity management improvement programme, or whenever

monitoring data reect signicant changes in the situation.

B. The planning process

261. Developing a communication for development strategy is not a complicated

nor long process. If the participatory approach and the coordination mechanism

described in chapter I is respected, the planning process will be a smooth one. Sec

tion D, eoretical framework, in the Introduction of the present Handbook pro-

vides information on the planning process, including the necessary steps to

follow.

262. When developing a communication for development strategy, each step should

be as participatory as possible. Participation in all steps of the process allows commu

nity representatives to participate in the decision-making process, oers them a sense

of ownership and helps communities be pro-active.

263. When talking about planning process, several steps are to be considered.

264. Step One is extensive and includes organization of planning workshops, iden

tication of goal and objectives, formative research, identication of main actors,

behavioural and communication analysis. During this step, a number of preparatory

activities are implemented:

(a) Planning formative research: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,

and Threats (SWOT), behavioural analysis, communication assessment,

analysis of determinants. Information on assessment and analysis will be

provided in the following sections. The research will be conducted by the

communication for development office, described in chapter I of the pre

sent Handbook, if the capacities to conduct such a research exist in-house.

An external consultant may be hired to support the communication for

development office.

(b) Bringing together all stakeholders from various structures of minimum

three days, the workshop will present the results of the formative research

See Global Communication

Strategy Development Guide

for Maternal, Newborn, Child

Health and Nutrition Programs.

UNICEF, 2015.

56 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

and the recommendations. A template agenda for the planning workshop

is provided in the annexes.

answered: What are the expected behavioural results? What are the stra

tegic approaches and main interventions? Who are the main audiences?

What are the messages and arguments? What are the roles of different

stakeholders? How the communication for development strategy will be

validated, funded, implemented, monitored and assessed?

265. Step Two deals with strategy design. Based on expected behavioural results and

the results of the planning workshop, the planned interventions will be ne-tuned.

e main questions to ask to ensure an eective implementation plan:

(a) Which communication interventions should be selected? Please note that a

combination of behaviour change communication, social-change commu

nication, community engagement, social mobilization, capacity-building

and advocacy should be planned to ensure the achievement of behavioural

results.

(b) Who will be the main implementing partners?

(d) Which are main messages, arguments and communication products? How

communication messages and materials will be disseminated?

(e) What mix of communication channels will be used?

(f) How the monitoring and evaluation of the strategy will be conducted?

What are the indicators and mean of verification?

(g) What is the total budget?

266. Step ree includes the development and testing of messages and materials. e

pre-testing and testing of messages and materials with representative groups is very

important for the success of the communication for development strategy.

267. Step Four refers to the implementation and monitoring of the activity plan.

During the implementation the capacity-building is essential, especially for inter

personal communicators, such as animators, peer educators, health workers,

teachers, registrars, local formal and informal leaders, religious leaders and so on.

Journalists should be co-opted as supporters of the strategy and trained accord

ingly. Communities will be mobilized to support and implement the communi-

cation for development strategy. A monitoring system will be established, with

indicators and monitoring plan. Based on monitoring data the activity plan and

interventions may be adjusted.

268. Step Five deals with evaluation and re-planning. Based on expected behav

ioural results, the outcomes and the impact will be assessed, and the results will be

discussed with the main stakeholders and the members of the communication for

development subcommittee of the inter-agency committee. e responsibility for

evaluation resides with the communication for development oce. Aer the evalu

ation, for the next period, the interventions may be re-planned. In the same time,

experience will be shared with wider global community, and the results and lessons

learned will be made public.

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

C. Formative research

1. Steps to be taken in planning the formative research

269. e following steps can be taken to make a formative research plan.

2. Methods for data collection

270. e analysis should be grounded on data collected from various sources. Infor-

mation needed for conducting the situation analysis is oen available through existing

data and research within civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems or from other actors/sources. Before considering conducting primary data

collection, the communication for development oce should rst review the existing

sources of recent secondary data that may include:

(a) Sociodemographic data from population and housing censuses, household

surveys and administrative records;

Ibid.

Steps for a formative research plan

The key for developing a comprehensive communication for development programme

is formative research, analysis of determinants of underregistration and identification of

programme participants. The following steps should be taken:

1. Collect and analyse the available information.

2. Define the need and the goal of the formative research.

3. Identify the intended communities and participants of interest.

4. Identify research questions.

5. Decide on a full or partial outsourcing of the research based on the capacities of the

communication for development office and the communication for development

subcommittee.

6. Determine the sources for secondary data.

7. Determine the sources for primary data:

(a) Define study population and participants;

(b) Develop the methodology (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods);

(d) Develop the data collection instruments (e.g., focus group discussion guide,

survey questionnaire);

(e) Pre-test the instruments.

8. Develop a research implementation plan (e.g., timeline, persons responsible for

specific tasks, and budget).

9. Collect the data from all sources and involve local people in data collection, includ-

ing rapid assessments

10. Analyse data from all sources.

11. Write a report that summarizes the key findings and points to evidence for imple-

menting a specific programme or set of activities.

12. Share the findings with stakeholders and with communities and groups from

which data was collected.

58 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

(b) Literature review/meta-analysis of relevant researches focused fully or

partially on the implementation of civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management, and on relevant factors affecting it. Existing socio

anthropological research reports, journals and articles may strongly facili-

tate understanding of the characteristics and sociocultural dynamics of

specific groups or the whole population;

figures and reports from any available civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management evaluation, and census campaigns) or NGOs (i.e.,

those working on birth registration or on issues that are considered rel

evant underlying factors like gender, health, education, cultural traditions,

taboos, demand for services that are conditioned to registration/proof of

identity, etc.), including reports to donor countries and multilateral insti

tutions;

(d) Data from international survey programmes or from organizations like

United Nations agencies or international NGOs. For instance, birth reg

istration is a priority for organizations like UNICEF and Plan Interna-

tional, which often develop situation analysis that may be applicable to the

declaration of other vital events, especially when low demand is linked to

the overall performance of civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management systems or the population’s perception of them. Main inter

national household survey programmes that collect data on birth registra-

tion are demographic and health surveys (DHS), supported by the United

States and multiple indicator cluster surveys, supported by UNICEF. They

can provide the baseline indicator for the highest level of results in birth

registration, percentage of children under age 5 with a birth certificate or

whose birth was reported as registered with civil authorities at the time

of survey. Those same surveys provide information on access to health

services, which will be useful to understand the actual reach of the health

system that is called to be one of the major gateways for communication

for development. Multiple indicator cluster surveys include indicators on

the use of mass media and information and communications technolo

gies;

(e) Strategies, plans, progress reports and evaluations. That includes pro

grammes with relevant similarities with civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management communication, which would allow identifying

good practices and lessons learned; or programmes where civil registration

could be integrated (e.g., immunization, nutrition, public legal education),

for which impact should be ascertained;

(f) Media audience reports and reach analysis that may be available at the level

of private sector (i.e., communication and advertising firms), the Govern

ment’s department of information and communication or organizations

conducting communication campaigns;

(g) Financial data from civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage

ment systems to understand the resources to be allocated to communica-

tion for development at national and subnational/decentralized levels;

(h) Audits of human resources structure, job descriptions, performance

records and supervision tools to understand the level of institutionaliza

tion and allocation of human resources for communication;

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

(i) Audits of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management infor-

mation, education and communication materials and of civil registration

forms/procedures for the general population, to assess their adequacy to

relevant population groups, particularly the most vulnerable;

(j) Notes from relevant stakeholders’ meetings, workshops, symposiums and

so on.

271. Additionally, other stakeholders may have plans for conducting any research

that may be relevant for the purposes of the civil registration, vital statistics and iden

tity management communication for development programme or where research

questions could be added. Countries sometimes conduct centralized research, and it

is possible to negotiate the inclusion of relevant questions related to civil registration.

272. If secondary data is non-existent, incomplete or out of date, the communica

tion for development oce will have to decide on the appropriate methods for collect-

ing primary data directly. Separate data collection tools should be developed for the

various participant groups and vulnerable segments of the population included in the

analysis, with the understanding that research may lead to the identication of addi

tional participant groups, particularly segments of the general population identied

as strong inuencers on primary groups. For instance, a survey may ask respondents

about people whose opinion is important to them when it comes to civil registration,

and family elders may appear as one relevant group that the analysis may want to

explore further.

273. Primary data collection should blend quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Quantitative methods are most useful for obtaining rates in behaviour adoption,

attitudes, knowledge and so on, since they provide reliable data representative

to the concerned population. Quantitative data are also important for campaign

evaluation and tracking progress, for example, the percentage of people who agree

that registration is important before and aer the campaign is a good indicator of

how successful the campaign was. However, they require some previous knowledge

about the research topic and do not allow for elaboration of answers. Qualitative

research should not be neglected since it will facilitate in-depth descriptive infor

mation about issues like people’s feelings and motivations, concerns, diversity of

perspectives, decision-making processes and underlying factors. Qualitative mark

ers will be quantied, as they can oer an in-depth view on existing issues. It can

provide insights for the design of quantitative research and explain its ndings

aerwards. Quantitative data focus on who is doing what, when, where and how,

while qualitative data explore the reasons why.

274. Primary sources of information include population/household/organization

surveys, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, eld observation, expert opin

ion/key informant interviews, community/social mapping, SWOT analysis, top of the

mind associations, public consultations and content analysis. Knowledge, attitudes

and practices surveys are an instrument commonly used in communication for devel

opment. However, those three dimensions may not be enough, and others may need to

be added to respond to the analysis questions and on the basis of the theories and

concepts selected to frame the analysis. In the case other more in-depth answers are

needed, anthropological studies should be conducted. If there are social norms aect

ing civil registration or the programme uses a social norm approach (i.e., turning civil

registration into a social norm), surveys should include some basic additional analyti

cal categories that will allow understanding the population/community’s expecta-

tions. Participatory research techniques (i.e., qualitative or quantitative) are also

60 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

recommended especially for small-scale research and research with the most deprived

and underserved groups.

275. Research can be used for dierent purposes: formative research, assessment of

immediate reactions or pre-testing, monitoring processes, or evaluation of outcome

and impact.

At that stage, the programme uses formative research to conduct the

situation analysis and establish the programme’s baselines. e chances for primary

data collection and the concrete methods to be applied depend on the available

resources. As suggested in chapter I, the initial plan presented to the government for

approval and allocation of sucient resources should include a budget line for forma

tive research that will inform the complete strategy. But if there is a possibility of con-

ducting research before government approval, that should be done.

276. If scarce resources limit the capacity to conduct formative research, at least an

in-depth review of secondary data, consultations with key informants and stakehold

ers through focus groups and interviews, and direct observation in registration sites

should be carried out. Findings could be presented in a stakeholders’ participatory

meeting with the involvement of relevant experts and eld sta. e same meeting

would be used as a forum for developing the basic inputs of a shared communication

situation analysis with the support of a skilled facilitator. e analysis would then be

further completed by the communication for development oce with the assistance

of the facilitator and/or whomever has conducted the qualitative data collection, and

presented to the same group for validation.

3. Analysis of causes and determinants

277. During the research, the problem statement should be developed, and the causal

analysis will be conducted. e causal analysis will be a rst step, aer an analysis of

determinants is conducted. e causal analysis and the subsequent problem statement

will be based on the following questions:

(a) Where and why people do not register their vital events (e.g., birth, death,

marriage, divorce, adoption)?

(b) How many people lack legal identity credentials?

(d) What are the key factors influencing the registration rates?

(e) What practices at the individual, community and policy levels keep people

from registering their vital events?

(f) What is the economic, social and cultural context?

(g) How are the registration services being provided?

(h) What are the most important gaps in service provision?

(i) Are there sufficient human resources and capacity?

(j) What is the quality of registration promotion?

(k) How accessible are the registration services?

(l) What are the monitoring and evaluation capacities?

(m) What are the key challenges to address at individual, family, community,

regional and national levels?

(n) What are the expected behaviours and practices to address the problem?

(o) What are the communication channels and community dialogue mecha

nisms to address the problem?

(p) Are there available resources to solve the issue?

An important resource centre

for participatory methods,

not only research, is hosted by

the Institute for Development

Studies. See www.participa-

torymethods.org.

Guidance on how to research,

monitor and evaluate strategic

communication can be found

in Essentials for Excellence:

Research, Monitoring and

Evaluating Strategic Communi-

cation for Behaviour and Social

Change with Special Reference

to the Prevention and Control

of Avian Inﬂuenza and Pan-

demic Inﬂuenza. UNICEF, 2008.

Available at www.unicef.org/

cbsc/ﬁles/Essentials_for_excel-

lence.pdf.

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

278. Communication for development is one of the key components of an over-

all civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improvement pro-

gramme. e situation analysis should begin by understanding the problem to be

addressed within the general civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage

ment context, so that demand creation strategies and interventions can be aligned

with the improvement programme’s goals and objectives. A problem statement

should capture in a brief and concise manner the nature, scope, severity and causes

of the problem(s) that constitute the general framework for the communication for

development programme.

279. An initial problem analysis focuses on answering the following questions based

on the review of current literature, existing civil registration coverage data, demo

graphic data, survey results, study ndings and any other information available on the

problem:

(a) A description of the problem normally expressed in terms of low civil reg

istration coverage. The description should be accurate regarding the vital

events affected, and eventually any significant differences in coverage rates

among the various vital events;

(b) Identification of the population affected by the problem, with attention

to the mapping of the most deprived and underserved groups: who are

they, where and why? Civil registration coverage data disaggregated by

gender, language, literacy level, ethnic group, religious group, geograph

ical/administrative division and so on should be studied for that end;

principle that would be linked to the ways in which low coverage is pre

venting the population from enjoying the relevant concrete benefits of

high-quality civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems;

(d) A causality analysis addressing immediate and underlying causes with ref

erence to data from any existing surveys or database. There may be also

academic literature on cultural and social practices affecting civil registra

tion, including for instance taboos around death or traditions related to

birth and marriage. Most relevant identified determinants to civil regis

tration at all levels of the social-ecological model (e.g., individual, inter-

personal, community, organizational, and policy/enabling environment)

should be reflected here. Determinants will be explored in more detail

during the context analysis step. But that problem analysis should capture

what the programme has revealed so far;

(e) Description of the immediate, short- and long-term measures being taken

to address the problem, including the fields of legal, organizational and

technical aspects of civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage

ment systems as well as of communication;

(f) Indication of the changes needed to overcome the problem(s), which in fact

should match the key goals and objectives set in the overall civil registra

tion, vital statistics and identity management improvement plan for the

contribution of the demand creation programme.

280. e resulting problem statement should be worded in terms of what people are

doing or are not doing (i.e., behaviours) and how that contributes to the low cover

age of civil registration. at behavioural component will be the concrete focus of the

demand creation programme’s contribution. e problem statement should indicate if

additional research is also required.

62 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

281. During the early stages of the organization of the communication for develop-

ment programme, before the approval of the programme and commitment of funds

by the Government, the identication of problem areas and priorities for the overall

civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improvement plan is done

on the basis of a national in-depth evaluation of the current status of the develop

ment of the country’s civil registration, vital statistics and identity management sys-

tems or through other means. Working in coordination and collaboration with the

overall national inter-agency coordination committee that oversees the country’s civil

registration, vital statistics and identity management improvement programme, the

communication for development subcommittee should have taken the lead in data

collection and analysis of behaviour and social determinants to registration, and in

formulating the priorities that are specic to encourage civil registration. e problem

analysis addressed in the present chapter should have been, in fact, conducted during

this very initial work of the communication for development subcommittee for the

identication of problem areas and priorities as part of the preparation of preliminary

documentation for the Government.

282. e analysis of determinants and bottlenecks

of a complete and timely registra-

tion and the production of vital statistics is important to inform the strategy develop-

ment. Determinants would be grouped according to their nature, and would be

prioritized for action in the following broad categories (see table 2).

Table 2

Description of determinants by category

Categories Determinants Description

Enabling environment: The social,

political, budgetary, and institutional

determinants necessary to achieve results

Social norms Widely followed social rules

of behaviour

Legislation/policy Adequacy of laws and policies

Budget/expenditure Allocation and distribution of

required resources

Management/coordination Roles and accountability/

coordination/partnership

Supply: The actual operational capacity

of the relevant instructions, actors and

system(s) accountable for the provision

of services, pro-motion of practices and

behaviours

Availability of essential

commodities/inputs

Essential commodities/inputs

required to deliver a service or

adopt a practice

Access to adequately

staﬀed services, facilities

and information

Physical access (i.e., services,

facilities/information)

Demand: The geographic, ﬁnancial, social

and cultural factors that facilitate or hinder

the target population with regard to ben-

eﬁting from the services, facilities, systems

or desired practices

Financial access Direct and indirect costs for

services/practices

Social and cultural practices

and beliefs

Individual/community beliefs,

awareness, behaviours, practices,

attitudes

Timing and continuity

of use

Completion/continuity in service,

practice

Quality: Compliance with minimum

standards that are deﬁned through national

or international norms for eﬀective coverage

of a service, system or practice

Quality of care Adherence to required quality

standards (national or interna-

tional norms)

283. Some examples of determinants collected in Burkina Faso during a focus

group with mayors of Ouagadougou are linked to marriages and divorces, as shown

in table 3.

See UNICEF, Enhanced Pro-

gramming and Results Through

Monitoring Results for Equity

Systems (MoRES), Brieﬁng Note,

2013.

See Global Communication

Strategy Development Guide

for Maternal, Newborn, Child

Health and Nutrition Programs,

UNICEF, 2015.

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

Table 3

Burkina Faso: examples of determinants related to marriage and divorce

Categories Determinants Description

Enabling environment Social norms The festive nature of marriage may not encourage

thinking about initiating an administrative process.

Some categories of people are afraid of marriage

because of inheritance issues.

People in the informal sector and peasants do not feel

concerned about civil marriage (i.e., customary marriage

is the preferred option).

Legislation/policy Slow and lengthy procedure that requires going through

diﬀerent services (e.g., taxes to obtain a document):

photocopies of the identity cards of the married and

witnesses, prenuptial medical paper, paper attesting the

local residence, birth certiﬁcates and marriage contract

to be obtained by the notary.

Choice of matrimonial regime that is problematic

(e.g., polygamy or monogamy) in the community or with

separation of property or participation in assets.

Budget/expenditure Infrastructure issues: the registration centres have to wait

to obtain legally marked documents from the courts.

Wedding halls are not adapted and are cramped.

Marriages can be celebrated without a family booklet

(i.e., inadequate training of agents).

Management/

coordination

Non-availability of qualiﬁed human resources

(e.g., very short training, city hall where there is a plural-

ity of options).

Supply Availability of

essential

commodities/inputs

Lack of proper registers made available by the courts

(which slows down the process).

Access to adequately

staﬀed services,

facilities and

information

Considerable distance to access adequate services and

information.

Lack of infrastructure and information (i.e., no training

or material available).

Illiteracy makes it diﬃcult to access information.

Demand Financial access Residence tax (i.e., price attached to taxes and water and

electricity bill) and the cost of marriage makes the cost of

the ﬁle unaﬀordable.

High transportation costs and several visits necessary to

Social and cultural

practices and beliefs

Primacy of customary rather than civil marriage.

Marriages forced through a family arrangement (in the

northern region).

Pressure from parents (on both sides, but especially the

fathers) who push not to make a civil marriage.

Timing and

continuity of use

It takes too much time to gather all necessary documents

and to register a marriage.

Quality Quality of service The quality of services is very low, the completed forms

are not always recognized by foreign embassies.

The completeness of the registration is not ensured.

284. Each of the 10 determinants relates to one or more levels of the social-ecological

model.

Ibid.

64 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Figure 6

Determinants by level of intervention

285. In general, it should be emphasized that the greatest barrier to registration is

lack of awareness of or indierence to the need for registration, as well as historical

reluctance and cultural objections. Registration is not generally viewed as being very

important in many developing countries, where many people are more concerned with

survival. e communication for development programme should provide people with

information about the benets and requirements of registration, motivate and support

them in taking concrete individual and collective action; enable dialogue around civil

registration, vital statistics and identity management and participation in addressing

main determinants of the low registration rates; and facilitate opportunities for com

munities to inuence the delivery of civil registration services and build trust between

service users and providers. e following factors usually contribute to a low level of

registration, and indicate indierence on the part of the population and the inadequacy

of many current civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems:

(a) Lack of interest among parents and parties to a marriage;

(b) Ignorance about the law requiring the compulsory registration of births,

deaths, marriages and divorces;

(d) The distance from the place of occurrence to the registration centre;

(e) A common belief that if a child is baptized its birth is already registered.

286. Determinants of ineective registration in several countries mentioned below

illustrate the type of problems that might also be present in any given country. e

analysis of problems under the framework proposed in the present chapter and the

identication of the participant groups will allow for the design of tailored commu

nication for development strategies directed towards those groups. Communication

for development combined with incentives would be the best approach to direct those

population groups to register vital and civil status events.

Societal/Policy

Services/

Organizational

Community

Family/

individual

Social norms

Quality of care

Legislation

Budget

Commodities and info

Staed services

Management

Timing and continuity

Budget

Social norms

Practices and beliefs

Quality of care

Timing and continuity

Financial access

Social norms

Practices and beliefs

Quality of care

Timing and continuity

Financial access

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

287. Along with specic strategies, the Government should increase the demand

for vital event certicates (or copies of vital records) and should enforce the laws and

reporting procedures. Examples of how that can be done within dierent cultures is

to require ocial vital event certicates in order to be able to use various religious

services, to qualify for land allocation, jurisdictions for group settlements, acknowl

edging citizenship to entitle people to health care and to access a number of other

social services. us, in the long run, constraints will have a diminishing eect on the

completeness of the system and will eventually disappear.

288. e examples described below illustrate how a wide range of factors including

perceptions, cultural beliefs and traditions, social norms and so on aect the registra

tion completeness and timeliness in Botswana, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Peru, the

Philippines and Zimbabwe. e examples also illustrate how sociobehavioural factors

interact with and are oen inuenced by the wider environment, including the legal,

administrative and technical aspects of civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management systems.

289. Resistance to registration of births and deaths may originate from deeply rooted

cultural inhibitions, namely, beliefs and practices associated with the birth of a child

or the death of a family member. Any questions from an outsider relating to those

events are considered intrusions into the intimate aairs of the family and commu

nity. Death, in particular, being a sad event, creates a state of mind in which the need

for registration or detailing particulars about the death and the deceased can hardly

bring the consolation that a family would expect at such a time, especially if it is not

conveyed in accordance with the local culture.

290. Several traditions inuence directly the civil registration. In some cases, naming

of a child is delayed for seven days, during which time a mother is prohibited from

exiting the house, and a child is considered as existing only aer that period of seven

days and aer the naming ceremony, so no registration of the child happens during

that period of connement.

291. In Burkina Faso people do not speak about deceased nor mention the name. e

burial is usually done within few hours aer death. Many times, people are buried

in their garden or near the house. In some regions, burying people on a piece of land

gives to their successors the right to use that land.

292. When discussing the use of population registers for vital statistics purposes, the

Principles and Recommendations

states that gathering considerable information

about individuals in a single system, including sensitive medical data on fetal deaths

and causes of deaths, raises fears concerning disclosure as well as acquisition of too

much knowledge regarding individual lives. In cases in which concerns about intru

sion into the private lives of persons and about condentiality risks may be spreading

among the public, action should be undertaken to demonstrate the advantages of the

system. In addition, the demand creation programme can also support advocacy

eorts for countries to put in place all the regulations, systems and practices needed to

prevent any misuse of this important statistical source and to ensure that the authori

ties always practice transparency when using the population register.

293. Other examples of determinants of low registration rate refer to the service char

acteristics and performance, for instance the complexity of procedures, the non-appli-

cation of the gratuity of civil registration by local ocers, discriminatory practices

or other aspects related to the interpersonal communication skills of system’s actors.

For instance, discrimination against a single mother of a child born out of wedlock

may prevent birth registration from taking place. e communication for develop

ment programme can serve to strengthen the interpersonal communication capacity

Principles and Recommenda-

tions for a Vital Statistics System,

Rev. 3, 2014.

66 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

of local registrars and other actors mandated to do the declaration or the registration

of vital events, and to the establishment of user feedback and social accountability

mechanisms for individuals and communities to have a stronger capacity to inuence

service delivery.

D. Programme analysis

294. e programme analysis step in the strategy development concerns any exist-

ing civil registration, vital statistics and identity management communication pro-

gramme previously conducted and/or interventions designed to respond to the issue(s)

described in the problem statement. e programme analysis starts with an inven

tory of the past and current programmes to increase demand for civil registration, as

well as changes to the service delivery or the policy framework that may have been

implemented to address demand bottlenecks (e.g., revision of declaration procedures

to make them more user friendly). Any available documentation will be compiled and

used to determine their impact and to identify good practices and lessons learned. e

extent to which the programme addresses the social and behavioural factors described

and covers the priority populations and geographical locations identied in the above

problem analysis should be determined.

295. e systems’ structure and capacity for communication for development is also

analysed: is there an ED/COM oce within the agencies responsible for civil registra

tion, vital statistics and identity management? What is the level of sta’s dedication

to communication at dierent levels of the systems? Do the existing plans and pro

grammes integrate communication? Do budgets include a budget for the demand crea-

tion component? What are the available data monitoring and evaluation mechanisms?

296. e actual contribution of the dierent partners and allies is described as well,

including government agencies, donors, civil society organizations and international

NGOs, faith-based organizations, multilateral organizations, media, private sector and

so on who are signicant participants in the programme at national, subnational and

local level. at may include an inventory of related programmes and agencies respon

sible for them, for example, parenting education or public legal education programmes

that may have included civil registration promotion components. All communication

materials produced so far should also be compiled, together with a discussion on how

they have been used and how eective they have been.

297. An inventory of existing policies is needed to identify the parameters for the

demand creation programme. at refers to both overall civil registration, vital statis

tics and identity management policies, as well as any existing national policies related

to communication for development. Any policies concerning civil registration, vital

statistics and identity management that require changes should have been already

identied by the overall improvement programme, which needs to be taken into

account by the communication for development component.

298. When discussing what has been done to date, relevant changes envisaged by the

civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improvement programme

should be taken into account. Policy, legal, administrative and technical measures may

aect demand and provide opportunities for the delivery of the communication for

development programme.

299. At that point, a sound communication quality assessment would be extremely

useful for countries where a communication programme already exists. Such an

assessment would inform the capacity-building component of the strategy and plan. It

would focus on a set of topics, or a selection of them according to the programme

needs, including theory-driven planning and design; collection and use of data; nego

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

tiation and strategic partnerships; development of strategies; implementation of com-

munication strategies; strengthening of sta competencies, implementation structure,

supervision of the quality of service delivery, research, monitoring and evaluation

frameworks and mechanisms; use of research for evaluating impact; and utilization

and communication of results. Available quality-assessment tools, namely in the eld

of public health, can be adapted and/or applied to civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management communication for development programmes.

300. As mentioned in chapter I, the programme analysis is one of the steps that could

be easily addressed as part of the elaboration of the concept for communication for

development programme to be presented for the government’s approval and commit

ment of funds.

E. Identification of participants and their behaviour

301. Following the programme analysis, the analysis of the participants and their

behaviour is needed. While the analysis of their behaviour is addressed in the follow

ing paragraphs, the identication of participant groups determines the people to be

involved in programme activities in order to achieve the communication objectives,

based on their characteristics, their current inuence on the identied problem(s) and/

or the role they are expected to play, and the resources that each of them can access to

increase and sustain increase in civil registration rates.

302. In communication for development, the concept of target group, audience or

actor is replaced with the concept of participants. at way, the main principle of the

communication for development is the full participation of all identied intended

groups in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the strate

gies and programmes. Consistently with this, and with the central role of dialogue

and participation in communication for development, the traditional jargon of “target

groups” is replaced here with “participant groups”.

303. Identication of participant groups is a core element in communication for

development since specic communication strategies, channels, activities and con

tents will depend on their characteristics and roles; on their knowledge, attitudes and

practices; and on their level of resistance to change.

304. Such groups are at the same time target audiences of and participants in the

communication for development programme. For instance, local religious leaders may

be addressed through a workshop to discuss the importance and benets of civil reg

istration, vital statistics and identity management systems; how consistent civil reg-

istration is with religious norms; and how they can support the promotion of civil

registration services. e objective is engaging them in promotion activities, and they

may decide to include the topic in the weekly prayers, becoming active participants

in the programme. erefore, such groups are not expected to be mere recipients of

information, but to take concrete actions to achieve behavioural objectives.

1. Identification of participants (social-ecological model)

305. As presented in the Introduction, communication for development bases its

approaches on the social-ecological model,

which represents a theoretical framework

to understand the levels of inuence on a certain behaviour. ere are ve nested,

hierarchical levels of the model: individual, interpersonal, community, organizational,

and policy/enabling environment (see gure 7). Table 4 provides a brief description of

each of the levels of the model.

A useful resource is the Social

and Behavior Change Commu-

nication Capacity Assessment

Tool included in the C-Change

SBCC Toolkit, FHI 360, 2012.

It includes three versions: for

organizations, donors and

networks, and individuals.

Available at https://c-change-

program.org/resources/sbcc-

capacity-assessment-tool.

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, The Social-Ecolog-

ical Model: A Framework for

Prevention. Available at www.

cdc.gov/violenceprevention/

about/social-ecologicalmodel.

html; and Global Communica-

tion Strategy Development

Guide for Maternal, Newborn,

Child Health and Nutrition

Programs, UNICEF, 2014.

68 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Figure 7

Social-ecological model

Table 4

Description of the levels of the social-ecological model

Social-ecological model

level

Description

Community level (micro)

Individual (primary) Characteristics of an individual that inﬂuence behaviour change, includ-

ing knowledge, attitudes, behaviour, self-eﬃcacy, developmental history,

gender, age, religious identity, racial/ethnic/caste identity, sexual orientation,

socioeconomic status, ﬁnancial resources, values, goals, expectations, literacy,

stigma and others.

Interpersonal (secondary) Formal (and informal) social networks and social support systems that can

inﬂuence individual behaviours, including family, friends, peers, co-workers,

religious networks, customs or traditions.

Community (tertiary) Relationships among organizations, institutions, and informational networks

within deﬁned boundaries, including the built environment (e.g., parks),

village associations, community leaders, businesses, and transportation.

Organizational (meso) Organizations or social institutions with rules and regulations for operations

that aﬀect how, or how well, for example, civil registration services are

provided to an individual or group.

Policy and enabling

environment (macro)

Local, state, national and global laws and policies, including policies regarding

the allocation of resources and access to services, restrictive policies (e.g., high

fees or taxes for services), or lack of policies.

306. Based on the social-ecological model, the participants will be identied for each

of the above-described levels. e overall civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management improvement programme’s objectives, particularly those adopted by the

communication for development programme as the premise for its communication

strategy, and information from the situation analysis should be the basis for deter

See Global Communication

Strategy Development Guide

for Maternal, Newborn, Child

Health and Nutrition Programs,

UNICEF, 2015.

Policy/enabling

environment

(national, state, local laws)

Organizational

(organizations and

social institutions)

Community

(relationships between

organizations)

Interpersonal

(family, friends,

social networks)

Individual

(knowledge, attitudes,

behaviours)

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

mining the participants in the communication for development plan. As discussed

previously, the situation analysis focuses on the behavioural component, that is, what

people are doing or are not doing (i.e., their behaviours) and how that contributes to

the low coverage of civil registration. Now it is about accurately identifying the people

who are enacting such behaviours. In further stages, data will help determine how

ready the majority of each group is to change behaviours.

307. Communication strategies sometimes target mostly primary participants. ese

are for instance, in the case of civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage

ment, the individuals who should declare vital events for their registration. However,

a communication for development strategy will usually require interventions speci

cally designed for participants at other levels in order to build the supportive environ-

ment for high demand for civil registration.

308. ere will be multiple participant groups depending upon which level(s) of

the social-ecological model will be addressed. Separate data-collection tools

should be developed for each of them. e present Handbook works on the assump-

tion that determinants to eective registration exist at all levels of the social-

ecological model.

309. Consistently with the social-ecological model, the Principles and Recommenda

tions refer to the several groups of persons involved in civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management systems in one way or another, whose understanding and

cooperation should be secured through communication. ose groups encompass

the general public; representatives of institutions, professions and agencies; senior

government ocials; and personnel working directly within the registration or vital

statistics systems. ose groups are presented in the next section so as to enable accu

rate analysis and planning.

310. In order to facilitate the identication and visualization of the participant groups

and their interrelations from a social-ecological perspective, it is common to place the

groups in ve concentric circles, putting the primary participants in the centre and

other participants in the subsequent circles (see gure 7).

311. Primary participants are the persons whose behaviour is the main indicator of

programme success. e primary participant does not necessarily coincide with the

beneciary of the intervention. For instance, in birth registration the beneciary is the

newborn child, but it is the mother/parents whose attitude and action are critical for

achieving high birth-registration coverage.

312. Secondary participants are people who have contact with primary participants

and whose actions strongly inuence their behaviour. ey share the same cultural

and social environment with primary participants and may also be directly aected

by the problem(s). at category usually includes grandparents and other relatives,

friends or neighbours.

313. Tertiary participants encompass people in the community who allow for cer

tain activities and control resources, including access to, demand for and quality of

services: local registrars, community health workers, local religious leaders and faith-

based organizations, local media, health management committees, school teachers

and so on.

314. Participants at the meso (organizational) level represent those who will be

directly involved in programme implementation. ey are organizations responsible

for civil registration, vital statistics and identity management, or other professional

groups that can contribute to the achievement of results. ey may include NGOs,

mass media at the regional level and executive bodies of various state authorities.

70 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

315. Participants at macro (policy and enabling environment) level are those whose

actions indirectly inuence the behaviours of participants in the other rings by their

power to make decisions and control the broader political, social, cultural and eco

nomic environment and communication channels. ey are essential for dening the

policy and legal framework of civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage

ment systems, resource and institutionalize the communication for development pro-

gramme and enact other components of civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management improvement. at category may include policy and lawmakers, national

religious leaders, professional associations, national NGOs and leaders of civil society

organizations, national media and so on.

316. Since the identication of participant groups is mainly looking at people, we may

nd representatives of same institutions in both micro and meso groups. For instance,

a midwife working in a public health facility would be a tertiary participant, while

the minister of health and high-level ocials from the Ministry of Health would be

macro-level participants.

317. It is not rare to nd diculties in placing actors at the right level. Specially

during participatory analysis and planning involvement of stakeholders, signicant

amounts of time are spent in discussing if a given participant group should be cat

egorized as primary, secondary, tertiary, meso or macro. e important thing is to

accurately capture all relevant stakeholders in terms of people (not institutions), the

relations between groups, and to link them to the right strategies in the next phase.

Identication of participant groups should be specic to the possible extent, avoiding

generic terms like “stakeholders” or “community members”. e more the planning

exercise takes place at the local/micro level, the more specic the identication of par

ticipant groups can and should be.

318. e identication of participant groups should pay attention to equity and gen

der issues. To that end, underserved and most deprived groups may require a separate

analysis, or at least consideration of participant groups that may be exclusive to them.

For instance, communication with a minority religious group will most probably

count on their local and national leaders, while religious factors may not have a signi

cant inuence for the rest of the population. Or a gender empowerment programme

may provide an excellent gateway to reach women with information and counseling

on marriage and divorce registration.

319. Aer all possible participant groups have been identied on the basis of the prob

lem analysis, the communication for development subcommittee and the communica-

tion for development oce should prioritize them for action in keeping with the overall

national plan of action for civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

improvement, which will have determined problem areas, goals and objectives, and

strategies to achieve the desired results. e focus should be put on tertiary, meso and

macro participants who have the most inuence on primary participants, who are

more accessible to the programme, who would respond well to capacity-building and/

or who are already engaged in similar activities.

320. An extensive listing of participant groups and individual members and leaders/

heads, including contact data, should be elaborated at a later stage before implementa

tion. In fact, some of them will have been identied at the moment of creation of the

communication for development subcommittee. Following the identication of par

ticipant groups, the communication for development programme would benet from

updating the membership of the subcommittee as needed.

321. It is important to tailor the communication for development activities to each

group. e identication of such groups is the initial step in the design of eective

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

communication for development programmes. e categories of the largest target

groups that should be approached for their cooperation and assistance are as follows:

(a) General population;

(b) Civil registration staff;

(d) Identity management staff;

(e) Medical societies/practitioners;

(f) Hospitals, health clinics; township hospitals, rural health stations, mobile

health units, public health officials, nursing homes and homes for the

elderly;

(g) Coroners (or their equivalents);

(h) Midwives, birth attendants;

(i) Funeral directors and morticians (or their equivalents);

(j) Religious authorities/groups/spiritual leaders;

(k) Persons responsible for customary religious/traditional marriages;

(l) Registrars responsible for civil marriages;

(m) The courts, law societies and legal education officials;

(n) Organizations concerned with relevant health education/promotion pro

grammes and campaigns;

(o) Organizations concerned with human rights;

(p) Appropriate educational institutions and groups;

(q) Public opinion makers, regional and community leaders, tribal chiefs, and

village elders;

(r) Women’s groups and associations;

(s) Government (e.g., Heads of State, concerned ministers and deputy minis

ters, and regional and local government officials and so on);

(t) Main users of civil registration/vital statistics information and data

(including planners, policymakers and researchers).

322. ose are categories of participant groups, not the actual participants (people)

themselves. One same category may include various people at the same or dierent

levels. For instance, religious authorities/groups/spiritual leaders embed local reli

gious leaders (tertiary participants) and national leaders of the same religious group

(macro-level participants). In general terms, dierent participant groups within one

same category should be analysed separately since they may face dierent challenges,

be expected to play dierent roles, and therefore participate in dierent type of activi

ties and receive adapted information. Packing of groups for planning purposes would

be possible only if the analysis of their behaviours resulted in signicant similarities.

323. Because the categories listed above will all play important roles in the success

ful implementation of improved civil registration, vital statistics and identity man-

agement systems, it is very important that the communication for development oce

identies the leaders of those groups and their inuential members so that communi

cation activities may be directed to them to obtain their close cooperation and partici-

pation in the planning and implementation of the overall programme.

324. e directory of potential participants will be created, as previously recom

mended, and some of the persons listed in the directory will have responsibilities at

the national level; others will be involved at the regional, or provincial/state/county

level; and the interests of others will be at the local community level. If a decentralized

72 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

registration system is used, then the directory listings must reect the actual regis-

tration organizational structure in a manner that will not only facilitate contacting

specic occupational or interest groups but will also enable them to be contacted by

geographic area as well. Actually, it is fundamental that communication with par

ticipant groups takes place horizontally at the corresponding geographical/adminis-

trative level through the communication for development leaders, who should have

the relevant listings available and can denitely contribute to elaborating them for

their own use. Additionally, in many cases, vertical communication from the central/

national level to decentralized levels may be better conducted jointly with the national

leaders/heads of the corresponding groups, and they may opt for submitting commu

nication products through their own structures. For that reason, in order to optimize

the use of resources, the need for elaborating a centralized directory for each group

should be discussed before operations start.

325. e directory should include the name, position or title, postal address, email

address and telephone number (and fax or telex number) of every leader or inuential

member categorized under each of the target groups. Updating the directory should

be a continuous process.

326. Some people in the directory will be listed under two (or more) categories. For

example, a physician may be a member of a medical society (category 3), be on the sta

of a hospital (category 4), and be a member of a human rights organization (category

13). Some provision must be made for cross-referencing such multiple listings.

327. For the general population group (category 1), it will be practical and valuable

to compile a list (by their geographic locations and rural settlements) of groups of

underserved and most deprived groups, such as illiterate, nomadic or aboriginal peo

ple, whose events may not be registered. Such special population groups should be

involved in many aspects of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

registration improvement, and they should be targeted by the communication for

development programme. Engaging those groups in civil registration would be one of

the most important tasks of the programme.

(a) Participants at the micro (community) level

Primary participants

328. Primary participants are basically those who should require registration of their

vital events (parents or fathers of the child for birth registration, close relatives of the

deceased for death registration etc., depending on the scope of the programme). In fact,

all the general population is concerned, since all individuals are potentially touched

by the ensemble of vital events that should be registered and the need of legal identity

credentials. However, when setting the exact interventions, the exact group of people

should be identied. Individuals have an important role in providing information for

notication forms or directly declaring the occurrence of vital events. Moreover, their

active demand, as people directly concerned by the benets of registration, for civil

registration should serve to hold providers accountable for delivering high-quality

registration services, therefore becoming a game changer in improving civil registra

tion, vital statistics and identity management systems. For that reason, the general

population is expected to understand the value of civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management systems and demand civil registration of vital events as both a

right and a responsibility.

329. At the least, the general public must be made aware on a long-term, con

tinuous basis of the registration compulsoriness, its requirements and its benets.

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

Nevertheless, additional objectives and results may be dened based on the analysis,

like improving attitudes, beliefs or self-ecacy of specic groups.

330. It is not necessary to compile a list of the country’s general population from any

census or electoral lists for the purpose of the programme. For the purpose of infor

mation, the best strategy is to reach the general population through media and other

communication techniques, with informative spots/articles about what registration is,

the benets, and how to do it to raise general public enlightenment. A strong brand

ing around the idea of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management as a

public service and an essential tool for fullling human rights and enhancing govern

ance may be a good option for communication with the general population. Appropri-

ate attention should then be directed to the specic groups, whose behaviour should

be changed, paying particular attention to interpersonal communication, community

mobilization and capacity-building.

331. e Principles and Recommendations indicate the appropriate informant or

source of information for the registration of vital events, and suggested alternates, in

priority order of preference for the various types of events, considering dierent sce

narios. e list of appropriate informants for priority vital events provides a base for

segmentation of the general population into concrete participant groups.

332. Live birth and fetal death: the head of the institution (or designee) if the event

occurred in an institution, or the mother, the father, the attendant at the delivery, the

nearest relative of the mother or any other adult person having knowledge of the facts.

333. Infant death: the head of the institution (or designee) if event occurred in an

institution, or the mother, the father, the nearest relative of the mother or any other

adult person having knowledge of the facts.

334. Death of an adult person: the head of the institution (or designee) if event

occurred in an institution, or the nearest relative of the decedent, or any other adult

person having knowledge of the facts.

335. Marriage: the bride and the bridegroom.

336. Divorce: either of the parties or the petitioner of divorce.

337. Subsequently, concrete primary participant groups would be the parents for

birth, fetal death and infant death; nearest relative of the decedent for death of an adult

person; bride and bridegroom for marriage, petitioner or parties of a divorce.

Secondary participants

338. Nearest relatives and other adult persons having knowledge of the facts will be

considered secondary participants, as they are also alternate informants and inuenc

ers. Information delivered to this group should include an appeal to the role of such

alternate informants: for example, “If you are the nearest relative of the newborn child,

make sure the birth is registered”. is type of message appeals to both their role as

potential informants and as inuencers of parents.

339. Other participant groups within the nearest relatives may need to be identied

depending on the social dynamics and cultural norms specic to the context. For

example, in birth registration, if parents are the primary participants, then second

ary participants may include, for example, the grandmother or other senior women

in the family, depending on the cultural norms that may dene a strong inuence of

certain family members in parenting practices. Another example is the case of friends

and peers. For birth and marriage registration, other couples who have recently mar

ried or had a child may be a reliable and inuential source of information and opinion

for other couples who are planning marriage or parenthood. As satised users, newly

Principles and Recommenda-

tions for a Vital Statistics System,

Rev. 3, 2014.

74 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

married couples who have registered their marriage are in a good position to advocate

for registration, provide advice to their social networks, contribute to build self-e

cacy by guiding others across the procedure, or dispelling negative rumors about civil

registration. e importance of that kind of participant groups cannot be overempha

sized since evidence from behaviour and social change communication interventions

in public health frequently shows that word of mouth is one of the most important

channels of communication and that relatives, friends and peers are very relevant

sources of information.

(b) Participants attributed to tertiary, meso and macro levels

Civil registration, vital statistics and identity management staff

340. It is of the utmost importance that all levels of the sta of civil registration,

vital statistics and identity management systems be fully involved in all aspects of the

improvement programme and communication for development activities. Local civil

registrars, and eventually other sta in local registration units, would be the concrete

tertiary participants within this category. Sta of civil registration and vital statistics

systems at other levels would be included as meso- or macro-level participants. As

birth registration represents an entry into the identity management systems, and the

death registration represents an exit from those systems, the sta of the agency that

manages identity credentials needs to be fully incorporated in the communication

strategy.

341. Local registrars are not responsible only for the direct delivery of civil registra

tion services. According to the Principles and Recommendations,

local registrars

have a duty to adopt such measures as are required to enable the public to be informed

of the necessity, procedures and requirements of registration, and the value of vital

statistics. ey are also expected to maintain a constant and continuous relationship

with the community.

342. In developing the strategy of the overall registration improvement programme

and communication for development strategy, consideration should be given to

rewarding local registrars for the timeliness and completeness of registration in their

areas by public recognition of their good work.

343. If the country has a centralized registration system, the oce of the registrar

general (or equivalent) should be able to provide a comprehensive list of local regis

trars. Also, list any appropriate civil registration sta. In compiling lists of local civil

registration sta, it must be remembered that in many cases the registrar general of a

country does not have direct responsibility for the people who actually do the regis

trations. In many instances, municipalities have the responsibility of appointing and

paying local registrars.

Medical societies/practitioners

344. e cooperation of the medical profession is more essential than that of any

other professional/occupational group to the implementation of a successful regis

tration improvement programme and demand creation plan. Medical practitioners

are therefore tertiary participants, while representatives of the medical societies at

national level would be included as macro-level participants.

345. Medical practitioners must provide medical information about births and fetal

and other deaths. Medical practitioners who last attend to a deceased person must sup

ply and certify specic information on the cause of death in detail.

Ibid.

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

346. Doctors are respected opinion leaders. ey have the power to inuence the atti-

tude and behaviour of other people, so they should be actively encouraged to partici-

pate fully.

347. Hospitals, health clinics, township hospitals, rural health stations, mobile health

units, public health ocials, nursing homes and homes for the elderly and so on are

part of meso-level participants. Health institutions and personnel are in the closest

touch with the populations in their areas, and unless they occur in very remote rural

areas, most births and many deaths occur there. ey oen implement health educa

tion activities, oen through community outreach, in which demand for and use of

civil registration can be embedded when appropriate. Prenatal care facilities are in a

prime position to acquaint mothers-to-be with the requirement for birth registration

and to inform them of how and when to register them.

348. Since immunization of children is now universal, the sta of post-natal care

facilities should require birth certicates, and if the birth of the child being brought

in has not already been registered, the parent(s) should be directed to the nearest reg

istration unit. In many instances, it might be possible to appoint a deputy registrar at

such a facility, who could carry out the entire birth registration process on the spot.

349. In a few jurisdictions, a registration of death form is utilized to collect infor

mation for both statistical and legal purposes and must contain a medical certicate

certifying the cause of death in accordance with the specications of the International

Statistical Classication of Diseases and Related Health Problems.

350. In other jurisdictions, certication of the cause of death may be listed only on the

statistical form. e latter is common practice in countries that use books to record the

vital event to comply with legal requirements, and in addition ll in a separate form to

report deaths for statistical purposes, such as most Latin American countries.

Coroners (or their equivalents)

351. Coroners deliver critical services in terms of determining the cause of death of

unknown person within their jurisdictions. Consequently, they need to be fully aware

and trained in the necessity of registering the occurrence of death and the certication

of the cause of death.

Midwives, birth attendants, village leaders and so on

352. Midwives and birth attendants, as well as leaders who may be responsible for birth

registration in their villages, should be fully involved in communication for develop

ment activities. It is important that they have good knowledge about the reasons for

registering the birth of a child and when, where, and how that may be accomplished.

ey should also have the skills to properly convey that information to expectant and

new mothers and fathers eventually engaged in counseling or health education activi

ties, and to engage with them in dialogue oriented to problem solving if particular

deterrents prevent them from taking appropriate action for birth registration. Should

their roles and responsibilities include health education group sessions (like classes

for new mothers/parents or mothers-to-be/parents-to-be), group dialogue facilitation

techniques should also be part of the capacity-building activities.

353. Birth attendants are considered alternate informant/source of information for

births and fetal deaths in the Principles and Recommendations. For that reason, their

additional role as tertiary participants (who are responsible for the declaration of the

vital event) also needs to be considered for analysis and planning purposes.

76 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

354. To assemble the list, determine if midwifery is a recognized profession in the

country. If so, presumably there is a list of the persons so qualied, or there may be a

professional association with a membership list, or perhaps they are organized on a

regional/provincial/state/county basis and would have to be approached accordingly.

If not, it will be necessary to obtain locally lists of persons who act as midwives and

birth attendants in each community.

355. For village leaders, the regional/provincial/state/county administration should

be able to provide a listing or could be directed to obtain names from community

leaders; or there may be tribal leaders/chiefs who could provide such information. It

depends on the circumstances of each country and the degree of its centralization or

decentralization.

Funeral directors and morticians (or their equivalents)

356. Funeral directors and morticians (or their equivalents) in some countries are

responsible for completing the registration of death form, which is generally required

before a burial or cremation permit is issued. ey must accurately record such infor

mation as the name of the deceased person, address, sex, date and place of birth and

death, occupation, names of parents, marital status, name of spouse, if applicable, and

so on, and then deliver the completed form to the registrar general or appropriate

ocials. at is common practice in Canada, the United States of America and some

states in Mexico.

Religious authorities/groups and spiritual leaders

357. In many countries, marriage is solemnized by a religious authority in accord-

ance with the practices and traditions of each group. Some religions also have author-

ity over granting divorce. In some countries, such as Indonesia, the responsibility for

Muslim marriages and divorces is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Reli

gion. ree other departments: health, justice and the interior, are also involved in the

registration of vital events.

358. e ecclesiastical authorities or heads of those religious bodies (macro-level

participants) must be involved in the overall improvement project, most particularly

because they will direct the clerics, priests, imams and so on (tertiary participants)

who actually perform marriages about why and how to register them ocially with the

Government. e religious authority may also grant divorces, which must be reported

to government ocials.

359. In addition to their eventual specic responsibilities in registering marriages

and divorces, local clerics, priests, imams and so on may have a strong inuence on

the behaviour of primary participants or even other secondary participants and have

a privileged position to engage with them when priority vital events occur: births,

deaths, marriages and divorces. erefore, in many contexts they are considered key

allies in behaviour and social change communication interventions. eir role may

be even more important when determinants to registration have a nature cultural or

social norms. In such cases they oen play a central role as gate keepers.

360. For listings, check to determine if religious groups and the heads of these organi

zations have to be registered with the Government in order to have their clerics/repre-

sentatives authorized to solemnize marriage. If so, a government oce would be able

to provide this information. If religions are less structured, other means must be used.

Regional/provincial/state/county administrations should be able to provide informa

tion. Check telephone books/city directories.

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

Persons responsible for customary religious/traditional marriages

361. Marriages are generally solemnized by persons authorized by their religious

groups to perform those ceremonies, and they are the individuals responsible for cor

rectly lling out the ocial marriage registration forms and getting them to the proper

government ocials. ey should be knowledgeable about the marriage registration

requirements and purposes.

362. Also, religious representatives are involved in all aspects of family life, including

birth and deaths, so they should have a broad knowledge of these registration require

ments. Since they are respected community leaders, they have the inuence to moti-

vate people to take positive action about registration, so their services in this regard

should be enlisted to assist in the implementation of a successful demand creation

programme. Namibia and Botswana each have a revised Marriage Act, which man

dates that marriages be ocially registered by religious leaders, who are licensed by

the Ministry of Justice, in Namibia, or the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security, in

Botswana. ey are obliged aerwards to submit data to the state authorities.

363. To gather information required for a comprehensive listing in that category of

the directory, rst check to see if religious groups must be registered with the Govern

ment. A list of persons authorized to solemnize marriage on behalf of each religion

should be available from that religious organization, if the names are not already on

le in a government oce. It will be up to the communication for development oce

to obtain the lists of other less prominent religious organizations and obtain from

them names of their clerics or equivalents (see category “Religious authorities/groups/

spiritual leaders”). It may be necessary to go to the regional/provincial/state/county

level to obtain such information. In some cases, the role of local registrars and their

deputies at the local level would have to be expanded so that such ocials would be

charged with the responsibility for the preparation of lists of persons authorized to sol

emnize marriages in their localities. at will be a dicult list to obtain and maintain,

so be sure to allocate sucient sta resources to look aer this subcategory.

Registrar responsible for civil marriages

364. In many countries, civil marriages are making up an increasing proportion of

the marriages solemnized each year. In some countries a civil marriage is mandatory,

which is reportable to the Government, which may or may not be followed by a reli

gious ceremony, which is kept on le only in religious records.

365. In any case, it is important to get the engagement of registrars who are author

ized to perform civil marriages in order that they can be trained in all of the marriage

registration requirements as needed and support eorts to promote demand for civil

registration.

366. ese ocials responsible for civil marriages would be appointed by some level

of government, most probably through the department of justice/attorney general or

the department of the interior, so a complete list should be available from the appro

priate national government oce. In many countries, local civil registrars are author-

ized to both solemnize and ocially register civil marriages.

367. If the country operates on a decentralized system, for example, with autonomous

states or provinces, then this information would be gathered at the appropriate level.

78 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Courts, law societies and legal education officials

368. Recognized divorces are generally granted through the court system, unless

there is a system similar to that of Indonesia, where Muslim marriages and divorces

are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Religion.

369. Courts, legal ocials and members of law societies may be identied as meso-

level participant groups. ey should all be aware of the country’s laws on civil reg

istration and vital statistics systems, and of their importance to the well-being of the

nation, the community and the individual. Legal education ocials should be encour

aged to ensure that a course on registration be part of the regular curriculum in all law

schools and should be assisted in the preparation of appropriate materials for inclusion

in the courses.

370. To prepare the listings in the directory in this category, the Department of Jus

tice or the Oce of the Attorney General should be able to provide lists of the courts

and principal ocials. ere is probably a national law society that could provide

membership lists of all persons authorized to practice law, or there may be regional/

provincial/state societies.

371. In some countries, there may be a need for a thorough revision of the legal frame

work for civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems. Some laws

may be so old that they do not respond to the demands of a modern society. Some laws

are too general and are thus inadequate for providing the strong support needed for

civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems. In some countries,

registration continues to be compulsory for certain groups of the population, while for

others it is voluntary. e cooperation of those groups may be very valuable to the pro

cess to streamline the legal framework. If new legislation is required, those groups can

be inuential in urging that political action be taken. For those purposes, the national

or subnational level representatives with capacity to inuence policy and law making

would be classied as macro-level participants.

Main users of civil registration/vital statistics information and data

372. e main users of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

information and data include planners, policymakers, development partners and

researchers. ey have a signicant stake in any improvement programme and can

be very inuential in persuading the Government to commit sucient resources for a

long-term project and should be involved in all aspects of planning and implementa

tion. In some cases, they will match groups identied under other categories, who will

also have an important role in implementing the communication for development and

other components of the improvement programme. is is the case for instance of the

ocials from the ministry of health. However, it is useful to consider them as civil

registration and vital statistics users, too, since that adds an important layer to their

behaviour analysis. e focus is users’ interest in civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management data as a driver for their engagement, as well as their potential

role in advocacy and mobilization.

373. e national Government should be checked rst. e Bureau of Statistics is the

primary user of data. Government planners and general demographers, people who

have to produce forecasts of future population and of the need for educational facilities

and teachers, hospitals and other health-care institutions, should be included, as well

as epidemiologists, physicians, nurses and other health-care professionals; specialists

in housing needs; and persons involved in forecasting budget needs and employment

projections, as well as the need for economic growth, including agriculture/food pro

duction and so on. Electoral tribunal oces and oces dealing with identication

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

services and population registers are also main users of civil registration and vital

statistics information and data.

374. Universities use data for research purposes, including medical research. In busi

ness, planners need to know population trends to anticipate markets. NGOs (both

national and international), civil society organizations and international agencies will

be most interested in monitoring development issues for which civil registration, vital

statistics and identity management data are essential. For regional/provincial/state/

county governments, such information is also important for all planning purposes.

Statisticians compiling life tables, which are used in many demographic estimation

procedures, must have accurate data and should be included in this category of the

directory.

Organizations concerned with health education, promotion programmes

and campaigns

375. Organizations concerned with such programmes include very important par-

ticipant groups because they are particularly concerned with newborn and young

children and oen have strong capacities and experience in implementing behaviour

and social change interventions. In areas where many or most births occur at home,

the mother may have no contact at all with the registration system through doctors,

nurses, hospitals or local health clinics. Personnel operating at the grass-roots level,

including, for instance, community health workers, vaccinators, volunteer peer edu

cators and so on can be classied as tertiary participants, while representatives at the

national level would be a participant group at the macro level.

376. Many organizations are concerned with infant nutrition, including breastfeed

ing, and are in an excellent position to inquire whether the birth of a child has been

ocially registered, and if not to provide information on how registration should be

accomplished and of the benets to the child and to the family.

377. Other organizations working on maternal and newborn health may be con

ducting health education to prepare parents for pregnancy, delivery and post-natal

care. Counseling and education sessions may be delivered to individuals or groups, in

which promotion of birth registration could be coherently integrated.

378. First, check to see if there are national organizations concerned with nutri

tion and immunization; if so, obtain the names and addresses of appropriate leaders/

contact persons. If such organizations are administratively decentralized, obtain the

required information at the appropriate levels. Make every eort to collect at the local

level the names of individuals and groups concerned with those matters and engage

them fully.

Organizations concerned with human rights

379. A person’s ocial registration under a country’s civil registration/vital statistics

systems should provide documentary evidence of that individual’s civil and human

rights as it confers legal identity to newborns. As described in the Introduction of the

present Handbook when discussing the benets of high-quality civil registration, vital

statistics and identity management systems, the individual realization of human rights

oen depends on the availability of documentation delivered by the civil registration

services or by the identity management system. Moreover, ocial vital statistics are

used for planning public policies aimed at fullling human rights, as well as for moni

toring progress, therefore becoming an essential tool for good governance. erefore,

all organizations concerned with those important rights have a stake in ensuring the

eectiveness of such systems and should be involved in all improvement programmes.

80 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

380. Such organizations may be focused on the human rights of particular vulner-

able groups such as women, persons with disabilities, children, street children and

street families, indigenous people, refugees, migrants and so on. Child rights organi

zations, for instance, particularly those concerned with child protection, may have a

strong interest in promoting birth and marriage registration in countries where child

marriage is practised. Other organizations may be delivering public legal education to

vulnerable women or to indigenous groups or advocating for the civil registration of

refugees and migrants.

381. e national Government may have an oce concerned with human rights,

which could supply lists of the various organizations and their presidents or other

ocers (or best contact persons). If not, consult someone who has general knowledge

of human rights organizations, or the groups themselves may have lists of other like

organizations. It may be necessary to make inquiries at the regional/provincial/State

level.

Relevant educational institutions and youth groups

382. Teachers are highly respected members of a community and provide leader-

ship in public opinion. ey have close contact with growing families through their

younger students, and thus can send information about civil registration home to par

ents through their pupils and can teach them in classes about the value and purpose

of registration, and when, how and where it should be done. In the long term, includ

ing civil registration and vital statistics in civic education programmes will certainly

contribute to ensuring that future generations are fully engaged in civil registration.

383. Educators from adult education institutions and groups may also be identied as

relevant secondary participant groups. Adult education initiatives oen address vul

nerable groups, for which civil registration may constitute an essential step in the pro-

cess of legal empowerment. In addition, adult education principles are fully consistent

with communication for development approaches. e expertise and know-how of

adult educators can denitely be a game changer in implementing behaviour and

social change activities. eir involvement in civil registration promotion activities

with the general public, or in capacity-building of other groups directly in charge of

delivering communication for development interventions, can have a strongly positive

impact on the quality of the programme implementation.

384. erefore, it is essential that educational institutions and groups, as well as

teachers, be involved. Check to see if there are one or more institutions with a teachers

college or other facilities for teacher training. If there is a branch within the Depart

ment of Education and or within teacher-training institutions that develop curricula

with sta persons who are experienced in developing a course of study and actual

lessons for students in dierent age groups, that group should be listed in the target

group directory.

Public-opinion makers, regional/community leaders, tribal chiefs and village elders

385. Although mass media will play an important part in the communication for

development programme, particularly in making people knowledgeable about regis

tration and motivating them to take positive action, one of the most eective methods

in behaviour and social change communication is interpersonal communication with

people who are respected leaders within their communities. Together with developing

the right communication contents and determining the most eective communication

channels, the involvement of trusted sources of information is paramount for develop

ing positive attitudes towards a new behaviour.

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

386. Some individuals have already been proposed as potential tertiary participants

in virtue of both their specic role in civil registration, vital statistics and identity

management and their position as respected opinion leaders and inuencers. ere

may be an elected village leader, a traditional or tribal chief, or a well-respected per

son within the community, a teacher or a nurse, for example, who can change public

opinion in favour of timely registration of birth, marriage and death. at is the type

of person who should be included in this category of tertiary participant group, par

ticularly in remote areas where illiteracy and poor communications have long been a

deterrent to eective registration coverage, or areas/population groups where social

norms or traditional practices are challenging timely registration of vital events.

387. In that category, there would be elected leaders, tribal chiefs, village elders and

so on, as well as persons considered to be leaders in public opinion in various elds.

at category includes also the opinion leaders in social networks and online. e

identity of such leaders must be based on evidence, taking as a reference the specic

groups whose behaviour the programme is attempting to shi. Some local leaders, for

instance, may not be respected by a segment of the population that could be a minority

ethnic group prioritized by the programme. Or a local opinion leader with no institu

tionalized position may have a stronger inuence than a formally recognized leader. In

the worst-case scenario, the wrong choice of leaders as sources of information may be

even counterproductive in terms of generating lack of condence in civil registration.

Journalists and the media

388. Popular culture/entertainment persons should not be neglected: for example,

there may be a radio/television talk show or call-in programme host/hostess who is

inuential or a popular entertainer or perhaps a singer who may develop a theme

song. Such shows and programmes are more likely to be produced at national, state

or regional level. In this case, the inuential people may be classied as meso- and

macro-level participants.

Women’s groups/associations, youth and children groups

389. Particular attention should be focused on members of women’s groups and

organizations where the bulk of the active membership is made up of women, such

as home and school associations (or their equivalents). A portion of the strategy may

be directed particularly to groups/associations of mothers, because they should be

informed about the benets of birth, death and marriage registration and encouraged

to take positive action. As organized groups, they may be further engaged in acting

as advocates for civil registration among their peers. at segment of the programme

should be carried out in close conjunction with maternal and post-natal care pro

grammes, as well as immunization, family planning and nutrition campaigns. e

rst ladies could serve as agents of change and inuencers for women in the country.

390. Youth and children groups are also crucial in their communities, as they are key

in bringing change into their communities.

Government (all levels)

391. At the macro level, the groups are headed by government ocials at the high-

est level, since lack of knowledge and interest in registration oen prevail among

high-level government authorities concerned with civil registration and vital statistics

systems. erefore, obtaining their support is a fundamental step. It is essential that

decision makers in a position to allocate resources to the demand creation programme

and to institutionalize demand creation structures and mechanisms are included here.

82 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

392. As mentioned previously, in order to eect improvements in a country’s civil reg-

istration/vital statistics systems, it is necessary to obtain the approval of the national

Government and a strong commitment of sucient resources to undertake an eec

tive long-term programme, including its communication for development component.

erefore, the Head of State and relevant ministers are at the top of the list. Deputy min

isters are very inuential in transmitting information, and, more importantly, in giv-

ing advice on whether or not a proposed government programme should be approved,

so they should be among the rst groups whose cooperation is solicited. Similarly,

depending on the degree of decentralization and/or autonomy of other areas/jurisdic

tions within the country/regional/state/provincial government leaders and ocials,

as well as representatives of local governments, should be involved for their support,

cooperation and participation in the registration improvement programme.

393. e importance of the enthusiastic participation of local leaders cannot be over

emphasized. ey are considered as opinion leaders, therefore in the tertiary partici-

pant group. eir importance may be also grounded on their political autonomy and

their capacity to decide on resource allocation. Subsequently, they could be classied

as tertiary, meso-level or macro-level participant groups. e most important is look

ing at both dimensions of their role when conducting the analysis.

394. Start the listings for the directory with the head of State, president or prime min

ister, and then a list of members of the cabinet whose ministers are involved with or

aected by civil registration/vital statistics/identity management systems or have pro

grammes that could serve as a platform for delivering civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management communication for development interventions.

395. en, obtain a similar list of deputy ministers. e next subcategory will be a list

of the heads of appropriate oces of the regional or state, county or provincial govern

ment oces.

396. e nal listing in the overall category is of local government ocials. It may

take longer to obtain such a list, but it is extremely important to compile a thorough

list of such persons because the overall success of the communication for development

programme and the registration improvement programme as a whole will depend on

the active support, assistance and cooperation of local government ocials.

Other secondary participant groups

397. e participant groups listed previously are identied based on their roles and

responsibilities in civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems,

the experience in the eld of communication for development. However, each com

munication for development programme needs to develop its own list of participant

groups according to evidence. Other inuential priority groups may emerge from

research and consultations, like traditional massagers for pregnant women, commu

nity health committees, or strong community-based groups concerned by broader

development issues that may have a link with registration. e landscape may signi

cantly dier from one local setting to another within one same country. at is why,

at least in priority areas where grass roots-level approaches will be implemented, an

operational plan will be developed with a clear identication of the participants for

that specic region.

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

2. Behavioural analysis

398. Aer the identication of the participants groups, an analysis of knowledge, atti-

tudes and behaviours of the identied participants needs to be conducted. e key

steps for guiding this analysis are described below. A template for conducting such

analysis is provided in the annexes.

399. In most of the cases, there may be multiple intended population groups depend

ing upon which level(s) of the social-ecological model the programme will address

(e.g., policymakers, government ocials, donors, community leaders, religious lead

ers, parents), and separate data collection instruments should be developed for each

group. at data will help to understand how ready the majority of the intended popu

lation is to change their behaviour.

400. e results of this analysis can constitute the baseline research, that is, the bench

mark against which to measure the programme’s progress and nal impact:

• Identify the basic social, cultural, normative, geographical, literacy, and eco-

nomic challenges related to the problem facing the people the programme

would like to reach;

• Identify factors inhibiting or facilitating desired changes;

• Identify current awareness, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs (especially related to

rumors about interventions), norms, level of ecacy, aspirations, perceptions,

motivations and behaviours;

• Identify the words/language that the intended population uses to talk about

civil registration, vital statistics and identity management and related topics;

• Determine what the population of interest may want to know about, for

example, birth or death registration;

• Understand the intended population’s social networks and patterns for infor

mation sharing;

• Understand the community dynamics (e.g., who are the opinion leaders for

specic issues);

• Determine the intended population’s (mass and social) media use and access;

• Identify the key communication sources (where or from whom) the intended

population prefers to receive information related to the problem.

401. Within a given participant group, the most deprived/underserved segments

should be identied. For instance, taking timely declaration of marriage to the civil

registrar as the promoted behaviour, brides and grooms would be primary partici

pants. Data may show underregistration of marriages of couples belonging to a given

religious or ethnic group. In such a case, brides and grooms belonging to such religious

or ethnic group would be identied for a targeted analysis that may show dierences

with regard to the rest of the population. For that reason, when possible and pertinent,

the analysis of factors should use data disaggregated according to variables of inequity

like age, gender, wealth, literacy, geographical location and so on.

402. In the case of participant groups expected to contribute to the implementation

of the programme (i.e., the organizational and policy levels of the social-ecological

model), it is useful to understand their previous experience with the identied most

deprived/underserved groups. For example, what is the experience of medical doctors,

nurses and midwives in providing medical attention or health education to members

of a minority ethnic group with the lowest birth registration rates?

See Global Communication

Strategy Development Guide

for Maternal, Newborn, Child

Health and Nutrition Programs,

UNICEF, 2015.

84 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

403. e next step is understanding the current knowledge, attitudes and practices

of the participant group in relation to civil registration and broader civil registration,

vital statistics and identity management systems, and more concretely to the main

behavioural outcome (i.e., timely declaration/demand for registration). Knowledge,

attitudes and practices surveys are very common instruments used in communication

for development. However, a complete approach would include other dimensions like

beliefs and rumours, perceptions, motivations, interests, priorities, aspirations, sense

of self-ecacy and social norms. In the case of participants at policy/national level, it

is worthwhile to inquire about their agenda towards civil registration, vital statistics

and identity management systems and the improvement programme. It is important

to remark that the term “practice” does not refer to the mere fullment of their respon

sibilities by the dierent groups (whether they take appropriate action for registration

or not), but to a description of concrete practices related to the concerned vital event

that may be preventing the participants from taking action for timely registration.

at is, for instance, the practice of delayed naming of children, which works against

timely birth registration.

404. For each participant group, the key promoted behaviour also needs to be identi

ed. For primary participants and for secondary participants who are part of civil reg-

istration, vital statistics and identity management systems, that can be easily guided

by the civil registration, vital statistics and identity management legal framework that

sets the roles and responsibilities of the various actors. Primary participant groups

are expected to declare and/or demand the registration of births, deaths, fetal deaths,

marriages and divorces with the proper ocials in a timely manner.

405. e key promoted behaviour for secondary and tertiary participant groups is

based on the role they are expected to play in the promotion of demand for civil reg

istration and in the overall improvement programme. e previous section referred

to the roles and responsibilities of the various groups commonly considered in civil

registration, vital statistics and identity management communication programming.

Some tertiary participants, like midwives and heads of institutions, may be expected

to declare vital events, too. Other tertiary participants, starting with local civil regis

trars, are expected to register the event and provide certicates in a timely manner.

As discussed in the previous section, many tertiary participants play a double role

based on both their duties in civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage

ment (according to the legal framework) and their capacity to inuence primary par-

ticipants. A local religious leader may be responsible for correctly lling out the ocial

marriage registration form, and at the same time be expected to use his/her inuence

to encourage people to register all type of vital events. Both roles should be consid

ered in that analysis. e role of those participants may be also related to functions

like policy endorsement, allocation of resources, monitoring, planning, vertical and

horizontal coordination, facilitation of dialogue and participatory processes, capacity-

building, implementation of communication activities, provision of supportive super

vision and so on.

406. e analysis should facilitate understanding of the changes in attitudes and

practices that are required to correct identied inequities in civil registration related

to gender or other variables.

407. en the main existing facilitating factors for each group to adopt the expected

behaviour will be analysed. is segment starts with the identication of the ben

ets of civil registration and broader high-quality civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management systems (see the Introduction of the present Handbook) as appli

cable to the country’s context. Ideally, presenting civil registration, vital statistics and

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

identity management as a fundamental element of governance, realization of human

rights and service to citizens could work as an overall motivator for all groups. Never

theless, benets need to be explored from the perspective of the local perception. For

instance, access to basic services that are conditioned to probe of identity may not be

relevant if the population does not trust or does not plan to make use of such services.

408. Additional facilitating factors may exist in policy; economic status; positive

values and social norms; access to resources, including communication means; and

so on. For instance, existing strong social norms around child protection would be a

facilitating factor for birth registration.

409. As well as the facilitating factors, the barriers to the adoption of the correspond

ing behaviour by each participant group are a core element of the behavioural analysis.

ey may overlap with the current knowledge, attitudes and practices in relation to

civil registration and broader civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage

ment systems, which were previously analysed. At that point, the analysis is looking

at barriers to the fullling of the concrete role of each group. Barriers/inequities in

terms of gender and social inclusion that could have a negative impact should not be

neglected either.

410. For tertiary participants and those at organizational and policy levels, the analy

sis needs to take into account potential capacity gaps that could challenge their ability

to eectively engage in the implementation of the demand creation programme.

Capacity gaps may exist in the dimensions of leadership, accountability, access to/con

trol over resources, evidence-based decision-making, technical competency, partner-

ships and communication networks.

411. Finally, inquiring about the communication habits and resources of the popula-

tion will complete the analysis. While the communication landscape analysis will pic-

ture the communication landscape in the country considering the general population,

in that case the focus is put on the particularities of the selected participant groups

and vulnerable segments of the population. at portion of the analysis identies

the access and use of mass, social, and proximity/community media by the intended

groups; opinion leaders and the trusted sources of information (institutions or per

sons) from which a specic group of participants prefers to receive information about

civil registration, civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems or

the improvement programme; ways or patterns for information sharing and dynam

ics of communication/social networks; and local language used to refer to registration

and vital events.

412. To limit the scope of the analysis in consideration of the available time and

resources, the focus should be put on a limited number of most inuential groups.

e rest of the participant groups can be addressed through generic information cam

paigns and inclusion of contents in technical trainings, taking into account the role of

each of them.

413. e analysis should consider the particularities of each vital event. While some

factors may aect the entire set of vital events (e.g., registration perceived as an alien

exercise instead of a public service), some others will be very specic, like the reluc

tance of talking about dead persons in certain cultures.

F. Identification of potential partners

414. e identication of partners and allies is paramount to the success of any com-

munication for development programme. In the case of civil registration and vital

statistics it is even more important, considering its large scope and the subsequent

Inspired by UNICEF’s Human

Rights-based Approach to

Programming. See https://

sites.unicef.org/policyanalysis/

rights.

86 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

need to make use of the existing assets and capacities. During the programme-devel-

opment process the most relevant partners have been identied, initially for setting

up the communication for development subcommittee and further completed on the

basis of the identication of participant groups. Institutions/organizations represent

ing organizational and policy levels of the social-ecological model would be potential

partners. us, guidance included in the present section can be taken into account in

the previous steps not only for the identication of partners outside civil registration,

vital statistics and identity management systems, but to understand the potential role

of both internal and external actors in the implementation.

415. At that point, the list of partners can be concluded based on the ndings of the

assessment of the communication landscape. For instance, if the assessment shows

that the use of radio is widespread in the country and that there is a popular soap opera

followed by the relevant population, the civil registration and vital statistics communi

cation programme, which is likely not to have the resources to produce and broadcast

a soap opera on its own, may decide to obtain the collaboration of the producers to

portray people dealing with civil registration, representing situations and solutions

based on the ndings of the situation analysis. e communication for development

oce would then be working with producers at no cost. In that case, the producers

should be considered as potential partners.

416. For that task, individuals or groups who can contribute to facilitating the

changes sought by the communication for development programme’s goals need to

be considered. Moreover, those who might not agree with the programme or some of

its components, and with the capacity to block the desired change, should be included

too. For the latter, the programme needs to make an eort to get their cooperation by

giving visibility or producing some benets for them, facilitating their contribution to

the analysis, the expression of their concerns and interests, and sharing information.

e point of view and the cooperation of both is equally important.

417. It is essential that partners are trustworthy and credible in the eyes of the

intended participant group(s). Apart from that, the added value of partners may be

grounded on factors such as:

(a) Capacity to mobilize/share resources to achieve results;

(b) Capacity to expand the reach of the communication for development pro

gramme to the identified participant groups at all levels, from the most

deprived and underserved groups to policymakers and legislators;

munication for development programme approaches, such as in the fields

of community participation, advocacy, edutainment and so on;

(d) Availability of information and data.

418. Apart from civil registration, vital statistics and identity management stakehold

ers and other natural allies that have already been discussed previously, media outlets,

theatre groups, NGOs with experience in facilitating community participation, and

others, may also be interested in assessing communication capacity. Of special impor

tance are the programmes and organizations working in areas like health, human

rights, women’s rights, child protection, governance and so on that have presence in

the priority geographical areas or working with vulnerable groups. Academia can also

be helpful if they can provide existing data and analysis of sociobehavioural issues

related to deterrents to and enablers of civil registration.

419. Regular communication and coordination needs to take place among partners.

However, the communication for development oce should be strategic in dening

First steps for an eective communication for development strategy

membership of the communication for development subcommittee and establish

alternative communication lines with other partners and allies.

420. Taking into account the large number of stakeholders in civil registration, vital

statistics and identity management systems and potential contributors to the com

munication for development programme and the complex interactions between actors

and sectors that characterize decision-making processes, the communication for

development oce may nd an interest in applying some systematic tools for bet

ter understanding the dierent actors, their roles and their relations. To that end a

combination of a stakeholder analysis and a social network analysis can provide good

insight. at would be particularly useful for advocacy purposes.

421. A stakeholder analysis will help assess the interests of groups involved in civil

registration, vital statistics and identity management and their power to support or

block the improvement programme. Stakeholders are typically placed in a matrix,

where the vertical axis represents power, and the horizontal represents inuence. Dif

ferent strategic options for their engagement will be discussed based on the results of

the analysis.

422. A social network analysis can provide an additional layer of information by pic-

turing formal and informal relations among the dierent stakeholders.

at can be

done by linking them with lines or arrows coded to identify the nature of the relation

ships they represent. e exercise provides information on the level of centralization

and interconnectedness of the network, the position of each of its members, missing

connection lines between stakeholders, and stakeholders that can act as a bridge

between conicting positions.

423. Working with partners is a way to avoid duplication of eorts and increase the

cost-eectiveness of the programme. Partnerships will add value by providing access

to expertise and data, by sharing resources and by increasing access to intended

population.

G. Communication landscape analysis

424. To be able to properly plan and implement the programme, an assessment of the

wider communication capacity within the country should be conducted. It includes

the description of the country’s media and communication landscape, and the capaci

ties of actors that are relevant in that landscape.

425. Chapter III outlines the various communication for development approaches

and methods that may be utilized in the demand creation programme, including mass

media campaigns, public relations and information techniques, community participa

tion and so on.

426. Once the situation analysis has been completed, and objectives, results and

programme approaches have been dened, it will be possible to work out the most

eective means of communication with each type of participant group on the basis

of information and recommendations contained in chapter III and in accordance

with the actual situations and conditions in the country concerned. e assessment

of communication capacity will inform decisions regarding the selection of the most

eective channels and means of communication, based on their availability and char

acteristics, on the characteristics of the general population and/or the corresponding

participant group, and on the specic communication task/purpose. At this stage, the

aim is ensuring that there is evidence to provide a rationale for the selection of com

munication channels in a concrete context. Moreover, the assessment of communica-

Guidance and tools for stake-

holders’ analysis and engage-

ment are available at www.

thehealthcompass.org/ﬁltered-

search/stakeholder; and

www.fsnnetwork.org/sites/

default/ﬁles/en-svmp-instru-

mente-akteuersanalyse.pdf.

Although developed for a

diﬀerent context, the Social

Network Analysis Handbook

provides simple, practical and

friendly guidance for prac-

titioners. Available at www.

rescue.org/sites/default/ﬁles/

document/1263/socialnetwor-

kanalysise-handbook.pdf.

88 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

tion capacity can lead to the identication of additional partners and allies, as well as

of potential capacity strengthening needs for them.

427. Main topics for the communication capacity assessment are:

(a) Reach and accessibility of main communication channels (television,

national and community radio, printed media, mobile phones, Internet

and social media) that are used or preferred by the participant group(s);

(b) Penetration and role of traditional media (storytelling, folk songs, pup-

pet shows and so on), and its current use in similar behaviour and social

change programmes;

ings, development committees or community health committees;

(d) Capacity and needs of local media, including for public affairs program

ming and interactive programming;

(e) Capacity and needs of local providers of communication services for devel

oping (and pre-testing) quality materials/products.

428. Interpersonal communication capacity and skills for individual and group set

tings. While capacity within civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems has been already analysed, that step should help identifying assets outside the

systems that could act as game changers in reaching communities with interventions

that provide opportunities for dialogue, problem solving and participation. As already

discussed, programmatic integration with other programmes’ existing gateways for

communication is essential to the success of civil registration, vital statistics and iden

tity management communication for development plans. Civil registration needs to be

embedded as an important element in discussions about health, human rights, women

rights, child protection, governance and so on.

429. Media landscapes are oen available in many countries, in the hands of a gov

ernment department (e.g., the Department of Information or Communication) or the

private sector, including communication and advertising rms and non-prots.

Other relevant programmes, which in principle would be allies of civil registration,

vital statistics and information management, especially those in public health, may

have data or similar analysis. at information can be collected through the same

methods and tools used for obtaining information for the behavioural analysis, includ

ing both qualitative and quantitative methods. For instance, questions on the access to

and use of communication means by respondents should be included in any knowl

edge, attitudes and practice surveys unless the information is already available.

See Global Communication

Strategy Development Guide

for Maternal, Newborn, Child

Health and Nutrition Programs.

UNICEF, 2015.

Media landscapes by BBC

Media Action in some develop-

ing countries may also serve as

an example.

Chapter III

Methods and tools to be used in the

communication for development programme

Overview

After a thorough analysis, the communication for development interventions will be iden-

tified, based on the following areas:

Advocacy

• Focuses on policy environment and seeks to develop or change laws, policies and

administrative practices

• Works through coalition-building, community mobilization, and communication of

evidence-based justifications for programmes

Social mobilization

• Focuses on uniting partners at the national and community levels for a common

purpose

• Emphasizes collective efficacy and empowerment to create an enabling environment

• Works through dialogue, coalition-building, group/organizational activities

Social change communication

• Focuses on enabling groups of individuals to engage in a participatory process to

define their needs, demand their rights, and collaborate to transform their social

system

• Emphasizes public and private dialogue to change behaviour on a large scale, includ-

ing norms and structural inequalities

• Works through interpersonal communication, community dialogue, mass/social media

Behaviour change communication

• Focuses on individual knowledge, attitudes, motivations, self-efficacy, skills building,

and behaviour change

• Works through interpersonal communication, mass/social media campaigns

Capacity development

• Identifies capacity gaps and builds the capacities of services providers, national,

regional and local authorities, community leaders and the final beneficiaries

• Involves as much as possible horizontal learning

Media engagement

• Works with media institutions

• Involves as much as possible journalists and media persons as influencers and agents

of change

90 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

A. Approaches to address the main determinants

of a behaviour

1. Introduction

430. All eective communication for development strategies are based on communi-

cation theories and models that explain or represent the behaviour and social change

process. eories and models help us to determine priority focal areas of a programme,

determine the pathways toward positive change, and guides what we will measure in

order to know whether the programmes or interventions led to the desired change.

eories of change are a necessary foundation for any intervention or programme

because they create a commonly understood vision of the long-term goals, how they

will be reached, and what will be used to measure progress along the way. ese theo

ries are the basis of strategic planning, continuous programme-level decision-making,

and evaluation.

431. During the 1950s, and through the 1970s, the dominant paradigm or example/

model involved a top-down, one-way, hierarchical linear model of message ow from a

powerful authoritarian source (such as a government) down to a passive receiver (such

as members of target groups of the generally disadvantaged, as well as, in some cases,

the general population) in a dependent relationship. More recently, new communica

tion theories favour a self-development, problem-solving approach, with user-initiated

activity at the local level, involving active participation of people, at the grass-roots

level: a two-way communication ow.

432. Such a concept of participation involves the integration of an appropriate blend

of traditional and modern practices, old and new ideas. Communication includes uti

lizing local culture and folk media, such as theatre, puppets, dances, songs, mime and

storytelling. Meaningful involvement of people at the local level could be used very

eectively in dening and planning strategies for a communication for development

programme to complement a registration improvement programme.

433. Before measures are developed to counteract conditions that are a deterrent to

registration, and while conducting research to identify cultural beliefs and other con

ditions that are deterrents to eective registration, it should be done to hold commu-

nity meetings throughout the country with various target groups that have been hard

to reach, such as cultural/traditional ethnic groups and the rural poor. e imple

menters should make sure that the people who attend are truly representative. Most

critically, women have to be fully included, their concerns and opinions guiding the

process of achieving universal birth and death registration, production of vital statis

tics and legal identity for all from birth to death.

434. One of the incentives to promote the timely registration of vital events would

be to provide a free certicate when the event is registered. Such a certicate would,

for example, prove eligibility to receive health care. Both the mother and the child

can be targeted for health-care programmes, including family planning, vaccination,

immunization and food rations (wherever applicable). ose are direct benets to the

mother and child and can act as incentives to registration. e mother would under

stand the positive side of registration for herself and for her baby.

435. e policy of issuing a free certicate for a vital event that was registered in a

timely fashion (e.g., within seven days of the event’s occurrence) is very important.

Such a policy should cover one free certicate only. Aer the rst certicate is issued, a

See Global Communication

Strategy Development Guide

for Maternal, Newborn, Child

Health and Nutrition Programs.

UNICEF, 2015.

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

fee should be charged for all subsequent certicates in order to provide revenue to help

maintain the registration oce.

436. To make birth registration more relevant to people, link birth registration to

entitlement to social services, and increase the demand for certied copies. For exam

ple, a birth certicate should be mandatory for the enrollment of a child in kindergar-

ten and/or grade one of primary school or work with schools to help parents register.

At the rst visit to a post-natal health-care facility or for immunization purposes, sta

should inquire if the child’s birth has been registered, and, if not, directions should be

given about how and where that could be accomplished.

437. Also, the Department of Health may decide to use a health card for the purpose

of recording particulars of a child who attended a health clinic, such as the dates of

various types of inoculation and vaccination and other medical information and may

require the mother to provide a birth certicate for that child.

438. If a woman has been absent from work on maternity leave, production of a birth

certicate will oer the justication for absence, and companies should oer incen

tives for women returning to work. In addition, if a parent is claiming a child as a

dependent for tax credit purposes, production of a birth certicate for the child should

be mandatory.

439. A marriage certicate could also be a requirement to prove eligibility for family

benets, or a death certicate could be required if the death, of a parent has triggered

an application for support benets to the Government. e strategy should be directed

to making the purpose and reason for registration relevant to the people. e Govern

ments should nd incentives for marriage registration.

440. In some countries and regions, where the population has specic religious ritu

als related to birth, marriage and death, the presentation of the certicates may be

made mandatory to be able to access those religious services.

441. To increase the registration rates, as mentioned in the previous pages, the social-

ecological model will be used. Each of the levels of the respective model has a set of

corresponding communication theories that should be considered when designing

programme interventions. e communication for development approaches are inter

related and interactive and using them in a well-planned programmes produces a syn-

ergistic eect. Table 5 provides a description of each of the communication for

development approaches.

Table 5

Description of communication for development approaches

Communication

for development

approach

Key features Participant groups

Advocacy • Focuses on policy environment and seeks to develop or

change laws, policies, and administrative practices

• Works through coalition-building, community

mobilization, and communication of evidence-based

justiﬁcations for programmes

• Policymakers and

decision makers

• Programme planners

• Programme

implementers

• Community leaders

Social mobilization • Focuses on uniting partners at the national and com-

munity levels for a common purpose

• Emphasizes collective eﬃcacy and empowerment to

create an enabling environment

• Works through dialogue, coalition-building, group/

organizational activities

• National and

community leaders

• Community groups/

organizations

• Public and private

partners

Adapted from Global Commu-

nication Strategy Development

Guide for Maternal, Newborn,

Child Health and Nutrition

Programs. UNICEF, 2015.

(continued)

92 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Communication

for development

approach

Key features Participant groups

Social change

communication

• Focuses on enabling groups of individuals to engage in

a participatory process to deﬁne their needs, demand

their rights, and collaborate to transform their social

system

• Emphasizes public and private dialogue to change

behaviour on a large scale, including norms and

structural inequalities

• Works through interpersonal communication,

community dialogue, mass/social media

• Groups of individuals

in communities

Behaviour change

communication

• Focuses on individual knowledge, attitudes,

motivations, self-eﬃcacy, skills building, and behaviour

change

• Works through interpersonal communication, mass/

social media campaigns

• Individuals

• Families/households

• Small groups (e.g.,

mothers’ support

group)

2. Behaviour change communication

442. Behaviour change communication is the strategic use of communication to pro-

mote positive outcomes. Behaviour change communication is a theory-based, research-

based, interactive process to develop tailored messages and approaches, using a variety

of population-appropriate communication channels, to motivate sustained individual

and community level changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviours.

443. Using the behaviour change communication approach can help to:

(a) Stimulate community dialogue and raise awareness about the problem;

(b) Increase knowledge, for example, about the importance civil registration;

(d) Reduce stigma;

(e) Create demand for information and services;

(f) Advocate with policymakers and opinion leaders toward effective

approaches to increase civil registration rates;

(g) Promote services for registration of all vital events;

(h) Improve skills and the sense of self-efficacy, for example, by teaching

women on why to register divorces.

444. Before individuals and communities can change their behaviours, they must

rst understand basic facts about why civil registration is needed, adopt key attitudes,

learn a set of skills (e.g., when and how to register the birth or death) and be given

access to appropriate services. ey must also perceive their environment as support

ing behaviour change and the maintenance of new desired behaviours.

445. To support behaviour change, various events and tools will be used. Special

events, information booths and demonstrations can also be tied into the following

types of events in order to reach a large number of people in one place:

• Fairs

• Local festivals

• Sport events

• Community hall activities;

• Amateur theatrical performances and puppet shows

• Church or tribal events.

Ibid.

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

446. Especially important are local fairs and markets on Fridays, Saturdays or Sun-

days, when the crowds are at their largest, as well as shopping malls and large stores.

It might be worthwhile to invite the members of the community to tour the local civil

registration oce. e press might be invited too, or a separate press information tour

may be preferable.

Mobile registration unit – a solution for increasing registration rates

447. One major reason for underregistration is that, in many parts of developing

countries, people do not have convenient and immediate access to a registration centre.

ere are some instances in which it may be possible to establish an extension registry

oce in remote areas in addition to the local registration oce in a municipality, for

example. A more feasible alternative in many cases would be a mobile registration unit

that will visit remote areas on a regular basis (e.g., every one or two months) to register

births, fetal deaths, other deaths and marriages. Such a proactive registration system

would mean that civil registrars would seek out potential registrants, rather than wait

for them to come to the registration oce in a community centre.

448. e mobile registration unit may prove to be very helpful in rural settlements

with a scattered population, for whom long distances to the registration oces, trans

portation and communication problems act as deterrents to registration. In such cir-

cumstances, neither a subsidiary registration oce nor a government ocial may be

justiable because of the small number of vital events expected to be recorded on a

daily basis.

449. If the Government decides to adopt policy of utilizing mobile registration units,

the local registrar of the administrative subdivision to which those rural settlements

belong should be provided by the Government with the means to go to those places.

Depending on the circumstances of the terrain, the means may be a motorcycle, a vehi

cle, a horse and so on. e Government should also provide the local registrar with a

daily subsistence allowance for that purpose. Otherwise, even if the legislation author

izes the local registrars to perform a more dynamic role, they may not be able to comply.

450. Wherever possible, the visit of the local registrar should be announced in advance

through radio messages or by a well-known and respected local person, so that area

residents know ahead of time that the registrar will soon be arriving to register live

births, fetal deaths, deaths, marriages and divorces.

451. e registrar may also perform individual or mass civil marriages. is may per

suade couples who have been living in customary or consensual unions and having chil-

dren to legalize their unions by civil marriages celebrated in their own communities.

452. With a mobile registration unit, a volunteer such as a local tribal chief village

head or traditional birth attendant could be used to tell sta of the mobile registra

tion unit about vital events that had occurred in the area and to assist local people in

reporting those events when the mobile registration team next visits the location.

453. Local informal leaders and traditional birth attendants would be identied

and listed in the directory of target groups outlined in chapter II. eir training in

communication for development would be done in conjunction with training in the

administrative, organizational and legal aspects of the overall civil registration and

vital statistics improvement programme. Organization of those training seminars/

workshops would be done by the subcommittee on communication for development.

454. Training of respected village elders/tribal leaders may be undertaken by com

munication agents of the communication for development oce with the participa-

tion of the local registrar. ose local leaders should be taught about the benets of

94 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

civil registration for individuals, their families, the community and the country. ey

should be motivated to register promptly vital events and on how to deliver messages

to village people in face-to-face gatherings. ey should also be trained on how to han

dle pre-registration of certain vital events (if a notier system is in place) and may be

provided with separate booklets on how live births, fetal deaths and other deaths are

recorded. e local community leader’s function would be principally to tell residents

of the registration benets and requirements and to notify the local registrars of vital

events that have occurred (or are about to occur) in their own communities.

455. Traditional birth attendants would be targeted for training about the value of

and requirements for registration of births and fetal deaths. Traditional birth attend

ants may also be given specic booklets to record events attended by them, which

would immediately be communicated to the concerned local registrar for registration.

ey should also instruct the mother/father to immediately register their baby even

if the child dies shortly aer birth or was born dead. Birth attendants should also be

educated in the legal requirements of the registration procedure itself for supplemen

tary information.

3. Social change communication and community

engagement

456. Social change communication is a purposeful and iterative process of public and

private dialogue, debate and negotiation that allows groups of individuals or com

munities to dene their needs, identify their rights, and collaborate to transform

the way their social system is organized, including how power is distributed within

social and political institutions. at process is usually participatory and is meant to

change behaviours on a large scale, eliminate harmful social and cultural practices,

and change social norms and structural inequalities.

457. While social mobilization focuses on creating and sustaining action-oriented

partnerships to create an enabling environment for positive change, social change

communication focuses on creating ownership of the process of change among indi

viduals and communities. e emphasis of social change communication is on creat-

ing empowered communities that know and claim their rights and become their own

agents for changing social norms, policies, culture and environment (e.g., health-care

delivery infrastructure).

458. Multifaceted communication interventions (e.g., using mass, social, and tra

ditional media, information communication technology, etc.) aimed at changing

individual behaviour play an important role as a foundation for social change commu

nication, with an emphasis on using local communication content that is socially and

culturally appropriate to the community. Community members control the tools of

communication directly, allowing for suitably tailored messages. Such interventions,

however, must be reinforced by activities that encourage dialogue within the com

munity to motivate people to shi towards desirable social/community beliefs, norms,

and practices, and are oen combined with advocacy.

459. Collective action by the community to address the problem requires:

• Clearly assessing the current status of the problem and developing a shared

vision of what the community would like to achieve (e.g., increased rates of

civil registration);

• Developing specic and measurable objectives that reect the community’s

expectations for addressing the problem;

Ibid.

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

• Deciding upon appropriate and reasonable activities to motivate change (e.g.,

interactive street theatre performance to raise awareness about the problem);

• Developing an action plan and resources (i.e., human and nancial) to imple

ment activities;

• Assigning responsibilities to community participants (and/or organizations

within the community) for specic tasks;

• Implementing the activities in the action plan;

• Monitoring the inputs (e.g., resources) and activities to ensure that the activi

ties are being implemented as planned;

• Evaluating the outcomes to determine if the actions achieved the specied

objectives (the evaluation should be participatory and involve the community

members);

• Dialoguing about the outcomes and lessons learned (i.e., collective evalua

tion) and planning further action as appropriate.

460. Communities that engage in this collective process of social change communica

tion are likely to gain a sense of collective ecacy, feel a greater sense of ownership for

their actions and outcomes, and believe in their capacity to engage in similar projects

in the future.

461. Chapter II of this Handbook outlines the steps required to identify target groups

and their leaders, especially women’s groups, regional and community leaders, and

human rights organizations. Information should also be gathered about home and

school associations, rural and urban development/agriculture groups, service clubs and

other local organizations. Women’s groups should be targeted particularly to inform

and educate them about the benets of birth and marriage registration. A plan of action

should include holding workshops and other meetings to involve fully groups and indi

viduals in the communities who can help in the information, education and commu-

nication process.

462. In directing registration messages to women, it is important not to neglect the

potential of the rural market as an eective information, education, and communica

tion medium. If the country has adopted a registration month (or registration week or

day), then it may be advantageous to have an information booth in the local market

to reach the many women who live in rural areas, for whom market day may well be

their only contact with the outside world. During that month, the local radio stations

should broadcast messages about the requirements and benets of registration and

should announce where and when information booths will be set up. If possible, have

a local registrar in attendance, so that, for example, the recent birth of a baby can be

registered on the spot.

463. At the booth, put up banners to attract attention and distribute appropriate

material, perhaps comic books or simple brochures, and have personnel promote their

wares (i.e., registration) with the promise of a free birth certicate for each newborn

child registered.

464. While this process may be very intensive, it can be extremely eective in reach

ing indigenous women in rural areas, as well as those in poor urban areas who in the

past did not register vital and civil events that occurred in their families.

465. Another technique for reaching women is to develop information/educational

programmes to be aired at times when a woman can listen to them.

466. One view of health communication strategies is that they should focus on stimu

lating dialogue and the analysis of health problems by both community workers and

96 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

health workers to develop appropriate action strategies. is strategy could be adopted

for improving civil and vital registration systems. Health institutions should develop

horizontal partnerships with communities and should use health personnel as mes

sage senders who involve communities in analysing problems as well as in programme

planning, implementation and evaluation.

467. Research in the elds of communication and social change point out the great

inuence of group norms on individual behaviour. Examples of where health person

nel have worked through community or workplace network include:

• India, Bangladesh: women network leaders educated other women in child

nutrition;

• Gambia: imams, Muslim leaders, promoted child health and family planning;

• Kenya: gas station attendants distributed condoms and explained their use;

• Malawi: women’s groups developed songs and dances about the benets of

good nutrition;

• Ecuador: representatives of rural communities helped produce radio and

print material on water and sanitation;

• United Republic of Tanzania, Burkina Faso: open-ended theatre on family

planning and child health used as an education and communication medium;

• Tunisia: group games on child health topics were developed;

• Peru: women used coloring books to mark in “their lives” while discussing

their problems and options.

468. e type of “forum theatre” may provide a particularly eective communication

medium. e actors present a play dealing with social topics and a moderator invites

the audience to participate in feedback discussions about the topics, and to ask ques

tions and request more information. at type of theatre encourages role-playing in

a non-threatening atmosphere. It gives people the opportunity to express publicly the

opinions that are not generally heard, especially in visual settings, and the two-way

ow of information can contribute to the development of a programme that is accept

able to the community.

469. Another alternative means of communication among people living in rural

areas is the “wall newspaper” used in parts of Nepal. It is published in very large fonts

in Batabaran, a simple Nepali language, and utilizes many pictures and graphics. e

newspaper, published and distributed by the Nepal Forum of Environmental Jour

nalists, is pasted on a wall in a well-travelled location, such as a village chautaras (a

public gathering place), school or oce building and is most useful in disseminating

information.

470. ose or similar techniques of community engagement may be adapted for the

programme to motivate people to register vital and civil events. e point to remem

ber is that the motivation to learn increases when the content of the messages relates

to personal beliefs and experiences. In general, it is more eective to direct attention

to changing community behavioural norms because of the signicant inuence those

group norms have on individuals.

471. Wherever possible, tap into existing community organizations networks and

institutions. For example, in India there is a child-to-child programme to train older

children, those who have oen to look aer younger siblings, about important health

messages.

472. Children are very eective communicators when they are presented with

information that is meaningful and important to them, so they can be invaluable in

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

informing their parents about registration and how it will benet the family and the

community. Fully utilize schools, especially those devoted to teacher training, by pro

viding material that is interesting and relevant.

473. Teachers with a favorable attitude are most eective in conveying messages and

thus creating public awareness, so it might be worthwhile to prepare a course on regis

tration designed as participatory learning for selected teachers who can inspire children.

474. It is important to reach student teachers, so the national communication for

development programme should include preparing material on registration for use in

teacher training schools. en, when they become teachers, they could be very helpful

in ensuring that knowledge of the need for birth registration and so on is conveyed to

their students. Community participation should also include women’s groups, home

and school associations (or their equivalents), service clubs, rural development/agri

culture groups and other local organizations.

4. Social mobilization

475. Social mobilization is a continuous process that engages and motivates various

intersectoral partners at national and local levels to raise awareness of, and demand for,

a particular development objective. ose partners may include government policy-

makers and decision makers, community opinion leaders, bureaucrats and tech-

nocrats, professional groups, religious associations, NGOs, private sector entities,

communities, and individuals. A communication approach focuses on people and

communities as agents of their own change, emphasizes community empowerment

and creates an enabling environment for change and helps build the capacity of the

groups in the process, so that they are able to mobilize resources and plan, implement

and monitor activities with the community.

476. Engagement is usually through interpersonal communication (i.e., face-to-face

dialogue) among partners toward changing social norms and accountability struc

tures, providing sustainable, multifaceted solutions to broad social problems, and

creating demand and utilization of quality services. Other channels and activities for

social mobilization may include mass media awareness-raising campaigns, advocacy

with community leaders to increase their commitment to the issue, and activities that

promote broad social dialogue about the issues, such as talk shows on national televi

sion and radio, community meetings, traditional participatory theatre performances,

home visits and leaets. e outcomes are usually oriented toward developing a sup

portive environment for decision-making and resource allocation to empower com-

munities to act at the grass-roots level. Table 6 shows the ve usual phases of the

social mobilization process.

Table 6

Five usual phases of the social mobilization process

Phase Description

Building rapport and

sharing knowledge

Partners organize meetings and activities to understand one another, determine

commonalities, and share knowledge and perspectives with regard to the prob-

lem that will be addressed.

Problem analysis and

action plan

Partners conduct exercises to analyse the nature of the problem, identify and

prioritize needs, develop a common problem statement, goals and objectives,

and draft an action plan.

Ibid.

(continued)

98 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Phase Description

Organization building Partners develop a participatory, self-governing, self-managing, and self-sustain-

ing committee, coalition, or working group through which resources and actions

are organized.

Capacity-building Partners may identify weakness in their ability to take action and engage experts

or experienced individuals or groups to build the capacity of the committee or

coalition to help them achieve their goals and objectives.

Action and sustainability Partners must be involved consistently through all phases of the action plan. It

is important that there is shared recognition for implementation and success,

transparency, equity and joint decision-making.

477. Social mobilization recognizes that sustainable behaviour and social change

requires collaboration at multiple levels, from individual to community to policy and

legislative action, and that partnerships and coordination yield stronger impacts than

isolated eorts. Key strategies of social mobilization include using advocacy to mobi

lize resources and change inhibiting policies, media and special events to raise public

awareness and create public spheres for debate, building and strengthening partner

ship and networks, and motivating community participation.

5. Advocacy

478. e policy/enabling environment level of the social-ecological model consists

of policy, legislation, politics and other areas of leadership that inuence health and

development. A strategy used to address this level of the social system is advocacy.

Advocacy is an organized eort to inform and motivate leadership to create an ena

bling environment for achieving programme objectives and development goals. e

purpose of advocacy is: (1) to promote the development of new policies, change exist

ing governmental or organizational laws, policies or rules and/or ensure the adequate

implementation of existing policies; (2) to redene public perceptions, social norms

and procedures; (3) to support protocols that benet specic populations aected by

existing legislation, norms and procedures; and/or (4) to inuence funding decisions

for specic initiatives.

479. ere are three common types of advocacy:

• Policy advocacy, to inuence policymakers and decision makers to change

legislative, social, or infrastructural elements of the environment, including

the development of equity-focused programmes and corresponding budget

allocations;

• Community advocacy, to empower communities to demand policy, social or

infrastructural change in their environment;

• Media advocacy, to enlist the mass media to push policymakers and decision

makers towards changing the environment.

480. Advocacy includes motivating dierent levels of decision makers (e.g., politi

cians, policymakers) to publicly discuss important issues, defend new ideas or policies,

and commit resources to action. e advocacy process requires continuous eorts to

translate relevant information into cogent arguments or justications and to commu

nicate the arguments in an appropriate manner to decision makers.

481. Within the civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improve

ment programmes the following subjects could be advocated for:

• Dedicated programme funds

Ibid.

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

• National, subnational, and local communication for development supportive

structures

• Research support

• Media support

• Standardized monitoring systems

• Building capacity within the community

• Raising the issue of civil registration on the policy agenda

• Community ownership and support for local communication for develop

ment programme activities.

482. e most common barriers to inuence leadership towards creating an enabling

environment for communication for development programming can include:

• Political or institutional instability (e.g., high turnover of leadership and

restructuring) or lack of political will

• Lack of local evidence on overall programme cost and cost eectiveness

• Lack of reliable data about the ecacy, eectiveness or value of a programme

• Dissension among the leadership between various divisions of a government

• Low capacity of service providers

• Resistance from professional and/or regulatory bodies

• Systems requirements (e.g., human resources, commodities)

• Contradictory policies

• Culturally ingrained practices, social norms, and resistance to change

• Lack of social accountability by policymakers.

483. Advocacy messages are a critical element of an advocacy strategy. e policy

makers/decision makers to be reached have limited time to spend on this issue alone

so it is important to cra clear, concise and compelling messages (i.e., what is the pro

posal, why it is important, the benets and positive impacts of addressing the issue, and

the specic request for action), deliver messages eectively (i.e., the messages should be

easy to understand and stand out from competing messages), and reinforce messages

to ensure that civil registration remains on the leadership’s agenda. All advocacy mes

sages and tools should be pre-tested, and all advocacy eorts should be monitored and

evaluated for impacts and outcomes.

6. Capacity-building

484. at axis targets the capacities of the actors involved to ensure the quality of

the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of interventions. Here all actors are

targeted, starting from the central to regional and community level. ere are many

communication approaches that are developed by the actors, but they are not coordi

nated and unied. ere is a need to strengthen the harmonization and coordination

of communication interventions. Also, it is necessary to strengthen the capacities of

communication actors at all levels.

485. For the central (i.e., national, federal) level:

• Organization of training at the national level to better understand the com

munication for development approach and focus on results and not products;

• Strengthen the capacity of actors at the central level (through training, techni

cal assistance, coaching) in order to plan eective communication strategies;

100 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

• Organize training for the communication for development subcommittee

at central level to support the operationalization of the communication for

development programme.

486. For the intermediate (meso) level:

• Design and production of training modules in communication for the pro

motion of civil registration and vital statistics and organization of training

sessions for district ocials;

• Capacity-building of communication for development focal points at district

level on the use of the programmes, tools, and training of trainers and super

visors;

• Capacity-building of civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage

ment personnel on interpersonal communication;

• Capacity-building of NGOs in communication for behaviour and social

change to better support communities, engage authorities and service provid

ers and track their commitments;

• Strengthen the capacity of implementing actors (through training, technical

assistance, formative supervision) to train the media, civil registration and

vital statistics and other personnel, facilitate community participation, imple

ment behaviour and social change;

• Build the capacity of stakeholders in monitoring and evaluation.

487. At the community (micro) level:

• Capacity-building of initiative groups on their responsibilities and their role

in the implementation of the strategy;

• Strengthening the capacities of village committees in interpersonal commu

nication techniques, community mobilization and promoting civil registra-

tion;

• Capacity-building of matrons to involve them in the promotion of civil reg

istration. e goal is to transform traditional birth attendants into partners

to build upon;

• Capacity-building of journalists and producers at the local level to develop

media and communication products of appropriate technical quality, iden

tify community concerns, seek information, access information sources,

access local leaders/champions and key contacts, identify the most vulnerable

groups and create the conditions of trust for their participation in the media;

• Supporting the establishment of community facilitator groups and building

their capacity on training of trainers in communication for behaviour and

social change;

• Capacity-building of health workers, teachers and preschool and school sta

in interpersonal communication, student mobilization and civil registration,

vital statistics and information management;

• Support for radio production of magazines, debates, spots, reports, interactive

programmes in villages, neighbourhoods and public debates in neighbour

hoods and villages;

• Capacity-building in interpersonal communication for health personnel

(through training, technical assistance, coaching) with the aim of promotion

of civil registration of major life events;

101

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

488. Workshops to train local registrars and others involved in registration on com-

munication for development form an extremely vital segment of the action plan. Work

on the communication aspects of the overall registration improvement should be

started early. Where possible, workshops should be held in cooperation with admin

istrative training seminars, which would be under the jurisdiction of management.

Annex 8, for example, envisages the establishment of a subcommittee to take care

of communication training of key ocials, registration sta at all levels of admin

istration, village/tribal elders and traditional birth attendants. Management will be

responsible for training in administrative matters of civil registration and vital statis

tics personnel at all levels as well as doctors, nurses, funeral directors and persons who

perform marriages.

489. e communication for development subcommittee should work cooperatively

with management to arrange for training of ocials concerned with registration,

organizational, administrative, technical and legal systems improvements.

490. One of the rst steps of the communication for development subcommittee

should be to determine the human resources required to conduct those training semi

nars and then to design and produce appropriate training materials. e dates and

locations of the meetings would be determined, and they would be organized and held

as required, in convenient locations in cooperation with civil registration and vital

statistics management.

491. Depending on the complexity of the training required, those communication for

development sessions would be of one or two days duration.

7. Media engagement

Paid media advertising

492. One of the most important aspects of the planning of an advertising/communi-

cation/education plan is to rst do research on key social, economic and communica-

tion indicators and characteristics of the persons and groups to whom the strategy will

be directed, as well as media trends. e key social, economic and communication

indicators include per capita gross national product, total population, urban and rural

population, income distribution, adult literacy rate, Internet users, social media use,

percentage of radio and television receivers, and information on newspaper circula

tion, cinema capacity and media trends. Or there may be publications on the country’s

advertising rates and data, or a bureau which audits circulation that can provide data

on marketing and various media considerations. Data on circulation, audiences, rates

and cost per thousand should be readily available.

493. To develop an eective communication for development programme it is of key

importance to communicate in local languages and images that are clearly under

stood by target audiences and that reect their character. Advertising messages should

reect local ideas and concepts. e inherent power of the local language is very great,

and copy should be written in the language in which it will appear. Some research

indicates that what is shown is much more memorable than what is actually said.

494. ere are six elements in communication:

(a) Source/sender: in that case, the office of the registrar general or equivalent;

(b) Encoding: convening the message into symbols that go out to the audience;

especially, they should reflect the character of the people to whom the mes

sage is directed;

102 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

(d) Medium/channel: that is how the message is conveyed. It includes paid

commercial advertisements and editorial news content. The key to a suc

cessful strategy is to make sure that the message reaches the target audi-

ence;

(e) Recipient/decoder: this is the person who receives the message, interprets

the words and pictures, and determines their meaning;

(f) Feedback: the response to the message by the person(s) who receive it.

495. In the present case, a positive feedback would be the receivers’ action to reg

ister births, marriages, divorces and deaths, which may be ascertained by tracking

all increases in registration by geographic area and other demographic and psycho

graphic characteristics

496. Expressing generalities, such as the Internet/television/radio/print is the best

medium, is not advisable. Media penetration and costs are dierent from country to

country, from city to city, and from market to market. For example, the cost of televi

sion may be very high in a major city but low in a rural area. It may thus be more cost

eective to use local television in rural areas wherever possible. Media eectiveness is

dierent from one demographic audience to another. In more literate societies, people

may depend more on the Internet or television for information. In some areas, such

as poor areas in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, people rely on radio.

Also, in some developing countries, there are government-owned radio and television

stations/networks that broadcast in local languages and dialects that are very eective

in conveying information to target groups among the disadvantaged.

497. Media planning means designing actions that show how the advertising time

and space will be used to achieve the goals and objectives. e planner needs informa

tion about the “market”, particularly get groups where there are traditional/cultural

deterrents to registration. at information would come from the research done as

outlined in chapters I and II. e media decisions follow and depends on audiences.

e plan is developed based on judgement and media objectives. e following factors

are considered:

(a) Reach the proportion of the target audience that is exposed to at least one

advertisement or media report during a specific time period (one week or

four weeks);

(b) Frequency: the minimum or average number of times an individual in the

target groups is exposed to the message during a specific time period (one

week or four weeks);

through the duration of the campaign;

(d) Size: the physical dimensions of a print or Internet ad or the length of time

of a broadcast radio or television commercial.

498. It should be noted that given the same amount of money to spend, an increase

in reach will mean a decrease in frequency and vice versa. For that reason, in setting

advertising budgets strategy, one must generally settle for maximizing either reach or

frequency but not both.

499. What must be determined is the mix of media characteristics needed to obtain

ecient and eective transmission of the message. No matter what methods of com

munication are used, make sure the message is consistent. Develop a mix of commu-

nication tools and use them over the duration of the campaign, forming an integrated

strategy of paid media advertisements and public relations activities, such as placing

news stories, editorial comment, promotions, events and one-to-one interaction.

103

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

500. A key question in planning the media advertisement campaign is determining

which media are cheaper for delivering the desired reach and frequency to the audi

ence, both general and target groups.

501. When designing a media campaign within a larger communication for develop

ment programme, there are a number of most basic considerations:

(a) One of the first tasks is the design of a logo for the campaign, because it

is most important to ensure a distinctive appearance for all material to be

transmitted throughout the campaign. That identifying logo and distinc

tive style of appearance should be used in all means of communication:

commercial advertisements signs, posters, pamphlets and brochures. That

will be the identity of the communication for development programme;

(b) Direct the advertisement to the person you wish to reach. For example:

“You should register the birth of your baby”;

consistently throughout the campaign. For example, “Register your baby’s

birth – an important first step”;

(d) In writing copy for advertisements, news releases, pamphlets, brochures

and so on use the language of the everyday voice of the native speaker. Do

not use jargon, bureaucratic or technical terms, such as “intensive psycho-

graphic research into key demographic socioeconomic, gender-linked

mortality and morbidity studies was detailed in geographic segments”;

(e) Concepts, appeals and especially words differ from culture to culture.

Where possible, work with a focus group from the target audience to make

sure the campaign material is appropriate;

(f) Copy should be clear, fresh, memorable and believable. The message and

images should be relevant to the target audience and should send out a

message about the benefit to the individual and his/her family;

(g) In written press make good use of headlines, subheads and captions to

graphics. Use the headline to get the attention of the audience and tele

graph what you want to say;

(h) Keep the illustrations and videos as simple as possible. A photograph

works better than a drawing because people identify with it more readily.

One large, strong photograph is better than a lot of smaller pictures. Focus

on one or two persons. Women are most attracted to a picture of a baby;

(i) Layouts should contain plenty of white space, because that helps the eye

move easily across the page (that is particularly important in semi-literate

societies);

(j) Check the quantity of material required carefully. If the correct number of

copies is ordered initially there will not be excess copies or a shortage that

will require reprinting.

502. Most commercial media radio or television provide space/time for community

events/public service messages. In addition, print and broadcast media use news sto

ries, editorials, opinion pieces and letters to the editor that can be utilized with great

benet in a communication for development programme to promote registration of

births, marriages, divorces and deaths. e key is building good relations with the

media at the national, regional and local levels. Certainly, the intent would not be

to control the content of media programming; however, should interesting material

about the campaign to promote civil registration and identity management including

104 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

the benets for the individuals and the community be well prepared and oered, the

media will probably include it in its programming.

Working with media and journalists

503. A most important consideration is that an eective media relations programme

can be accomplished at a minimal cost, because the media itself pays for production

and distribution costs, in contrast to the great expense involved in commercial adver

tising in the media.

504. Eective news media relations require the development of good working rela

tionships with journalists by building a news relations programme, staed by profes-

sionals, with the strong support of senior management that becomes an integral part

of the communication for development programme.

505. Providing accurate, newsworthy information builds credibility and trust, which

leads to better media coverage. What people read, see or hear in news coverage leads

to giving credibility to the topic, which can lead to discussion and thus informs and

educates people.

506. ere are “Five Fs” in developing good interpersonal relationships between pub

lic information personnel and journalists, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for

Communication Programs:

(a) Fast: respect journalists’ deadlines. If a journalist telephones for informa

tion, return the call immediately, even if it is past normal office hours. A

phone message returned the next day is too late. By then, the story already

may have been aired or printed;

(b) Factual: be factual and make the facts interesting. Stories are based on

facts. Journalists also appreciate a dramatic statement, creative slogan or

personal anecdote to help illustrate your point. Give the source of any facts

and statistics provided;

respond frankly to their questions. If there is an explanation of the reason,

most journalists will understand and respect a source even if he or she is

not able to answer a question completely or at all;

(d) Fair: organizations must be fair to journalists if they expect journalists to

be fair to them. Favoring one news outlet consistently, for example, will

undermine the confidence of the others;

(e) Friendly: like everyone else, journalists appreciate courtesy. Remember

their names; read what they write; listen to what they say; know their inter

ests; thank them when they cover your particular interests.

507. As an important point, determine who will be the best spokespersons within

the registration systems and public opinion leaders to deal with the media, and brief

those persons on how best to respond during interviews with print, radio and televi

sion journalists.

508. Deliver material to media outlets before the launch of the ocial communication

for development programme. If possible, do that in person, and contact the person(s)

in each media outlet who will be handling the material.

509. Take steps to ensure that the public information sta is immediately available at

all times to journalists who need further information.

510. Monitor news coverage and evaluate its impact and eectiveness. ose activi

ties are discussed in chapter V.

See O’ Sullivan, G.A., and oth-

ers, A Field Guide to Designing a

Health Communication Strategy,

2003. Available at http://ccp.

jhu.edu/documents/A%20

Field%20Guide%20to%20

Designing%20Health%20

Comm%20Strategy.pdf.

105

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

511. Prepare information kits especially for the media, containing material that can

be used, with highlights of the registration improvement programme, photographs

and graphics, as well as brief messages that may be used by the broadcast media.

512. Editors want news material that does not require a lot of rewriting and editing,

so prepare material carefully, and make sure it is accurate and that correct spelling and

grammar are used.

513. e following are some guidelines on how to write a media release:

(a) Include the date of the release. If the timing is important; write “Not for

release before (date)”. Otherwise you can either write “For immediate

release”. Make sure that the name and address of the communication for

development office issuing the release is also on the first page;

(b) Give the name of at least one contact person at the bottom of the release,

with email address and daytime phone numbers;

(d) Use a headline that states factually what the story is about. Editors nor

mally write their own headlines anyway, to fit the space;

(e) Media people are busy, so catch their attention and give them the facts

quickly;

(f) All the important information should be in the first paragraph, which

should be no more than three to five lines long;

(g) The first paragraph should also contain the answers to the classic journal

istic questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?

(h) Editors usually, cut a story from the bottom, so give the other details in

descending order of importance;

(i) Keep sentences short;

(j) Don’t generalize and don’t exaggerate;

(k) Keep adjectives to a minimum, using facts and numbers instead. Rather

than saying, “civil registration has long been required” say “civil registra

tion which has been mandatory by law since 1945, now covers 80 per cent

of the population”;

(l) Be accurate. The media prides itself on this accuracy, and the editor may

not have time to check your story’s facts. Make sure you do. Misspelled

names, wrong dates, spelling mistakes or other errors may mean they will

never use your material again. Have someone other than the writer proof

read the material;

(m) Releases should reach the media at least one full day before the deadline.

514. It is very important to select spokespersons who are good communicators, and

knowledgeable about civil registration.

515. Do not neglect the news value of special events, such as special meetings, launch

ing events and so on with the public and press invited to attend. Such events should

reinforce and demonstrate what the programme intends to accomplish.

516. Of course, the start of the communication for development programme would be

a very special event. ere may be also special meetings, such as annual, semi-annual

or quarterly conferences, workshops and courses held for those involved in the civil

registration process at the provincial/state/regional levels or at more local levels. Take

advantage of those opportunities to publicize the information in order to raise public

awareness and motivate action to improve registration. Aer starting the campaign,

106 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

there may be other special events, such as meetings with community organizations

and groups, general or/and press tours of local registration oces and so on.

517. For a successful media coverage of an event, construct a timetable as follows:

(a) Send out invitations to the media one week before the event;

(b) Telephone people two days before the event. Ask if they received the invita

tion and if they plan to attend;

press when they come in, identify yourself and ask if there is anything you

can do (e.g., get participants together for a photo, single out the spokesper

son for an interview);

(d) If the media gives you coverage, be sure to thank them. Call them or drop

a note to let them know you appreciate their support.

B. Planning for effective interventions

518. e communication for development strategy is a complex framework for plan-

ning communication interventions in support of civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management. e framework proposes the creation of platforms and tools

that will lead to the achievement of dierent objectives related to the subject. e cre

ated platforms could also be used to promote behaviours that are not included in the

logical framework of the strategy. e strategy aims, on the one hand, to stimulate and

motivate individuals, families, the community, society in general, to produce positive

changes in behaviour and the adoption of social norms that support civil registration.

On the other hand, it helps to increase the demand for quality civil registration ser

vices that meet their needs.

519. is double objective will be achieved by:

• Establishing systems of interaction and dialogue with families and communi

ties, that will inuence their knowledge and customary practices;

• Strengthening the interface between communities and civil registration ser

vices, allowing better coordination between supply and demand components;

• Improving the engagement of communities, social groups and the media to

create viable platforms for cooperation and social change.

520. A feasible communication for development plan is one of the key priorities:

• Have a strategic reference document in communication on civil registration

and vital statistics.

• Coordinate activities and interventions in the eld of communication.

• Strengthen collaboration with local media.

• Increase skilled and competent human resources in communication for

behaviour and social change.

• Increase the demand for civil registration and vital statistics by the popula

tion.

• Increase communication interventions at the community level.

• Improve the funding of communication activities for civil registration.

• Promote education for children, future parents.

• Strengthen communication with fathers, grandmothers, traditional birth

attendants and traditional communicators.

107

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

• Replicate successful experiences.

• Involve men in the activities of civil registration.

• Promote community involvement.

521. For workshops, community participation meetings and teaching such groups

as traditional birth attendants, village elders and mothers’ groups, consider seriously

the production of audiovisual material, which provides the double impact of sight and

sound. With video and lms, there is the additional impact of motion.

522. Probably the least expensive medium is the production of a simple slide show,

with a recorded script and pictures. It could be a live narrator reading a script and

using a simple one-projector slide machine, or video-recorded presentations could be

used, with a recorded audio track, or again there could be a live narrator readings from

a script. Audiovisual presentations communicate well with audiences of low levels of

education and literacy/capability. Make use of this vast potential for communicating

with dicult-to-reach target groups.

523. Give serious consideration to the production of a training video that can be used

to communicate and educate a greater number of people than can be reached by indi

vidual face-to-face interaction. Because the cost of producing a training video can be

relatively low, it should be possible to produce several dierent videos that reect the

dierent geographic settings, attitudes, behaviours and cultural and linguistic groups

of a given country. Any training video should create situations that are realistic and

reect the values and attitudes of the groups to whom the message is targeted. Con

sider the production of a series of interactive videos to communicate the need and

requirement for registration, its benets and how to register an event.

524. In an interactive video, the audience should be exposed to certain information

during a portion of the video, which is then stopped to allow the audience to discuss

the topic and seek more information from the facilitator. is interactive process has

been found to be particularly valuable in rural areas.

525. Use of audiovisual equipment requires securing an electrical power supply. In

some developing countries, many villages do not have electricity, and in some areas

power cuts are a frequent event.

526. Pre-testing should be an integral part of the communication process and must

be done before the script(s) and location(s) to be depicted in communication materials

are nalized. Focus groups are frequently used in pre-testing to determine whether

the concepts are presented clearly and are appealing and meaningful to the audience

to whom they are directed. Also, pre-testing is necessary to ensure that the language

and settings are appropriate.

C. Selection of channels and tools for various groups

527. e eectiveness of a communication channel (e.g., interpersonal communica-

tion, mass media, community engagement) should be measured by its ability to deliver

the right type of information to the intended population, to get people to remember

the information, to motivate people to talk to others about that information, and to

change their behaviour or social norms and, in turn, the behaviour of others in their

social system, based on the information. Mass or social media messages alone will

have limited eects on behaviour change, but mass or social media that stimulate dia

logue and are combined with interpersonal communication will create synergies that

increase the likelihood for sustainable behaviour change. A communication chan

nel should provide information in a timely manner, be cost-eective for reaching the

intended population and stimulate meaningful interactions within the population.

108 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

528. Each communication channel has characteristics that make it appropriate for

specic population groups and for achieving specic outcomes. Communication

channels should be selected to t the communication task.

529. Dierent channels play dierent roles. For example, television and radio adver

tisements work well to raise awareness about an issue, while written articles can

provide more in-depth information about a topic. Information and communication

technologies, including social media, are eective for spreading messages in real time

to members of the population that have access to the means for receiving social media

messages, for reinforcing messages, for enhancing service delivery, and for building

social networks that can be activated to mobilize communities.

530. Each type of communication channel has benets and drawbacks for conveying

certain types of messages to specied populations. It is important to consider the fol

lowing questions:

(a) What is the intended population you want to reach?

(b) Does your intended population have access to the channel?

(d) Does the channel allow for feedback from the population?

(e) Are the channels perceived as trusted sources of information about your

issue?

(f) Is the channel appropriate for the type of message you want to deliver (e.g.,

visual, oral, simple, complex)?

(g) Does the channel cover enough area to expose your intended population

to the messages?

(h) Does the channel allow the intended population to receive the messages

whenever they want (e.g., via text message or a website) or on a set schedule

(e.g., a radio advertisement)?

(i) Does the communication for development programme have the resources

to utilize certain channels?

(j) What is the cost-effectiveness of the channel(s) being considered?

(k) Does the channel reinforce messages for other programme activities?

(l) Does the channel encourage the population to engage in dialogue?

(m) Do the messages motivate the population to seek/demand rights and ser

vices?

531. Using several channels at the same time reinforces and increases the impact

of communication messages. It is especially important to combine media channels

with interactive and interpersonal communication activities in order to stimulate dia

logue among the intended population. For example, television serial dramas can raise

awareness and promote positive social norms through positive and negative role mod

eling using characters in serial dramas. Viewers can be invited to respond to the serial

drama through viewer groups that meet at designated times to watch the drama and

discuss the issues and events of the drama. Supporting media (e.g., radio testimoni

als, billboard advertisements, posters) can be used to reinforce key messages from the

television drama.

532. When dealing with more sensitive issues, folk theatre groups can tailor interac

tive dramatizations (or humorous sketches) in local languages/dialects for issues that

the intended population is reluctant to discuss directly. Performers can elicit feedback

from the audience during the performance and request input to the performance. Per

109

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

formances can be followed by group discussions, contests, and demonstrations that

invite the audience to participate and discuss the issues.

533. Table 7 displays characteristics of dierent communication channels.

Table 7

Characteristics of diﬀerent communication channels

Channel Coverage/Reach Type of information Level of interaction Cost

TV • TV can reach a lot of people quickly and at the

same time

• Combination of audio and visual element has

high impact on viewers

• Requires electricity and TV sets, so access may

be limited in low income areas

• Viewers tend to be more urban than rural

• Reach depends on distribution channel (e.g.,

terrestrial, satellite, cable)

• Well suited to communication with large popu-

lation groups

• Reaches communities to which physical access

is diﬃcult or impossible

• Simple messages can be

passed through public

service announcements

or messages read out by a

presenter

• Complex messages can be

transmitted through feature

programmes, drama shows,

talk shows and info-tainment

• Can be interac-

tive with a live

studio audience

or if viewers call

or send a text

message in a live

show

• Higher produc-

tion cost than

radio Higher air

time cost than ra-

dio for sponsored

programming

Radio • Can reach large numbers of people in all income

groups quickly and at the same time

• Most radio sets are small, light and portable

and can operate on batteries if there is no main

electricity supply

• Reaches communities to which physical access

is diﬃcult or impossible. Can target audiences

in small communities with information of local

relevance if local stations are available

• Well adapted to oral societies

• Easy medium for communication in local

languages

• Simple messages through

public service announce-

ments or scripts read out by

a presenter

• More complex messages can

be transmitted via feature

programmes, talk-shows and

drama

• High level of

interaction pos-

sible, which can be

done through live

debate or a discus-

sion programme

with a phone-in or

text-in facility

• Reading and

answering listen-

ers’ letters is also

possible

• Lower production

costs than TV

• Lower airtime

costs than TV for

sponsored

• programming

DVD • Combination of audio and visual element has

high impact on viewers

• Relies on physical distribution of DVDs

• Coverage depends on how many DVDs can be

produced and distributed

• Requires DVD player or computer with electric-

ity supply to play

• Can be made for generalized or speciﬁc target

audiences

• Can convey simple or com-

plex messages

• Can be highly

interactive if used

in a commu-

nity setting where

there is discussion

or question-and-

answer session

afterwards

• High production

cost

• Distribution

cost depends on

ease of physical

access to target

audiences

Loudspeakers • Coverage depends on physical access

• Good for targeting high-density population

groups concentrated in large villages, urban

areas or camps

• Loudspeakers can either be static (e.g., market

or mosque) or mobile (e.g., hand-held mega-

phone or loudspeaker van)

• Can take messages right into the heart of the

community

• Reaches population groups without access to

radio or TV

• Easy to broadcast messages in local languages

• Better suited to short simple

messages

• Can adapt the message and

the language to each locality

• Limited

• No formal channel

for immediate

feedback

• Cheap

UNICEF C4D Orientation

module, 2009.

(continued)

110 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Channel Coverage/Reach Type of information Level of interaction Cost

Newspaper • Distribution of paper copies depends on physi-

cal access and existence of functioning distribu-

tion channels

• Online version can instantly reach people with

Internet access everywhere

• Well suited for communicating with large

groups of literate people in areas of high-

density population

• Diﬃcult to distribute in rural areas

• The same text can be read and reread by many

people over a period of time

• Simple or complex messages

• Visual illustrations can

support text (e.g., pictures,

cartoons, graphics)

• Limited scope

with newspapers

distributed as

paper copies

• Readers can give

feedback via

letters

• Online version can

easily attract com-

ment and informa-

tion updates,

photos and video

from readers with

Internet access

• Advertisements

and sponsored

articles may

be expensive,

depending on

the size and

circulation of the

newspaper

• Messages can be

distributed free of

charge if they are

published in the

form of a news

story

Leaﬂet/ﬂyer • Can be distributed intensively in targeted

locations

• Physical access to the target community is

necessary for distribution

• Limited impact on low literacy populations

unless the message is conveyed clearly in

pictures

• Can be used to convey more

complex information

• Can combine messages in

text with pictures, diagrams

and cartoons

• Limited • Cheap to produce,

but time-consum-

ing and potential-

ly expensive to

distribute

Billboard • High coverage if billboard is well placed, where

many people in the target audience will see it

• Message should be simple

and have a long shelf life

• Can combine text with

pictures

• None • Cost depends on

size and location

Poster • Coverage can be good if posters are distributed

widely and are well placed where they will be

seen by the target audience

• Time-consuming to distribute to remote areas

• Distribution depends on physical access

• Good for simple messages

• Can be adapted for illiter-

ate populations by using

pictures /diagrams

• None • Relatively cheap

Noticeboard • Limited geographic coverage

• Location is normally in closed areas such as

camps or settlements or small villages

• Good way to disseminate information of strictly

local relevance

• Good for both simple and

complex messages

• Can use text and pictures

• Easy to update with new

material but labour intensive.

• Best suited to communities

where a large proportion of

people are literate

• Community can

post feedback

messages (on

noticeboard or in

suggestion box,

which can be

attached)

• Very cheap

Blast SMS • Wide coverage

• Fast and easy

• Requires mobile network coverage, which may

be restricted in isolated areas

• Requires widespread mobile phone ownership

in the targeted population group

• Limited impact in societies with low-literacy

rates

• Government may shut down SMS network in

times of conﬂict or political tension

• Message must be simple and

restricted to 160 characters

• Unsuitable for conﬁdential

information

• Limited unless

there is the capac-

ity to respond rap-

idly and eﬀectively

to high volume

feedback

• Cost depends

on, frequency of

use of charges

levied by network

operator

• Occasional high-

priority messages

may be oﬀered

free of charge

Targeted SMS • Geographically targeted

• Fast and easy

• List of telephone numbers of targeted contacts

required

• Government may shut down SMS network in

times of conﬂict or political tension

• Message must be simple and

restricted to 160 characters

• Can be interactive

if feedback is re-

quested. However,

that is advisable

only if there is

the capacity to

respond rapidly

and eﬀective-

ly to incoming

messages

• Cost depends on

numbers of re-

cipients and local

SMS charges

• Costs can be

reduced if work-

ing in partnership

with mobile

phone companies

111

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

Channel Coverage/Reach Type of information Level of interaction Cost

Digital:

Social media

Internet

Chat and

communica-

tion apps

• Requires widespread Internet access and high

rates of online usage

• Relies on functioning telecoms infrastructure

• Internet users are mainly educated, higher

income people in urban areas

• Low penetration of low-income groups in

rural areas

• Unsuitable for communication with low-literacy

groups

• Passive information option (websites)

• Proactive information option (email)

• Good channel for reaching the diaspora

overseas

• Good for both simple and

complex messages

• Integration of video, pictures

and audio with text

• Can be highly

interactive

• Websites are fast

and easy to create

and update, but

large numbers of

skilled staﬀ may

be required to cre-

ate content and

process incoming

information

Peer

educators,

community-

based

workers,

volunteers

• Time-consuming and labour intensive

• Requires large numbers of people with physical

access to the target community

• Face-to-face is the strongest

and most persuasive form of

communication

• Good for complex informa-

tion exchange tailored to

individual needs

• Works best when the com-

municator is known and

respected by the target

community

• Risk of message distortion

due to communicators being

either poorly informed or

having a hidden agenda

• Interactive with

immediate

feedback

• Can be expensive

• Costs can include

training, trans-

port, materials

and salaries/

incentives

Theatre,

community

meetings,

songs, dance,

poetry

• Limited geographic coverage

• Good for hard-to-reach communities if there is

access

• Good for simple, easily

understood messages

• Good for sensitizing com-

munity on sensitive issues

within an entertaining

format

• Can be highly

interactive if

audience is

allowed to partici-

pate either during

or at the end of

the performance

• Cost depends on

size of perfor-

mance group,

sophistication

of production

and distances

travelled between

performance

venues

D. Messages and arguments: development

and pre-testing

534. Before launching the strategy, a theme and logo should be created to give its iden-

tity. ey should be used consistently during the implementation over a long period of

time, as it will put all elements under an umbrella that will help the strategy partici

pants (target audience) become aware of the message, identify it and be prompted to

take positive action. Also, it would be helpful to have a special song, a short and snappy

one, written for use on radio and television to create audio recognition throughout the

campaign.

535. While the campaign’s basic theme will remain the same – that is, births, mar

riages, divorces and deaths should be registered – the message may vary somewhat

depending on the target audience to whom it is directed.

536. Aer the extensive listing of target groups and individuals has been compiled

according to the categories described in chapter II, it will be prioritized for action. Pre

liminary plans will be made concerning the target groups to whom information on the

registration improvement programme will be directed. e types of materials that will

be used for the strategy participants and the general public, as well as subject specic

112 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

material for doctors, midwives, funeral directors and people who perform marriages,

will also be developed.

537. In order to eliminate pockets of unregistered vital events in some segments of

the population, the Government’s persistent intervention is of paramount importance.

e Government, in fact, should play a dynamic role in the promotion of improv

ing civil registration and vital statistics systems. e Government has the primary

responsibility to educate the people so that they understand the need for maximum

completeness of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems.

e Government should require the civil registration and access to legal identity cre

dentials to be compulsory nationwide. If a country has previously made registration

voluntary for certain groups, that practice should be abolished.

538. e communication for development programme will feature messages to

express the following main suggestions: to inform; to make people feel and to make

people do.

539. ose are the three components required in the adoption of a new behaviour. To

make the strategy a success, the target audience, or “participants”, must have specic

information about what registration is, why it should be done (e.g., the benets) and

when, how and where to take action to register an event. e key to development and

execution of an eective message strategy is getting the attention of people and per

suading them to take the action advocated in the message.

540. e message is conveyed in stages to dierent groups aer key communication,

education and other ocials are trained.

541. e rst stage is the message to be conveyed to ocials (agents) of civil registra

tion and vital statistics, including the message to be conveyed to the head oce of the

registrar general and headquarters sta, regional/provincial sta, and ocials (agents)

of the registration process, such as local registrars in the eld and their assistants (e.g.,

traditional birth attendants, schoolteachers, sta at hospitals and health clinics, assis

tant chiefs and tribal elders).

542. If the country’s registration is administratively decentralized, the message

should be conveyed in accordance with the actual situation.

543. e second stage is to convey the message to the population in general, with

appropriate messages targeted to specic groups, such as mothers’/women’s groups,

organizations concerned with human rights and community leaders. If the country

has a decentralized registration system, plans and actions will be adopted in accord

ance with existing conditions.

544. In either case, keep the goals and objectives in view, and keep the message con

sistent with them. At the regional or community level, it may be most eective to con-

vey the message to community/village leaders in organized one-day classes. At the

second stage, those community/village leaders will communicate the message to the

residents of their home communities at conventional community gatherings and dur

ing person-to-person contacts. Utilize home and school organizations, service clubs,

religious institutions and agricultural or rural development groups.

545. For the general public, the message must be a clear, simple and forceful argument

in favour of the benets of registration to individuals and families. Make the message

personal, such as appealing to mothers that registering the birth can help with care for

her and her child at the local health-care clinic to obtain medicine, family allowance,

admission to school and so on. For areas with a high rate of illiteracy or semi-literacy,

convey the message through strong graphics in any printed material, such as a comic

book format. Face-to-face meetings to convey the message will be important for such

113

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

groups. Where applicable, use radio programming and, if funds permit, television.

Good messages are especially important in today’s expensive and cluttered advertising

and communication environment. ey must be better planned, more entertaining

and more rewarding which calls for a good creative strategy.

546. e message itself should be simple, direct and meaningful. It should stress the

benets of registration and give reasons to motivate positive action. It should tell why,

how and where registration is done. First, think of what information you wish to get

to the general public and target groups. Link the message with what you want people

to do, such as promptly register the birth of their child. Make the message simple and

repeat it several times during the same presentation to the public. Remember that per

suasion methods are used in both reactive and proactive situations. Reactive situations

are those in which you want to change or neutralize hostile opinion, such as when cul

ture or traditions are a deterrent to registration. Proactive situations dene latent posi-

tive attitudes in people and motivate them to action and reinforce favorable opinions.

547. Messages are communicated by both written and non-written methods. In illit

erate or semi-literate societies, the non-written method is especially eective. Such

methods include pictures, symbols, small group discussions, person-to-person con

tacts and advocacy by such trusted groups as teachers, nurses, physicians, village and

tribal leaders.

548. Communicate the message through channels that are most appropriate to the

target audience. Remember that in most parts of the world the mass media is con

trolled, and its messages are created by urban elites. Frequently, they produce messages

that are not appropriate, nor are they delivered in regional languages or dialects to

their oen illiterate/rural audiences. Every eort must be made to overcome a pro-

literacy bias in message creation. e language used must not be needlessly complex or

technical. Receiving a message from multiple sources maximizes the recall and cred

ibility of the message. In other words, the saturation technique using methods to send

the same message to the same group of people has a much greater impact and is more

eective than using a single medium.

549. To make the message more eective, use action words and write in the active

rather than passive voice. For example, “Register your new baby right aer birth to

make you and your child eligible for many benets” or “Protect your child. Register

his/her birth with the registry in your municipality/district”, rather than ‘‘Not enough

parents are registering their children immediately aer they are born”.

550. Use examples to clarify the message’s precise meaning, such as “A birth certi

cate will show eligibility for health care, a family allowance and your child’s school

enrolment”. Include only information the audience needs to make a decision. Avoid

lengthy explanations.

551. Ensure that the material is easily understandable by using short sentences and

simple words. Make sure the message does not blame the persons who have not been

registering vital events in their families. e message should support people’s desires

to change their own behaviour.

552. Be consistent. All the communications activities should contain the same mes

sage by using a common theme. Consistency helps accredit a general idea: each piece

of information reinforces another. Put main points rst. Stress and repeat the main

points in the message. Less important information should not crowd out the main

message.

553. Stress benets. Emphasize how important the message is to the target audience.

For the message to break through the information clutter; it must be something the

114 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

audience wants or has to know. ey are most interested in the benets and how acting

on the information will help them.

554. Get attention. Materials should have impact. Use illustrations, statements and

graphics that attract attention. A logo or theme will help the audience to remember

the message.

555. e situation analysis should be translated into the communication interven

tions/activities, including messages and materials that will be used to reach and engage

your intended populations. e interventions/activities and messages should relate to

each of the programme objectives and should be created with participation from key

stakeholders, including partners, community workers, media experts and others.

556. ere are a number of factors to consider when developing communication for

development programme messages:

• Tone of the message (e.g., formal, informal, active, authoritative)

• Type of appeal (e.g., positive emotional, fear, humor, persuasive one-sided vs.

two-sided)

• Language (e.g., dominant language, local dialect)

• Clarity (e.g., easy to understand as intended)

• Sensitivity to cultural and religious norms

557. Eective messages create interest (intellectual and emotional) in the topic so that

members of the intended population are motivated to discuss the messages with oth

ers and act on the messages.

558. Steps for developing messages and materials:

(a) Review existing materials to determine whether there are suitable materi

als that can be used (or possibly adapted) for the programme. The existing

messages should be accurate and socially and culturally relevant for the

intended population.

(b) Assemble a team of creative professionals, health professionals, market

research professionals and others to develop the messages. Make sure that

the team has a clear understanding of the population, the context, and the

goal and objectives before brainstorming about the messages. If you are

considering using an advertising or marketing agency, review their portfo

lio of work to make sure their style fits with your needs, and provide them

with your communication strategy to help them understand your goal and

objectives. Develop the key messages, including the key promise (i.e., the

most important benefit that you want your message to convey), what you

are promoting, why you are promoting it, whom you want to reach. The

messages should be clear, concise, consistent, create an emotional connec

tion with the intended population, be consistent and should always tell the

intended population exactly what you want them to do as a result of being

exposed to the message.

slogan) to facilitate recognition for the programmes by the population and

to create an emotional link to the programme.

(d) Consider including “evaluation markers” in the materials.

(e) Pre-test all messages and materials with representative samples of your

intended population to ensure:

• Appeal: Does the intended population nd the message attractive,

attention grabbing? Do they like the colors, photos, and language?

115

Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme

• Relevance: Do they feel that the message is aimed at them or a dierent

audience?

• Comprehension: Is the message clearly understood?

• Acceptability: Does the message contain anything that is oensive, dis

tasteful, annoying, or untrue in the eyes of the intended population? Do

they believe the message? Is the source trustworthy and credible?

• Persuasion: Does the message motivate the intended population to

(want to) change their behaviour?

• Recall: Can the intended population members identify the cue-to-

action? Do they recognize the benet(s) being oered?

(f) Revise the messages and materials based on the pre-test results and retest

as necessary before finalizing and producing the materials.

559. In order to evaluate the probable eectiveness of the materials, they should all be

thoroughly pre-tested before they receive nal approval for production. at is espe

cially true for the messages and materials to be directed to specic target groups who

previously had not been accustomed to registering their vital and civil events.

560. Pre-testing would determine the appropriateness of the message, language,

background, situations and concepts being presented. Pre-testing helps to determine if

the messages are meaningful to the target audiences and are likely to motivate them to

take positive action to register births, fetal and other deaths, marriages and divorces.

Pre-testing is usually done by showing the material to “focus groups”, generally made

up of an average of 10 people, representatives of the target group, with a moderator

leading them in discussion and recording their comments and reactions. As a rule, a

minimum of two focus groups are utilized to ensure that reactions are representative.

561. In countries with a population of diverse ethnic, linguistic and cultural back

grounds, focus groups can be used to give those subgroups the opportunity to discuss

their attitudes towards registration. e focus groups encourage the participants to

express their concerns and their reactions to the messages being presented in the pro

posed materials.

562. In developing a focus-group session, make sure that there is an atmosphere of

openness, and that the participants feel comfortable in being very forthright, unin

hibited and sincere in their remarks. e moderator will ensure that discussions are

focused, and questions will not reveal any bias on his/her part.

563. e sessions will be attended by representatives of any diverse groups within the

community. e information and insights gained by pre-testing should be reected

in all material, and if changes are made, they should be again referred to focus groups

before nal approval is obtained and actual production begins.

117

Chapter IV

Resources for the communication

for development programme

Overview

To ensure adequate staffing and sufficient resources, the timeline described in the follow-

ing steps may be a useful guide:

(a) Before a communication for development office is in active operation there will

have to be time spent on preparation of a budget for the initial, pre-detailed plan-

ning, pre-implementation stage of the communication for development office,

as well as for obtaining departmental approval and commitment of the financial

resources required for the period up to obtaining government approval of the

overall programme (national committee) (estimated time: three months);

(b) Establishment, staffing and organization of the communication for development

office (estimated time: three months);

goals, and formulate a communication for development concept and presenta-

tion of it to the Government. Preparation of the proposed plan to the Government

should be able to be done within eight months after the communication for devel-

opment office is set up. But it could take as long as one year or more, depending on

what help is available from other departments and agencies. Also, the use of out-

side consultants could shorten this phase (estimated time: at least eight months);

(d) The overall time frame will depend in some measure on the available resources.

It should be noted that materials to be used, such as billboards, posters, banners,

brochures and pamphlets should be designed, produced and made available for

several years, at least until the rate of registration becomes satisfactory. One may

consider other sources of funding to ensure an effective implementation, non-

Government sources even for certain components and for sustainability later on

and cost of reproduction, transmission and dissemination (from the time the com-

munication for development office is established until the campaign is launched,

estimated time: at least 25 months);

(e) Determination of the human and financial resources required for launching of the

implementation, its operation for a specific period (e.g., one year), and ongoing

monitoring and evaluation will have to be made. If adjustments to the strategy are

deemed necessary, additional resources would be required in order to achieve the

desired objectives and goals (estimated time: at least six months);

(f) Training will be required for registration officials, staff and vital statistics personnel

at all levels, as well as such key stakeholders as doctors, nurses, midwives, clerics,

all persons who perform marriages, funeral directors and morticians, village lead-

ers, community officials and leaders of other target groups. Such training by man-

agement will be closely coordinated with the communication for development

programme.

118 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

A. Management of strategy development,

implementation, monitoring and evaluation

564. As the communication for development programme provides support to the

overall civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improvement pro

gramme, the present section rst considers various managerial strategies that are the

responsibility of the national programme, which has an obvious impact on the com

munication for development programme. Second, it gives guidance on a managerial

strategy for the communication for development programme itself.

565. It is necessary to identify the most eective organizational structure in which

branches of the Government, individuals and so on can be grouped and united to

obtain the desired results and to determine strategies to achieve desired objectives/

goals. ose strategies do not have to be developed for the country as a whole. ey

may be directed to areas within the country, or to specic target groups, rather than

to all the nation. For information on strategy, including advice on how goals and

objectives may best be accomplished and where major eorts should be directed, see

chapter III.

566. e initial managerial strategy should be directed to obtaining government

support and a rm commitment for sucient funding. A lack of appreciation among

high-level government ocials of the essential importance of civil registration and

vital statistics has been mentioned as one of the most important obstacles identied by

national ocials in charge of civil registration and vital statistics.

567. erefore, it is of prime importance to develop a strategic plan to outline the

critical necessity of a functioning and eective registration and the derived statistics;

to point to the deciencies of the current systems and provide a holistic solution for

overall improvement.

568. Strategies will be required to overcome problems related to dicult geographic ter

rain, transportation, uneven distribution of the population, literacy and deeply imbedded

cultural, social and economic patterns, that are not conducive to an ecient registration

process. Management of the overall improvement programme has a key role in those

areas, with the close cooperation with the communication for development programme.

569. Problems that require funds are related to obtaining adequate sta, training,

essential forms and supplies, oce space, record storage facilities, document repro

duction and data-processing equipment and printing. Other problems that should be

dealt with include streamlining legislation; making structural and technical changes

in the civil registration and vital statistics systems; providing training and guidance to

local registrars; strengthening coordination among the various agencies participating

in the systems; and obtaining the necessary government budget support to operate the

systems eectively. For such problems, there may be conicting legal and competing

jurisdictional interests that the overall civil registration and vital statistics manage

ment should strive to solve.

570. Managerial strategies may include the involvement of the local communities in

both discussion and analysis of registration problems, and in the planning, imple

mentation and evaluation of registration improvement programmes that are mutually

acceptable and sustainable in the long term.

571. Strategies should be directed to giving priority to changing community norms

rather than individual behaviour because of the signicant inuence that group norms

have on the actions of individuals within the community.

119

Resources for the communication for development programme

572. Compulsory, universal registration of all births, as well as marriages, divorces,

fetal deaths and deaths is needed to produce accurate information for comprehen

sive educational planning, which requires timely data on trends and distribution of

the population, by sex, age groups, socioeconomic characteristics of groups and age-

specic fertility and mortality predictions.

573. Table 8 summarizes the activities of a communication for development pro

gramme. Its purpose is to provide an example of a checklist covering the most impor-

tant activities of the communication for development programme.

Table 8

Summary of activities of a communication for development programme

Number Activity Status

Before Government approval of funding

1 Establish communication for development oﬃce

2 Establish inter-agency committee

3 Gather information on deterrents to eﬀective registration; prioritize in order of importance

and list proposed solutions

4 Determine initial goals and objectives

5 Prepare initial national concept for the communication for development programme

6 Prepare documentation, including budget and present to the Government the request

for suﬃcient ﬁnancial resources

7 Meet with the Government and obtain approval of concept and commitment to supply,

suﬃcient resources on a long-term basis

8 Appoint communication for development subcommittee, to oversee future

communication for development activities

After Government approval

9 Study and analyse documentation related to the assessment of current situation of the

civil registration/vital statistics systems in the country, their eﬀectiveness and problem

areas (if necessary conduct a feasibility study)

10 Determine deterrents to registration by:

(a) Conducting research to identify cultural beliefs, traditions, etc. that are barriers to

eﬀective registration

(b) Considering other deterrents such as ﬁnancial administrative and legal problems

11 Develop measures to those deterrents and encourage timely current registration

12 Identify provisional target groups and their leaders or platforms by categories

13 Organize participatory strategy development workshops with wide and representative

participation of all concerned actors and:

(a) Discuss the situation, behaviour and communication analysis

(b) Conﬁrm goals

(d) Identify participants groups (audience)

(e) Determine overall strategy

(f) Develop an intervention plan

(g) Determine strategies and methods and develop the message and the best way

to convey it. Develop the advocacy plan for enlisting support of senior oﬃcials,

opinion, religious and community leaders, and other inﬂuential people

14 Finalize general national plan of action for the communication for development

programme

15 Obtain commitment of support and cooperation from medical society/physicians

13 Develop and produce a training module for training communication leaders and other

key oﬃcials and organizations

(continued)

120 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Number Activity Status

14 Develop and produce a variety of appropriate training manuals: many of the handbooks

should be subject-speciﬁc for communication for development training of other levels of

trainers of civil registry staﬀ and vital statistics personnel at all levels; training for some

groups (e.g., village elders, tribal leaders, traditional birth attendants, those who look after

traditional burials, illiterate or semi-literate people, and those who live in rural areas with

poor communication systems) will involve other training materials, such as audiovisual

tools

15 Establish two teams of experts:

• A team responsible for training in communication for development: The ﬁrst level

will consist of leaders in those categories, key oﬃcials and organizations (see chap.

III for details). Training in communication for development should be carried out in a

cascade fashion and should reach down to the community level and speciﬁc target

groups. Civil registration staﬀ and vital statistics personnel at all levels should receive

communication for development training, which should be carried out in cooperation

and, wherever possible, in coordination with administrative/technical/legal training,

which would be under the jurisdiction of the management

• A creative team to design and implement mass media and general campaign (an

advertising agency may be involved)

16 Determine:

• Communication for development leaders and other key oﬃcials and organizations

for training

• Date and location of training seminars and organize these meetings

17 Hold training seminars for communication for development leaders, key oﬃcials and

organizations

18 Organize and carry out training of target audiences groups in the regions, and provide

appropriate trainees and materials

19 Determine use of various communication tools

20 Determine overall media campaign and produce (after pre-testing) required materials for:

• Print media

• Radio

• Television

• Brochures and pamphlets

• Posters

• Signs/billboards

• Internet and social networks

21 Determine the use of public relations, including news stories, editorials, press releases and

special events

22 Develop techniques to reach the special target groups, such as people who are illiterate/

live in rural areas with poor communication, aboriginal population, including:

• Mobile registration units

• Educating village elders, tribal chiefs, spiritual/religious leaders

• Educating traditional birth attendants

• Periodic visits to villages by local registrars

• Other

That activity should be undertaken in conjunction with improvements to the administra-

tive /organizational/legal/technical systems, and should include training of local registrars,

which would be the responsibility of management, of the overall civil registration and vital

statistics systems improvement programme

23 Prepare detailed budget covering all aspects of the estimated expenditures

24 If necessary, go back to the Government for approval of this budget

25 If the Government will approve only a lesser amount than contained in the budget,

redesign the implementation plan accordingly

26 Develop organizational and managerial strategies

27 Identify and mobilize required human resources

28 Train human resources (where possible, coordinate with training activities of local regis-

trars and so on of an organizational/administrative nature, which would be the respon-

sibility of management of the overall civil registration and vital statistics improvement

programme

121

Resources for the communication for development programme

Number Activity Status

29 Design a system to eﬀectively monitor the impact/eﬀectiveness of the strategy and how to

make any required adjustments, if necessary. Feedback to project manager of the overall

improvement programme and to the national committee should be considered

30 Deliver all material (posters, pamphlets, etc.) to designated locations

31 Identify and sign contracts with partners and local implementers

32 Conduct research on the impact/eﬀectiveness of the strategy (ongoing activity). It is

important to note that monitoring of the progress of the communication for development

programme, although closely linked with the civil registration and vital statistics systems

progress and operations, should not be confused with the civil registration and vital

statistics monitoring plan

33 Evaluate/monitor the implementation at set intervals, which should also reﬂect the indica-

tors of progress and tools of veriﬁcation. The following monitoring schedule is an example:

• 3 months after launch

• 6 months after launch

• 12 months (1 year) after launch

• 18 months after launch

• 24 months (2 years) after launch

• Annually thereafter

34 Make recommendations or adjustment of initial plan if required

35 Write a report to the Government on the impact/eﬀectiveness of the strategy, with a list of

speciﬁc recommendations

36 Present the report and recommendations to the Government (repeat activity annually)

574. e communication for development strategy is programmed in three phases

towards achieving the intended behaviour and social change results. Strategic

approaches and specic activities for the three phases have to be detailed in the imple

mentation workplan. e three phases suggest results-based milestones. Close imple-

mentation and behaviour monitoring between the phases will enable programme

managers to review results and accordingly adjust and decide activities for the subse

quent phase.

1. Phase 1 focus:

• Government commitment expressed to the public through declarations

• Communication for development coordination mechanism set-up

• New research undertaken and presented to the public, to mass media and

social media

• Partnership with telecommunications, Internet providers, social media and

media organizations rmed up

• Capacity strengthening activities held for various groups

• Populations in low-coverage areas targeted with special sessions

• Enabling environment at community level developed

• Key messages for specic channels and communication materials reviewed,

agreed and updated

• Behaviour monitoring protocol developed, piloted.

2. Phase 2 focus:

• Community engagement and social mobilization intensied

• Pro-registration messages through family doctors, communities, social and

mass media consistently disseminated

• Other communication tools and materials to increase demand developed,

pretested, printed and disseminated

122 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

• Behaviour monitoring conducted.

3. Phase 3 focus:

• Continued pro-registration messaging through social and mass media,

community mobilization and interpersonal communication

• Eorts to sustain demand for registration scaled up at all levels

• Behaviour monitoring results reported

• End-of-term review conducted.

B. Time frame and necessary resources

575. One of the rst tasks of the communication for development subcommittee is to

establish close coordination and cooperation with the national committee that over

sees the overall civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improve-

ment programme. e overall national plan of action would include a continuous

long-term communication for development workplan.

576. A communication for development programme cannot be carried out indepen

dently unless other priorities and matters related to the legal framework and admin-

istrative elements including the management, operation and maintenance of the civil

registration, vital statistics and identity management systems are established and car

ried out. Cooperation and coordination are essential.

577. e programme would therefore be set up in conjunction with the body respon

sible for improvements in the management, operation and maintenance of civil

registration and vital statistics systems, legislative changes and other registration

improvements.

578. In order to develop the time frame and resources for planning and development

actions required to accomplish the communication for development programme, the

following actions are suggested (a similar procedure should be followed in activities

required for monitoring, evaluation and revision):

(a) Make a list of the major communication for development action tasks, by

category, for which plans have to be made;

(b) Determine a tentative, realistic time frame in which those communication

planning and development tasks/events will take place;

tasks (this step should be taken virtually simultaneously with the step con

tained in paragraph 558(b) above);

(d) Make an inventory of the people available and the tasks to which they can

be assigned. Determine how many more will be required, and what knowl

edge/training/experience they will require to do the assigned jobs;

(e) Acquire the additional human resources required. The most economical

method would be to second persons in the Government services for the

required time-period;

(f) Train all those who will be involved in carrying out the communication for

development programme.

579. Communication for development training should be carried out in conjunction

with the improvements to the administrative/organizational/legal/technical aspects of

the overall civil registration and vital statistics systems improvement project.

580. Training of local civil registrars and vital statistics personnel, doctors, nurses,

midwives, funeral directors, persons who perform marriages and grant divorces and

123

Resources for the communication for development programme

so on in administrative, legal and technical matters will be under the jurisdiction of

the management of the civil registration and vital statistics systems. Management will

be responsible for the preparation and production of training handbooks and other

instructional materials on how to ll out registration forms, reporting procedures and

so on, and for nancing all those aspects of training.

581. e communication for development oce should be responsible for producing

some subject-specic training for special groups, including dicult-to-reach target

groups, such as illiterate people who live in remote areas, village elders, tribal lead

ers, spiritual and religious leaders, traditional birth attendants and leaders of cultural/

ethnic minority groups within the country. Enlisting the support of those audiences

will help the gradual community mobilization to change social norms and support for

civil registration.

582. Wherever possible, selected personnel of the civil registration and vital statistics

systems with special skills in communication will be trained in the communication

for development programme and will become resource persons during the implemen

tation of the ED/COM campaign. e need for coordination and cooperation between

the two types of training is strongly encouraged. Training of local civil registrars will

be particularly useful because of the important role they could play at the community

level in motivating people to ocially register civil events in a timely manner.

583. It is recommended that training seminars for registration ocials and vital sta

tistics personnel be held at local sites and that national meetings be held annually or

semi-annually. In some circumstances, there may be merit in bringing local regis

tration sta to a central urban area. Other training methods include travelling road

shows.

584. Other activities covered in the present Handbook include tools and techniques

for reaching special target groups and less privileged populations, including mobile

registration units; educating village elders, tribal chiefs spiritual leaders and tra

ditional birth attendants; and periodic visits to villages by local registrars. In some

circumstances having a local civil registrar “set up shop” in the local market on the

busiest day of the week may be eective.

585. Special appropriate training materials utilizing graphics should be prepared for

educating village elders, tribal leaders and traditional birth attendants if the level of

literacy among those groups is low. Preparation of such material should be done under

the direction of the communication for development oce.

586. Actions required long before a workplan can be prepared to improve civil regis

tration and vital statistics systems consists of three major components:

(a) Legal framework, including legislation and regulations;

(b) Administrative and organizational procedures, including management

operation and maintenance which could also include computerization of

registration systems;

The work on planning the communication for development programme should com

mence after activities on items (a) and (b) above have been launched since some aspects

of communication will depend in part on those other components, which may require

up to two (or more) years of preparation.

587. If there is no national standardized civil registration system operating in the

country, the national statistics oce or its equivalent may initiate an overall civil reg

istration and vital statistics improvement programme that includes a communication

for development programme.

124 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

588. A unied plan for strengthening civil registration and vital statistics systems

that deals with every aspect of the systems may separate what is possible now and what

may be deferred for future action so that action can be concentrated on problems and

solutions with the greatest potential for success as deemed necessary and as nancial

resources permit. Eorts should be made to implement an overall and comprehensive

civil registration and vital statistics systems improvement programme, including the

communication for development programme, within a specied time frame with the

resources available.

589. A team of experts may be organized by the communication for development

Oce to undertake the task of launching the campaign at the: (a) national level (or

state/province decentralized systems); (b) regional level; and (c) local level. is

approach may be replicated as many times as deemed necessary. A time frame should

be adopted. Similarly, all other components of the communication for development

strategy should be scheduled and budgeted.

590. International, regional and bilateral agencies and NGOs may be approached to

request their nancial cooperation with the communication for development pro

gramme to supplement government eorts. Long-term commitment toward a com-

munication for development programme can only be ensured by the Government

since external support may prove to be only temporary.

591. In addition to communication experts in the oce of the registrar general (or

equivalent), the team should include persons with expertise in planning for long-term

programmes and the preparation of nancial/budgetary plans.

592. e suggested time frame may be adjusted for unforeseen circumstances that

may delay the implementation of activities. e communication for development pro

gramme should include the following components:

(a) Before a communication for development office is in active operation

there will have to be time spent on preparation of a budget for the ini

tial, pre-detailed planning, pre-implementation stage of the communica-

tion for development office, as well as for obtaining departmental approval

and commitment of the financial resources required for the period up to

obtaining government approval of the overall programme (national com

mittee) (estimated time: three months);

(b) Established, staffing and organization of the communication for develop

ment office (estimated time: three months);

tives and goals, and formulate an communication for development concept

and presentation of it to the Government. A communication for develop

ment subcommittee will be involved during that phase. The presentation

to the Government should include a national plan and the overall improve

ment programme by the national committee proposed budget, all of which

will require considerable time and work. The time frame depends on the

work already done by the registrar general’s office (or equivalent) in docu

menting the present systems and their deficiencies, problem areas and so

on. If an in-depth study has already been conducted to ascertain the cur

rent status of the country’s civil registration and vital statistics systems and

the problems have been pinpointed, then a shorter time will be required.

Another factor is whether or not the country has already completed a feasi

bility study of the type outlined by the International Programme for Accel-

erating the Improvement of Vital Statistics and Civil Registration Systems

to assist countries in designing and carrying out self-sustaining reforms. It

125

Resources for the communication for development programme

should be possible to prepare the proposed plan for the Government within

eight months after the communication for development office is set up. But

it could take as long as one year or more, depending on what help is avail

able from other departments and agencies. Also, the use of outside consult-

ants could shorten this phase (estimated time: at least eight months);

(d) The overall time frame will depend in some measure on the available

resources. For example, if it is possible to engage outside consultants to

advise on the overall communication for development strategy and per

haps to assist with design and production of some printed material, then

that segment of the planning phase may be somewhat shortened, but con

siderable time and financial and human resources would be required for

the stage. At least 15 months and probably longer should be allocated, and

if all of the work has to be done “in service” by government staff, then the

time may be longer. From the time the communication for development

subcommittee is established until the strategy implementation is launched

will take at least 24 months. It should be noted that material to be used,

such as billboards, posters, banners, brochures and pamphlets should be

designed, produced and made available for several years, at least until the

rate of registration becomes satisfactory. One may consider other sources

of funding to ensure an effective implementation, nongovernment sources

even for certain components and for sustainability later on and cost of

reproduction, transmission and dissemination;

(e) Determination of the human and financial resources required for launch

ing of the implementation, its operation for a specific period (e.g., one year),

and ongoing monitoring and evaluation will have to be made. If adjust

ments to the strategy are deemed necessary, additional resources would

be required in order to achieve the desired objectives and goals (estimated

time: at least six months);

(f) Training will be required for registration officials, staff and vital statistics

personnel at all levels, as well as such key stakeholders as doctors, nurses,

midwives, clerics, all persons who perform marriages, funeral directors and

morticians, village leaders, community officials and leaders of other target

groups. It should involve administrative/legal/technical improvements to

the overall registration, systems and subject-specific instructional hand

books prepared by management. The training will be under the jurisdic-

tion of management, which will provide the financial resources required

for that element of the programme. Such training by management will be

closely coordinated with the communication for development programme.

593. A template for activity planning can be found in the annexes.

C. Partnerships

594. In order to maximize the eectiveness and eciency of the civil registration

and vital statistics systems and the communication for development programme, it is

important that they be coordinated with other programmes being undertaken within

the country. at includes programmes sponsored by UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, the

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), WHO, NGOs and

others concerned with family planning, mother and child health care, immunization

126 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

and nutrition. In addition, obtain the cooperation of regional organizations dealing

with social and economic development, human rights and sustainable development.

595. ose organizations/agencies will already have infrastructures in the country,

and their cooperation will be very valuable. ey may contribute by printing com

munication and education material, such as pamphlets, brochures and signs and get

involved in all other strategy activities.

596. e role of NGOs may be summarized as follows:

(a) A variety of NGOs operating at the national level may be important to

population education, including family planning associations, women’s

organizations, sex education associations, environmental support groups,

organizations serving youth, civic clubs and associations of religious

leaders;

(b) Some of those organizations can be valuable sources of information in the

design of the strategy and materials;

oped for schools, and may be able to complement that material with sup-

portive messages in their own materials. That will in turn reinforce the

school programme;

(d) Civic clubs, parent-teacher associations and groups of religious leaders

should be made aware of the rationale for proposing specific population

education contents and should be kept informed of project developments.

That may make it possible to call on those groups for community support

of a project facing opposition.

597. Skilled teachers/educators are vital to a successful family life education pro

gramme. ey could also be a major inuence in teaching about the necessity and

reasons for registration of civil/vital events, as well as the many benets to individuals,

families, the community and the country. A key strategy should ensure the participa

tion of all such organizations and interested/involved professionals, such as doctors,

nurses and teachers.

D. Identification and mobilization of necessary

human resources

598. Review the proposed action plans and categorize activities by assigning the best

qualied person(s) to study the documents dealing with the assessment of current

status of the civil registration and vital statistics systems. Estimate the time period

needed to conduct an in-depth assessment. Also, estimate the amount of time that the

national committee will need to conduct an in-depth assessment of the civil registra

tion and vital statistics systems, the amount of time required to accomplish the follow-

ing tasks, and the human resources that will have to be involved:

(a) Setting of specific goals and objectives and development of overall strategy;

(b) Formulation of a national communication for development plan of action;

society/practitioners.

Use the guides annexed hereto for the identification and mobilization of required

human resources. Estimate the human resources and the time that will be required

for each of the steps.

599. It is necessary to prepare a catalogue of all the available human resources and to

begin the process of matching the human resources available to the tasks that must be

127

Resources for the communication for development programme

accomplished. Where there is a task but no person(s) to do it, there would be a need to

nd the appropriate person(s) and to provide the necessary training and resources to

do the job. e most dicult level at which to schedule appropriate human resources

will be at the local community level, but it is crucial to the success of the strategy to

nd eective communicators, especially those who can convey the message on a per

son-to-person basis, persons who are respected within that community, to accomplish

that portion of the task.

600. e most eective communication technique in developing countries is gener

ally by person-to-person contact. Persons who are respected in the community, local

opinion leaders, should be recruited to transmit information to people in their own

communities, especially among target groups consisting of illiterate people, poor peo

ple, aboriginal population and those living in remote rural communities.

601. All the tasks that must be accomplished at the national/headquarters level need

to be broken down and classied into those to be accomplished working with the

regional, provincial or state levels of administration and, lastly, activities at the local/

community level. Whenever possible, it is necessary to list the person(s) who will be

responsible for each task.

602. In instances where the national statistical oce does not have responsibility for

vital statistics (e.g., it may be under the Ministry of Health), it must always be invited

to be a part of the national team that leads the improvement programme, since it is

the head of the national statistical system and therefore has a direct interest in high-

quality statistics. Furthermore, the national statistical oce, besides having a central

oce, may also have regional oces and sta that could be very helpful at the time

of conducting the communication for development programme at those levels. Also,

involve the electoral authorities, the population register, and the identications ser

vice, if established in the country, since they are also main users of registration data. In

some countries, the judicial system and the ministry of the interior play an important

role in civil registration. us, it is important to get their cooperation.

603. Implementation of the communication for development strategy may be best

done by using a team responsible for accomplishing this in a cascade fashion, starting

from the capital city and owing down to the regions, local areas and, where neces

sary, to individual persons or specic target groups.

129

Chapter V

Implementation of the communication

for development programme

Overview

It is important to establish a monitoring system from the outset, in conjunction with a

strategy, to serve as a mechanism to measure changes over time. It can then be attributed

to communication for development interventions. Behavioural monitoring is an innova-

tive alternative with several unique strengths:

• It allows for tracking behaviours of the intended audiences or stakeholders by proxy

indicators, and measures the efficacy of communication for development programmes;

• It is participatory in nature and serves as a tool for empowering populations in com-

munities where change interventions are implemented;

• Repeated/continuous monitoring is embedded in programme implementation, allow-

ing for change to be measured over time;

• Participatory behavioural monitoring answers the “how” questions and provides a

mechanism for identifying needed improvements in programme design and imple-

mentation to form a strong programmatic feedback loop.

The following main indicators should be measured:

• Number of parents and caregivers who can explain the registration procedure;

• Number of caregivers who can cite one benefit of timely registration of vital events;

• Number of parents and caregivers who change their position and state that they have

no reservation and no barrier to register the births of their children;

• Number of registered vital events.

With guidance from a behaviour monitoring specialist, the following intermediate behav-

iour change indicators can be tracked against base, mid and end line behaviour change

data:

• Percentage (or proportion) of legislators/policymakers/village leaders who are publicly

supportive of timely registration of all vital events;

• Percentage of financial and human resources in civil registration and vital statistics

improvement programmes that are available for communication activities;

• Proportion of mass/social media that regularly post evidence-based pro-registration

arguments to counter anti-registration sentiments on mass media and online platforms;

• Percentage of persons (disaggregated by education, wealth, age, sex, ethnicity, reli-

gion, minority and disability status) who are aware of registration procedures and who

take the necessary steps/dedicate the necessary resources to register all vital events in

the family;

• Proportion of communities that received opportunity to engage in dialogue with a

registrar in the past three months;

• Proportion of population defined who feel they can submit feedback and complain to

the service provider and get a timely response;

• Proportion of population who participated in a public gathering in support of registration.

130 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

A. Launching the programme

604. One of the rst steps in the phase of implementing the communication for devel-

opment programme is establishing a date for the most eective launching of the strat-

egy implementation. In a country with a large rural/agricultural population it would

be best not to launch the programme during the planting or harvesting season. Also,

in selecting the most suitable date for the campaign launch, it would be best to avoid a

population census campaign or presidential/parliamentary elections.

605. Yet another approach is to select the month in which the most recent civil reg

istration legislation was enacted (or came into force). It will be an eective strategy to

designate one particular month as “registration month” on an annual basis, as is done

in the Philippines, where February is so designated by the President. In time, the pub

lic will become aware of the registration month, its purpose, benets and when and

how action should be taken, and that will be very helpful in the overall registration

improvement programme.

606. In determining the date for the strategy launch, the sucient time for the pro

duction of all the required materials, training sessions of key sta, including local reg-

istrars and community leaders, design of the overall media campaign and the public

relations segments of the strategy need to be incorporated. us, the need for making

preliminary enquiries about schedules in commercial media and to make tentative

bookings.

607. When launch time is nalized, nal rm bookings in the commercial media

need to be made, as well as details of press releases and information kits provided to

the media. At that point, there is a need to nalize plans to utilize free media such as

public aairs programming, news articles, community events notices, public service

radio and television spots, publications for women’s groups, home and school associa

tions, service clubs and agricultural development media and, if applicable, the Gov-

ernment party’s newspaper. At the same time, Internet and the social networks should

be used and to ensure a large presence on those media platforms as well.

608. Appropriate persons need to be designated to ensure that each task is covered

and properly carried out. Appropriate persons should also be involved in the launch,

such as the Head of State, cabinet ministers, inuential regional/provincial/state/local

political gures and community leaders and public opinion makers.

B. Monitoring and evaluation

609. It is envisioned that there will be an overall national committee that will oversee

all aspects of the civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improve

ment programme, including legal, administrative and management improvements, as

well as a communication for development subcommittee that will work in close col

laboration with it.

610. e civil registration and vital statistics improvement programme will contain

a monitoring and evaluation plan in order to assess its progress, operations and the

impact and eectiveness. Another plan should be developed to monitor the commu

nication for development programme. Although closely linked, the monitoring of the

overall programme should not be confused with the communication for development

monitoring plan.

611. Responsibility for the establishment and execution of critical monitoring and

evaluation procedures for each should be vested in designated authorities. For the

communication for development aspects of the civil registration and vital statistics

131

Implementation of the communication for development programme

improvement programme, that might be a task assigned to the research and planning

ocer of the communication for development oce.

612. e ultimate responsibility for monitoring and evaluating the overall civil reg

istration and vital statistics systems and for constant vigilance to ensure that the

approved procedures are used and, where necessary, remedial action is taken, is a pri

mary function of the oce responsible for civil registration and vital statistics systems,

such as the oce of the registrar general/vital statistics oce.

613. To eectively monitor the civil registration and vital statistics systems and the

specic communication for development programme, what must be determined is the

type of feedback information required, who will provide it, when and to whom. How

that information will be evaluated must be determined in advance of the implementa

tion, as well as the criteria for making adjustments.

614. A method to estimate the impact of the communication for development pro

gramme may rely on coecients of registration of various vital events in various com-

munities targeted by the strategy.

615. at analysis and evaluation will produce an information about the past rates

of registration coverage by type of vital event, for the country as a whole, and by geo

graphic regions and localities, preferably on a month-to-month basis. Data on late

registrations, particularly of births and deaths and on the quality of the information,

should be included.

616. It is necessary to determine a breakdown of exactly how geographically detailed

the impact of the improvement programme should be monitored. Past registration

gures should then be populated in a chart format, covering the previous three years,

and starting with the month of the launch, presenting gures on actual registration

on a monthly basis from each area. For delayed registrations, it is recommended to be

done separately from current registrations. e focus should be on geographical areas

known to have hard-to-reach target groups, such as illiterate people who live a long

distance from registration oces and where transportation is dicult.

617. In order to be able to make the assessment of registration gures, civil registra

tion management should make sure that reporting of vital records is smooth; that they

are quickly processed; and that registration gures are available for various geographi

cal levels. Local registrars should be asked to quickly forward reports on the numbers

of current (and delayed) registrations of live birth, fetal and other deaths, marriages

and divorces to the oce of the registrar general.

618. e purpose of the monitoring process is to assess to what extent the improve

ment programme may have contributed to increased registration coverage of vital

events. Any increase in the vital rates currently registered could be an indication of

the impact of the programme. If there has not been an increase in registration, fur

ther action is needed in terms of strengthening communication activities or readdress

them. Special focus should be aimed to areas with ethnic and hard-to-reach groups to

learn in what respects traditional/cultural conditions, shortcomings or deciencies in

the registration system have been disincentives to registration

619. e percentage of events, such as births and deaths, that are registered in com

parison to the total number of those events that actually occurred is called the rate

of registration and is a very signicant measurement. e goal is that every event

that occurs within a jurisdiction should be registered as close to the date of occur

rence as possible. e communication for development programme should strive to

convey that message to the general population from the beginning to the end of the

implementation.

132 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

620. For example, the relevant oce of the registrar general and the vital statistics

oce may use indirect techniques for demographic estimation to assess the overall

performance of the systems. An accurate tool to assess the completeness of registration

and to determine areas of underregistration is the dual records system. For details on

how to carry out a quantitative and qualitative evaluation by direct or indirect meth

ods of civil registration and vital statistics systems, reference is made to the Handbook

on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems: Management, Operation and Mainte

nance, Rev. 1.

e communication for development oce should coordinate closely

with those oces to obtain the necessary indicators to broadly assess the impact of

such activities.

621. For example, to compile a population estimate, population gures based on the

most recent census are used as a basis, factored by the crude birth and death rates

obtained from the country’s statistical oce. ere may be 40 births and 12 deaths

per 1,000 population, giving a rate of natural increase of about 28 per 1,000. at g

ure may be revised aer applying the national age-specic fertility rates in the female

population of childbearing age. e current live birth registration rate, thus, would

refer to the percentage of births that were registered in comparison with the estimated

number of births that may actually have occurred.

622. ose comparisons between the estimated (expected) births and deaths and

those that were registered need to be disaggregated to the small area level, allowing for

zooming on the districts and villages with the most considerable discrepancies. It may

be eective to report the information on registration obtained in table format, both for

the country as a whole and by region and local area. Such tables could be a combined

eort by the monitoring team and the evaluation team.

623. Each of the communication for development implemented activities should be

monitored carefully. For example, with regard to the impact and eectiveness of the

public relations programme, a systematic, continuous means of studying the news,

primarily by clipping news articles and monitoring radio and television newscasts and

programmes on registration need to be put in place. at will allow the communica

tion for development team to not only follow and measure of the news coverage, but

also to see opportunities for obtaining future coverage.

624. Monitoring for the contributions that communication makes to reach overall

programme goals is a challenge, requiring technical guidance from a behaviour moni

toring and evaluation specialist. A solid monitoring system must be implemented

with adequate resources. Communication practitioners understand the importance

of monitoring in the communication for development programming cycle so that

attribution can be given to evidence-based communication planning and replanning.

Robust monitoring also supports the learning process so that adjustments can be made

annually or more frequently.

625. ere are two major types of communication monitoring for which indicators

and measurement methods need to be planned:

(a) Implementation or process monitoring tracks the implementation of

activities and the outputs from those activities (e.g., titles and number of

materials produced, the number of trainings held and participants, or the

number and type of community discussions held). For communication

for development that type of monitoring also measures reach, satisfaction,

quality, timeliness and participation;

(b) Behaviour monitoring and evaluation tracks behaviour changes to meas

ure intended changes in knowledge, attitudes and practices over time,

which can then be attributed to the different communication for develop

Handbook on Civil Registration

and Vital Statistics Systems:

Management, Operation and

Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021,

chap. IV.

133

Implementation of the communication for development programme

ment implementation modalities. Behaviour monitoring allows for track-

ing changes in the three levels of behaviours (i.e., knowing, feeling and

doing) among the intended participant audiences or stakeholders using

proxy indicators.

626. It is important to establish a monitoring system from the outset, in conjunction

with a strategy to serve as a mechanism to measure changes over time. It can then be

attributed to communication for development interventions. Behavioural monitoring

is an innovative alternative with several unique strengths:

• It allows for the tracking of behaviours among all the intended audiences or

stakeholders through proxy indicators, thereby measuring the ecacy of the

communication for development programmes;

• It is participatory in nature and thus serves as a tool for empowering popula

tions in communities where change in interventions are implemented;

• Repeated and continuous monitoring is embedded in programme implemen

tation, allowing for change to be measured over time;

• Participatory behavioural monitoring, while answering the “how” questions,

also provides a mechanism for identifying needed improvements in pro

gramme design and implementation to form a strong programmatic feedback

loop.

627. In summary, participatory behavioural monitoring allows measurement of pro

gramme implementation. It enables a programme to determine programme outcomes

more directly attributable to the intervention, and specically captures the processes

by which those outcomes are achieved.

628. Agreeing on behavioural results and on indicators for measuring them, is criti

cal. Depending on priority behavioural results and social change outcomes and on

what activities are agreed annually by the committee and funded, the communication

for development subcommittee should decide on a manageable number of priority

indicators for process and for behaviour change to be tracked and measured.

629. Indicators provide simple and reliable means of measuring change. Indicators

can also be regarded as behavioural results that are rewritten using measurable terms.

For monitoring purposes, indicators are not used to evaluate the nal outcome or

impact of interventions. Instead, indicators act as “progress markers”.

ey help

determine whether behaviour and social change is taking place, as well as the direc

tionality of the change. It is that information that will determine whether or not the

activities, outputs and intermediate outcomes are on track towards achieving the pro

gramme objectives.

630. For practical purposes and manageability, it is important for the communication

for development subcommittee to agree on a few critical implementation indicators

and behaviour result indicators to be measured and periodically reported for each

category.

631. en, a monitoring plan should be developed, with agreement on the informa

tion that will be collected, indicators to be measured, method and tools to be used,

from which person or people, by whom, when and at what cost.

632. It is also necessary to develop easy-to-use reporting forms that are mindful of

the time it will take a supervisor to read the monitoring forms and to complete the

reporting form. Monitoring should be a participatory process, from preparing tools

for gathering data, analysing data, reviewing monitoring reports, discussing them

with sta, partners, and other stakeholders and delegating tasks to address any issues

that require immediate attention and issues that can be addressed at a later time.

Behaviour Change Communica-

tion in Emergencies: A UNICEF

Toolkit. 2006.

134 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

633. Behaviour change outcomes or results should be monitored, measured and

reported.

634. Table 9 presents an example of desired results and measurable indicators for the

communication for development strategy.

Table 9

Behavioural results and their indicators that the birth of a child is registered

Parents and caregivers complete the birth registration of their children

Behavioural result Statement of indicator

Know the registration process Number of parents and caregivers who can explain the registration

procedure

Number of parents and caregivers in the community

Can explain the importance of civil

registration.

Number of caregivers who can cite one beneﬁt of timely registration

of vital events

Number of parents and caregivers in the community

Overcome registration hesitancy Number of parents and caregivers who change their position and

state that they have no reservation and no barrier to register the

births of their children

Number of parents and caregivers in the community

Complete vital events registration

within one month from the occurrence

Number of registered vital events

Number of estimated vital events in a community

635. Achievement of those or other behaviour outcomes depends on a hierarchy of

intermediate behaviour change outcomes. In communication, process is important to

achieving both ultimate and intermediate behaviour change outcomes. An example

of a process indicator is “percentage of women participating in a community meet

ing about civil registration who felt that their opinion contributed to a solution to the

problem.”

636. With guidance from a behaviour-monitoring specialist, the following examples

of intermediate behaviour change indicators can be tracked against baseline, midline

and end line behaviour change data:

• Percentage (or proportion) of legislators/policymakers/village leaders who are

publicly supportive of timely registration of all vital events;

• Percentage of nancial and human resources in civil registration and vital

statistics improvement programme that are available for communication

activities;

• Proportion of mass and social media that regularly post evidence-based pro-

registration arguments to counter anti-registration sentiments through mass

media and online platforms;

• Percentage of persons (disaggregated by education, wealth, age, sex, ethnic/

religious/minority background, and disability status) who are aware of the

registration procedures and who take the necessary steps (or dedicate the nec

essary resources) to register all vital events in the family;

• Proportion of communities that received opportunity to dialogue with a reg

istrar in the past three months;

• Proportion of population dened who feel they can submit feedback and

complain to the service provider and get a timely response;

• Proportion of population who participated in a public gathering in support

of registration.

135

Implementation of the communication for development programme

637. A comprehensive monitoring plan should include both qualitative and quantita-

tive data.

638. Qualitative data is valid when it has been rigorously collected, analysed and

accepted by stakeholders. Many organizations and governments still nd it dicult to

allocate adequate resources to set communication monitoring mechanisms in place,

whether they are qualitatively or quantitatively oriented. e following recognized

qualitative methodologies could be introduced:

• Most signicant change

• Focus group discussions (which can also be quantitative)

• Community information boards

• Case study

• Outcome mapping.

639. Quantitative methodologies suitable for communication monitoring include

surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussions.

640. Monitoring, research and evaluation will begin, wherever possible, aer reports

on registration for the rst month of implementation of the communication for devel

opment strategy are received and will continue on a long-term basis. Recommenda-

tions for any revisions will be made promptly aer major evaluations.

641. e recommendations for revision/adjustment of the communication for devel

opment strategy will be considered at once by the communication for development

oce established for that purpose. All approved revisions/adjustments should be

implemented as quickly as possible in order to make the strategy as cost-eective and

ecient as possible. e overall strategy budget should make allowances for the pos

sible additional costs of revision and adjustments.

137

Chapter VI

Recommendations for strengthening

national civil registration, vital statistics and

identity management systems

642. Civil registration provides a legal record of a particular vital or civil status event,

as well as a valuable, continuous source of timely and accurate statistical information.

at information allows for the eective scientic analysis of the relationship between

demographic, economic and social factors. Such analyses are useful in planning, oper

ating and evaluating programmes for public health, education, social and economic

development programmes.

643. To ensure those benets from civil registration, vital statistics and identity man

agement systems management should make every eort to properly organize, operate

and maintain them. For countries that have not yet attained high levels of internation

ally accepted standards of eciency in their systems. the present chapter provides sev-

eral recommendations. ey are based on the goal that from 5 to 10 years (depending

on the size of the country) aer the initiation of a civil registration and vital statistics

systems improvement programme, which includes a well-designed communication

for development programme, the country will have eective and ecient civil regis

tration/vital statistics/identity management systems. ere will be complete (as close

as possible to 100 per cent), timely, high-quality registration coverage, resulting in

the production of reliable, accurate vital statistics for the country as a whole and for

regions and districts within the country.

644. It is recommended that:

(a) An inter-agency committee with representatives of all departments and

agencies concerned with civil registration and vital statistics be established

within the Government to:

– Study the problems and deciencies of the present civil registration and

vital statistics systems

– Determine the actions required to overcome them

– Develop a plan for a continuing registration improvement programme

– Justify the project on the basis of the benets of eective registration

systems, both socially and economically

– Take all steps necessary to obtain the approval of government ocials,

the head of State and other elected ocials, for a long-term civil registra

tion, vital statistics and identity management improvement programme

and a denite commitment to provide the required funding;

(b) If the civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems

are decentralized, the national coordinating body for civil registration and

the vital statistics authority be located in the same ministry or department

as the central statistical office responsible for the compilation of national

statistics;

138 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

emphasized to ensure desirable coordination and standardization of regis

tration and statistics;

(d) Standardized data-collection systems, coding systems, definitions and

classifications be adopted which will enhance comparability of data at both

national and international levels;

(e) Coordination and cooperation also be maintained with authorities respon

sible for censuses, demographic surveys, population registers, immigration,

social and health statistics as well as with agencies/departments involved

in planning for economic and social development;

(f) Within the inter-agency committee, subcommittees will be established to

determine and develop the following aspects to streamline civil registra

tion, vital statistics and identity management systems:

– A legal framework for civil registration and vital statistics systems,

including standardization of forms and registration requirements

– e administrative, organizational, operational, management proce

dures and maintenance aspects of improved civil registration vital sta-

tistics systems

– e computerization of civil registration and vital statistics systems and

other modern technologies

– A communication for development programme for eective civil regis

tration and vital statistics systems

– Protocols on the release of individual information from civil registra

tion for research and public uses;

(g) Efforts should be made to implement the overall civil registration and vital

statistics systems improvement programme within a specified time frame,

within the available resources, of which the communication for develop

ment programme should be an important component;

(h) The services of top-level, highly competent people be obtained to design,

initiate, implement and operate the registration improvement programme

on an ongoing basis;

(i) The new system should be designed to produce continuous vital statistics

about significant social and economic groups within the country, includ

ing urban-rural, ethnic-cultural or socioeconomic groupings. The collec-

tion and analyses of data must be done with a view to safeguarding human

rights with respect to civil and social benefits, particularly among chil

dren, youth and women;

(j) If the Government of the country is decentralized, with autonomous states/

provinces conducting their own civil registration/vital statistics systems,

the legal and procedural requirements of registration, including certificate

issuance, be standardized;

(k) With responsibility for civil registration and vital statistics vested in an

agency or agencies of a national government, the assignment of registra

tion functions at all levels should be accompanied by a clear designation

of duties and responsibilities with respect to registration, recording, the

custody of records statistical reporting, collection, compilation, analysis,

presentation and dissemination of data, and the critical inspection and

evaluation of the system that would avoid situations in which registration is

the function of employees of a different department or level of government

139

Recommendations for strengthening national civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems

or municipality. The national office would have the authority to standard-

ize forms, procedures and methods, and to coordinate, unify, supervise

and promote efficient and effective registration;

(l) Provision be made for registration offices that are easily accessible to every

segment of the population, to include mobile registration units as required

with staffing appropriate to the number of events occurring within the

registration districts;

(m) Registration should be made legally compulsory for every vital event that

occurs within the boundaries of the country. The system must be com

prehensive and unbiased. It should include every group and individual,

regardless of religion, profession, language or other cultural or social back

ground. There should be no fee for timely (e.g., within seven days) registra-

tion of a vital event;

(n) The reasons for registration and its incentives of enjoyment of privileges

and rights contingent on proof of registration are conveyed to the general

public and target groups through an effective ongoing communication

for development programme, which should include the annual designa

tion and observance of a particular month (or week or day) as registration

month (or week or day);

(o) The presence of certificates should condition the provision of various ser

vices, including religious services related to vital events;

(p) Consideration be given to issuing a free certificate for the timely registra

tion of a vital or civil event for a trial period at the beginning of the com-

munication for development programme in order to motivate the public to

(q) Confidentiality of personal information in registration records be safe

guarded through strict protocols on the release of individual civil registra-

tion and vital statistics records for research and public uses. Confidentiality

should be mentioned in all communication interventions;

(r) Wherever possible, a system of record linkage be implemented, so that, for

example, a birth record could be linked to a marriage record or to the birth

records of the parents, to the birth (or stillbirth) of subsequent children,

to a divorce, and eventually to a death record, so as to provide invaluable

information on individuals for genetic and family reproductive histories;

(s) The new system be capable of providing satisfactory services to the public,

particularly the issuance of certificates on a timely basis, as well as provid

ing timely and reliable statistics to decision makers and policymakers of

the Government;

(t) Local registrars be trained in friendly service delivery and be able to show a

friendly attitude in interpersonal communication with beneficiaries;

(u) The new system include, wherever possible, the use of technological means

to operate and maintain a database with an efficient retrieval system and

adequate facilities for safe preservation and protection of documents from

damage and other risks;

(v) Priority be given to obtaining the support and cooperation of medical

societies/physicians, as well as other medical personnel, such as nurses,

midwives and staff at hospitals and health clinics, to streamline coverage,

timeliness and quality in the registration of live births, deaths and fetal

deaths;

140 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

(w) Every effort be made to educate and train registration officials, particularly

at the local level, to increase their skills in performing registration func-

tions. All vital statistics personnel should also be targeted for training;

(x) The involvement and commitment of tribal chiefs, village elders, religious/

spiritual leaders, traditional birth attendants, community leaders/opinion

makers, women’s groups, politicians at all levels, persons who perform

marriages, educational institutions and so on be obtained in order to help

ensure the success of the registration improvement programme, particu

larly at the community level;

(y) Innovative tools be used for obtaining the desired behaviour change and

address the anti-registration social norms (edutainment, social media, tel

ecommunications and so on);f

(z) A mechanism be established to monitor and evaluate the accomplishments

(or failures) of the communication for development programme and the

overall civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improve

ment programme and to make recommendations for further improve-

ments to the system.

141

Annex 1

Analysis of determinants of non-registration

in Guinea: data collected by focus groups

and observation

Enabling environment

Social norms

Social norms are very strong in Guinea. Registration of vital events is usually influ-

enced by social norms on many issues: births, deaths, marriages, power relations

within the family, importance of State documents, role of official authorities and reli

gious, newly created expectations.

As a general rule, documents issued by State authorities are pieces of paper that are

considered useless by the majority of the population, including the birth certificate,

which can actually be used to enroll in the school and obtain an identity card, and

other civil status documents. It should be mentioned that the general practice is reli

gious ceremonies for births, marriages and funerals. For Muslims, who represent the

majority of the population in Guinea, religious traditions related to birth, death and

marriage are much more important than civil registration. In addition, mosques keep

records of all vital events, and some of them provide a document confirming the event.

Such a document has a higher emotional value than the certificates issued by the State.

There is no public pressure on people to register their vital events. Community mem

bers, health workers and even registrars do not understand the need to register. Several

registrars confirmed that they had not registered their own marriage or the death of

their parents because they did not see why it should be done.

In four civil registration centres visited during the mission, registration rates were

very low. Although the birth registration situation appears to be high in recent

research (multiple indicator cluster surveys, 2016), the situation is very different in

the field.

In the commune of Mambia in the region of Kindia, the birth registry registered only

51 children from April 2018. According to the data of the health centre, 630 births took

place in the centre and a few hundred (the exact number is not available) occurred in

health posts. The registration rate is therefore less than 10 per cent for the municipal

ity concerned. For the urban district of Kindia, with 171,000 inhabitants, during the

first two months of 2019, only 144 births were recorded, with a total of 10,000 births

per year in health facilities (about 2,000 during the reference period of two months).

In that case, the recording rate is even lower than 10 per cent. In the municipality of

Friguiagbe in the last two years (2017–2019), only 103 births were recorded, with about

3,000 children born in health facilities during the same period. In the urban munici

pality of Dixinn, birth registration rates are higher (269 births registered between

1 January and 14 February 2019). The total number of planned births per year in

142 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

this municipality is about 6,200, full coverage will mean about 550 registered births

per month. The difference between those data (unrepresentative, but important for

understanding trends) and data collected during research such as multiple indicator

cluster surveys is a voluntary declaration of birth certificate. In focus groups, peo

ple often confuse birth certificates with birth notifications issued in health facilities

immediately after birth.

Death registration is at a very low level. In Kindia, no deaths were recorded in

2019, in Dixinn, there are were only three deaths recorded. In Mambia, for eight

years, 100 deaths were recorded. It should be mentioned that there is a period of

three days of registration of the death and that after this period, all deaths must be

declared in court.

The generalized social norms are:

• Religious ceremonies of birth, death and marriage prevail over all civil

proceedings;

• Registration of death or marriage is done by wealthier people and civil

servants, it being linked to inheritance;

• Aer the death of a loved one, people should mourn and not seek to obtain

documents;

• Children need the birth certicate to go to school, but it can be obtained later

– there is time;

• Everyone receives a birth notication in the health facility, another document

is not necessary;

• Only a man can record vital events; women do not know how to.

Legislation/policy

Appropriate policies need to be developed. However, the understanding of the legal

provisions is insufficient. There is no instruction for local registrars on the reading of

the law and on their functional assignments. Civil registration legislation is not known

to employees in other sectors, such as health.

The marriage registration procedures are very complicated. A large number of docu

ments are requested: birth certificates of both partners, certificate of residence, paren-

tal consent, photos of each partner, handwritten request that the addressee addresses

to the town halls to announce the day and the wedding day. All those documents

must be provided at least 10 days in advance, the announcement of the marriage to be

posted in a public place of the community at least 10 days to allow anyone to oppose it.

Only if no objection is received can the marriage be officially celebrated. In a country

with a very low literacy rate, posting an advertisement publicly for the entire commu

nity is not logical because people cannot read it. At the same time, if the marriage was

already celebrated religiously, it is considered valid without a complicated registration

procedure.

The registration of deaths is also a very difficult process in terms of documents. It is

not clear how and where the confirmation of death could be received. Even registrars

lack clear information on exactly what to do when a person dies to ensure proper reg

istration of the death.

A comprehensive assessment of the legal framework needs to be conducted to align it

with other policies, detect inconsistencies and barriers to registration of vital events.

The documents to be provided for the registration of the death and the registration of

143

Annex 1 Analysis of determinants of non-registration in Guinea:

the marriage must be reviewed to facilitate the process. The costs to be collected for

civil registration should be uniform and much lower than today.

Budget/expenditures

Low allocation of funds to the national directorate of civil registration. The budget

for the implementation of the National Strategy for the Reform and Modernization

of Civil Registration in Guinea 2018–2022 represents about US$ 25 million, of which

more than half is dedicated to strengthening social mobilization and advocacy for

registration of vital events. Although some officials state that registration of vital

events is one of the country’s priorities, other strict priorities are being considered at

the regional and local levels. During the visits, in two rural communities, the role of

registrars was played by volunteers, who received a symbolic payment. In other com

munities, communes contracted people who received a monthly payment of 440,000

francs (about $50). Usually, these people have no skills or knowledge about the process.

Mayors have no interest in investing money in registration of vital events, and it is rea

sonable in some cases when very serious problems need to be resolved, such as water

and sanitation, health, education and so on.

Civil registration offices have no financial means to finance their awareness-raising

and information activities. Community health workers have a motorcycle to reach all

populations. At the same time, civil registrars have no means of transportation.

Management/coordination

Although there is a coordination mechanism (Intersectoral Coordination Commis-

sion for Civil Status Reform and Modernization), which should meet quarterly, some

stakeholders working in the field are not aware of the meetings. Now, with the strategy

of reform and modernization of civil registration validated by all stakeholders, the

national directorate of civil registration will convene more often. The coordination

committee and also plans to create similar mechanisms at the regional level. That will

ensure a better coordination.

However, synergies should be found and coordination ensured for all activities related

to the demand creation for civil registration services. In some campaigns organized

by different actors, birth registration is offered free of charge. In focus groups in rural

areas, some people confirmed that parents usually wait for registration campaigns to

parents go beyond the birth registration deadline and should be subject to a supple

mentary judgment.

Stakeholders involved do not have a single vision on how to approach the civil registra

tion process, especially on demand creation. Many social norms, sociocultural prac-

tices and beliefs are not considered when designing demand creation programmes.

The issuance of birth certificates in large numbers during an ad hoc campaign does

not increase the value of the civil registration and perpetuates the generalized idea

that “the State and international projects need it”. The populations do not understand

the need to record their vital events. A common strategy for social change, in which

each actor concerned will have its role and areas of intervention, is necessary to change

the perceptions of the population in general, but also of those directly or indirectly

involved in the delivery of services (civil registrars, health workers, educators, mayors,

village chiefs, district leaders, religious leaders, NGOs). That strategy will ensure the

convergence of all activities and achieve the results expected in the national strategy

for the reform and modernization of civil registration.

144 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Supply

Availability of essential commodities/inputs

According to the mission’s observations, civil registration offices are not a priority in

rural areas. They are supposed to be open from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. and have reg

isters and all necessary inventories, but the situation is very different. In all cases, the

civil registrar was to be called and invited to the discussion, the office was not func

tional in two out of four cases. The registers were in very bad condition, the obligation

to close the registers at the end of each year and to open a new one is not respected.

In one case, a death register had been signed and stamped by the judge in 2012, in

another case the registers were dated 2017 and 2018.

To be used, the registers must be signed and stamped by the court. It may take about

two weeks to receive the logs. If the previous register was completed, no record is made

during those two weeks.

Although the new secure registers are already printed and distributed, they are not

yet used in the four civil status offices visited. There is no cabinet to keep the records

safe. In addition, extracts that must generally be sent to justice and statistics are not

completed and sent. In the municipality of Dixinn, those sheets are left empty; in other

communes, the main sheet is also empty, so no data on the person having obtained the

birth certificate is recorded.

The village books exist, but they are not used and are empty at the registry office. In

four communities visited, the system using the village books does not work.

Access to adequately staffed services, facilities and information

Geographical access to civil registration services is limited to populations located

near the registry office. A plan exists to create secondary civil registration cen

tres. According to the competent authorities, 342 primary centres and 6 secondary

centres exist now. However, since the extension of secondary centres is not yet fully

implemented, people complain of a long enough distance to go to the civil registra

tion centre. Of course, in different communities, the average distance is different.

In the municipality of Mambia, the maximum distance to the civil registration

centre is approximately 40 km. In Kindia, this distance was estimated at 7 km

and at Dixinn, about 5 km. Distance is a major barrier to registration of vital

events, especially for registration of births and deaths, when strong cultural

practices occur. Firstly, two visits to the civil registration centres are necessary to

retrieve a certificate: one to bring all the necessary documents and the other within

a maximum of three days to retrieve the excerpts. That makes the process even

more complicated.

To ensure access to civil registration services, information should be provided to

community members. During the discussions, people did not know that they had

to record deaths and did not know where and how that should be done. For registra

tion of birth, the birth notification replaces the birth certificate issued by the registry

office. Health workers do not inform parents of the procedure to follow the receipt

of the birth notification. In the communities visited, the registration of deaths was

close to 0.

Interoperability between the different sectors at the local level does not exist, even if

they are sometimes geographically close to each other. Information is lacking at all

levels, starting with basic information for the responsible local authorities (marital

status, health, education) and ending with the general population.

145

Annex 1 Analysis of determinants of non-registration in Guinea:

The following information gaps were identified:

• People working in civil registration centres (oen volunteers or community

agents) do not have basic information about how to operate, about the legal

provisions relating to their duties and about how they should raise awareness;

• Mayors lack information about the importance of birth, death and marriage

registration and do not have clear written instructions on their role;

• Community actors (e.g., health workers, educators, informal community

leaders, religious leaders) do not have basic information and communication

skills to encourage community members to record their vital events. In addi

tion, community actors have misperceptions and stereotypes related to regis-

tration of vital events;

• e general population does not receive any information on the need to reg

ister vital events. When they receive the birth notication, health workers

rarely explain what parents should do with it. With the registration of deaths

and marriages, knowledge of the need to register is almost non-existent. All

focus group participants conrmed that they did not really know that a death

and marriage certicate was required, especially because religious ceremo

nies had already taken place and it was not necessary to participate in new

documentation ceremonies.

Demand

Financial access

The civil registration services have an associated cost, and the amount is established

by the council of each municipality. So, the costs are very different. Rural commu

nities have higher prices for registration services. Thus, birth registration starts

at 3,000 francs and amounts to 10,000 francs. In urban areas, such as Kindia and

Dixinn (Conakry), the price is 3,000 to 5,000 francs. In rural communities (Mambia

and Friguiagbe), the price is 10,000 francs.

The registration of deaths costs even more: 5,000 to 20,000 francs. Here, additional

costs are related to obtaining confirmation of death from a health facility or health

worker. If you invite someone to confirm the death, the additional costs can reach

60,000 francs.

The registration of marriage is the most expensive: it costs between 30,000 and 50,000

in urban areas, about 100,000 francs in rural areas.

It should be mentioned that religious ceremonies are considered more important than

civil ceremonies and that, for ceremonies held in mosques, for example, people spend

at least 50,000 francs (for baptism, marriage and funerals). Civil registration fees are

an additional burden for families because they do not replace religious ceremonies

with civil ceremonies.

When asked for an estimate of transportation costs, most respondents said they

needed at least 10,000 francs for a trip to the registration office. It should be noted that

at least two trips are required to complete the civil registration process.

Efforts are being made to make civil registration free of charge for all and to employ

officials who are properly trained and able to provide services effectively.

146 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Sociocultural practices and beliefs

The general perception of civil registration is that it does not matter to citizens, it is

the State that needs it. Many sociocultural practices and beliefs prevent people from

applying for registration services.

Religious considerations are very strong. All vital events have specific ceremonies that

people are supposed to organize in mosques. Guinea has a large Muslim population,

and Islamic traditions prevail. So far, no formal agreement has been reached with the

General Secretariat of the Islamic League to get involved or promote civil registration.

An agreement with the Catholic Church has been reached and, for the celebration of

religious marriage, Catholics must bring to the church the official marriage certificate.

Birth-related practices: After giving birth, women generally stay in a health facility

for about six hours, then are attended by an older woman at home. Although the birth

notification must be made at birth in the health facility, the mother does not know the

name of the child before baptism. Usually, the father names the child, and if the father

is not present, that information is passed on to a male parent or a friend of the father.

Upon returning home from the hospital, the birth notification received at the health

facility is given to the father. The men in the family take care of the documents, keep

them and usually do the civil registration. That is considered a control issue. For seven

days after birth, the child has no name, and the mother is not allowed to leave the

house. It is only after the baptism on the seventh day that the child has a name and the

mother can go out. If the child does not survive the first week of life, he or she receives

no name and is buried anonymously, so no birth and death registrations are done.

Registration of birth is the decision of the man because he has all the documents

and money for it. According to discussions with registrars, 95 per cent of people who

request registration services are men. The literacy level among women is very low and

the traditional role of communicating with authorities is assigned to men.

Usually, the birth is celebrated at the baptism, during the religious ceremony, and the

guests usually bring a financial contribution as a gift for the newborn. If properly

advocated, some of that money could be spent on civil registration. The extension of

the birth registration deadline to six months would be beneficial in that case.

A per capita tax used to be imposed in Guinea. Although it has been canceled, citizens

fear additional payments to the State if they register all their children.

The registration of deaths is much more complicated because too many practices and

cultural beliefs are linked to it. The burial after death should take place between two

prayers, so it usually takes only a few hours to bury the deceased. During that time,

family members are in distress and do not have time to obtain a confirmation of death

that will be used for registration purposes. The official deadline for registering the

death with the civil registration authorities is three days, which makes the death reg

istration even more complicated. It is considered that if a child dies, he or she will be

an intermediary between the parents and God, and may ask favours for his family.

Parents and relatives should not cry or suffer.

Some cultural beliefs hinder the registration of deaths:

• One must never speak of the deceased aer his death; let him rest in peace;

• Applying for a death certicate is a painful process for relatives of the deceased;

• ere is no need for such a certicate, except in the case of inheritance or

property division issues;

• Since burial in a cemetery costs about 100,000 francs, many people tend to be

buried in the ground near the house;

147

Annex 1 Analysis of determinants of non-registration in Guinea:

• ere is no obligation to bury in a specic place and no documents are

required, even for burial in a cemetery;

• Registration of death is not mandatory.

To bury in a cemetery, it is not necessary to provide a death certificate. If the person

is dead, there is no need to relive the pain through this entire process of recording

deaths. Not to speak of the deceased is one of the coping mechanisms in case of death

of a close person. In addition, the civil registration site is very far away, and people

are not encouraged to register the death, except if there is a problem of inheritance

or land sharing. If the husband dies and the death is not officially registered, his wife

will become the wife of his brother. If the husband’s death is officially registered, the

woman is free to do what she wants. Traditions are not related to legal registration and

people plan to respect one or the other, but they cannot perceive a combined solution.

On the other hand, marriages are celebrated very early in mosques. The tradition is

to celebrate the wedding in a religious manner. Usually, the imam offers a marriage

confirmation, and people do not see the need to officially register the marriage. Most

interviewees do not see the value of the official ceremony. In the civil registration

centres, marriage is perceived as a ceremony in itself, and there is no possibility of just

coming to declare the marriage. Even after the religious ceremony, the spouses must

do the civil ceremony, not just for the registration. Also, fees are involved.

Timing and continuity of use

Many interviewees confirmed that they do not ask for a birth certificate for all children.

When time and other circumstances permit, they record the birth of some children,

but others do not. Some have confirmed that they expect campaigns when registration

will be free of charge to register births. The registration of deaths is considered a use

less process, and the official registration of marriage is also considered unnecessary.

Quality

The quality and completeness of the civil registration is not assured. Periodic moni-

toring or inspections are not performed. As of 2012, in some civil registration centres,

no inspection or monitoring was carried out to guarantee the quality of the registra

tion. Confidence in the documents issued by the civil registration authorities is very

low. Similar civil registration certificates are sold illegally on the markets. Some prefer

to buy those documents than to make every effort to retrieve an official document,

as there is no mechanism to verify whether the certificate has been legally issued or

illegally purchased. Although records must be kept and separate sheets are sent to

justice and statistics, that system does not work. In addition, not all registers are well

completed. There are cases in which the certificate is issued and given to the person

who requests it, but the rest of the sheet is not filled, so there is no possibility to know

the identity of the person for whom this certificate has been issued.

In two of the four centres visited, the staff of the civil registration centres were

almost illiterate, and the accuracy of the handwritten certificates was questionable.

For Guinean citizens wishing to visit Europe, those certificates pose a big problem.

It seems that the Embassy of France does not recognize many birth certificates or

marriage certificates officially issued because of the considerable number of mistakes

in them.

148

Annex 2

Steps in developing a communication

strategy

Developing a communication strategy to influence behaviour change does not have to

take long. A strategy is necessary to ensure greater impact on behaviour. It allows you

to get the most out of your budget, to measure any changes and to motivate people to

achieve intended results.

When you develop a behaviour change communication strategy, design each step to be

as participatory as possible. Participation in all steps of the process allows community

representatives to participate in decisions, develops a sense of ownership and helps

affected communities achieve a sense of normalcy in their disrupted system.

Here are some essential steps you can follow when developing the details of a commu

nication for development strategy:

Step One

Bring all stakeholders together. Work with the various stakeholders together (e.g., from

a given programme or related sectors at a time) from government, United Nations

agencies, NGOs and community representatives as quickly as possible to determine

what behavioural results should your communication strategy for this programme or

sector achieve:

• What are the roles and responsibilities of the dierent partners?

• How will the plan be funded, implemented, monitored, documented and

reported?

• How will the monitoring results be used in the dierent phases of the imple

mentation?

Step Two

Plan and conduct a rapid communication assessment based on an appropriate combi-

nation of tools.

Step Three

Determine your audiences (participant groups) and define SMART behavioural objec-

tives and results. Define the specific desired behavioural objectives or results you

would like to achieve from your communication strategy. Define behavioural results

so that they are:

• Specic in terms of an issue (e.g., behaviour, skill, knowledge, attitudes), of a

specic group and of the geographical location;

* Behaviour Change Communication in Emergencies. A UNICEF Toolkit, 2006.

149

Annex 2 Steps in developing a communication strategy

• Measurable in such a way that changes in people’s behaviour can be meas-

ured, either quantitatively or qualitatively;

• Achievable in that the behavioural results correlate to a target that can feasibly

be attained by the programme partners and that all necessary resources are

identied and budgeted;

• Relevant so that the planned behaviour result(s) represent a milestone in the

results chain and will contribute to the achievement of commitments for the

emergency response;

• Time bound in that a time frame has been set within which change is expected

to happen.

Keep in mind that behavioural results have to contribute to the overall results, that is

an increase in civil registration rates.

Step Four

Based on the specific intended behavioural results, determine the details of the com-

munication strategy:

• Which combination of communication strategies to use: advocacy, behaviour

change communication, social mobilization?

• Which groups of people to involve as partners to mobilize, orient or train?

• What specic training needs and orientations are required, for which group(s)

for the plan to be carried out quickly?

• Which communication activities, main messages and materials? Where can

you obtain examples of messages and materials that you can quickly adapt?

• What mix of communication channels (e.g., mass media, interpersonal com

munication, community media)?

• What is the dissemination plan for the communication messages and

materials?

• What is the timeline for communication activities?

• What is the monitoring (including indicators and means of verication), eval

uation, documentation and reporting plan?

• What is the total budget?

Step Five

When implementing the strategy, keep the following in mind:

• Pre-test messages and materials with representative groups from dierent

communities;

• Conduct the training early on, which may include training of interpersonal

communicators such as animators, peer educators, health workers, teachers

and young people;

• Orient and involve journalists in your eorts;

• Mobilize partners and communities to support and implement the plan.

Step Six

Establish a monitoring system. Manage and monitor communication activities as part

of the overall programme-monitoring effort. Ideally, use community monitoring sys

tems among concerned population groups. Based on the monitoring data, adjust activ-

150 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

ities and materials accordingly. Programme and service delivery data, such as increase

in registration rates of deaths, also serve as monitoring information and should be

used to modify communication activities or messages.

Step Seven

Evaluate and revise plan. Based on the desired behavioural results, assess outcomes

and, if possible, any impact on behaviour. Disseminate results to partners, including

community members. Determine the need for follow-up and for continued support

to shape behaviours. In evaluating impact, contributions that can be linked to com

munication efforts should be an integral part of a programme evaluation rather than

a separate evaluation of communication initiatives.

151

Annex 3

Sample agenda for the workshop on

situational analysis and communication

for development strategy elaboration

The table starts on the following page.

152 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

DAY 1

Time Session Training method Responsible Necessary documents

and tools

8.30 – 9.15 Opening sessions, logistical instructions Plenary session

9.15 – 10.00 Participants presentation Exercise

10.00 – 11.00 Presentation of the national civil registration and

vital statistics improvement programme

Presentation

11.0 0 – 11. 20 Coﬀee break

11.20 – 11.50 Presentation of theoretical approach to communication for development

Discussion

Presentation

Debate

11.50 – 12.20 The situation regarding civil registration in the country Presentation

Discussion

12.20 – 12.40 Interactive exercise: mapping of civil registration initiatives

implemented in the country

Relevant participants/stakeholders should be involved in this exercise

Exercise

12.40 – 13.00 SWOT and causal analysis Plenary presentation

13.00 – 14.00 Lunch

14.00 – 15.00 Group work:

Group 1. Causal analysis

Group 2. SWOT analysis

Exercise

15.00 – 16.00 Presentation and validation of group work Discussion

Validation

16.00 – 16.20 Coﬀee break

16.20 – 16.50 Presentation on setting goals and objectives

Plenary discussion: Identiﬁcation of objectives for the

communication for development strategy

Presentation

Plenary discussion

16.50 – 17.30 Group work: Results and indicators for the communication for development

strategy based on SMART principles, sources of veriﬁcation.

Exercise

17.30 – 18.15 Presentation of group work, discussion and validation Plenary discussion

18.15 – 18.30 Conclusions

DAY 2

Time Session Training method Responsible Necessary documents

and tools

9.00 – 9.15 Report day 1 Presentation

9.15 – 9.30 Theoretical approach: identiﬁcation of participants and

circle of inﬂuence.

Presentation

9.30 – 10.30 Plenary: Identiﬁcation of participants groups at the

micro level (individual, family, community)

Plenary discussion

Exercise

10.30 – 11.30 Group work: Participant analysis at the micro level (individual, family

community) – behaviours, barriers, social norms

Exercise

153

Annex 3 Sample agenda for the workshop on situational analysis and communication

DAY 2 (continued)

Time Session Training method Responsible Necessary documents

and tools

11.30 – 11.50 Coﬀee break

11.50 – 13.00 Group work: Participant analysis at the micro level (individual, family,

community) – behaviours, barriers, social norms

Exercise

13.00 – 14.00 Lunch

14.00 – 15.00 Plenary presentation of group work, brainstorming, validation Plenary discussion

15.00 – 15.10 Theoretical presentation: Circle of inﬂuence – meso and macro levels

15.10 – 16.00 Group work: Meso and macro levels – identiﬁcation of participants

and barriers.

Exercise

16.00 – 16.20 Coﬀee break

16.20 – 17.00 Group work: Meso and macro levels – identiﬁcation of participants

and barriers (contd.)

Exercise

17.00 – 18.00 Plenary presentation of group work, brainstorming, validation Plenary discussion

18.00 – 18.15 Conclusions

DAY 3

Time Session Training method Responsible Necessary documents

and tools

9.00 – 9.15 Report day 2

9.15 – 9.45 Theoretical presentation: Messages and arguments

Discussion

Plenary presentation

and discussion

9.45 – 10.15 Reminder: Objectives, participants and barriers Presentation, discussion

10.15 – 11.30 Group work: Micro level – for each objective, identify participants,

existing behaviours, desired behaviour, messages, arguments

Group work

11.30 – 11.50 Coﬀee break

11.50 – 13.00 Group work: Micro level – for each objective, identify participants,

existing behaviours, desired behaviour, messages, arguments

Group work

13.00 – 14.00 Lunch

14.00 – 15.00 Plenary presentation of group work, brainstorming, validation Plenary discussion

15.00 – 16.00 Group work: Intermediary (meso) and national (macro) levels –

determine messages, arguments for social change and advocacy

Group work

16.00 – 16.20 Coﬀee break

16.20 – 17.00 Group work: Intermediary (meso) and national (macro) levels –

determine messages, arguments for social change and advocacy (contd.)

Group work

17.00 – 18.00 Plenary presentation of group work, brainstorming, validation Plenary discussion

18.00 – 18.15 Conclusions

154 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

DAY 4

Time Session Training method Responsible Necessary documents

and tools

8.45 – 9.00 Report day 3

9.00 – 9.15 Reminder: SWOT analysis Presentation

9.15 – 10.00 Plenary discussion: Platforms and implementation mechanisms – all levels Plenary discussion

10.00 – 10.15 Presentation: Diﬀerent communication for development approaches Presentation

10.15 – 11.30 Development of implementation plan for 3 categories of participants at micro

level; group activities by category: behaviour change, social change, commu-

nity mobilization media, advocacy

Group work

11.30 – 11.50 Coﬀee break

11.50 – 13.00 Development of implementation plan for 3 categories of participants at micro

level; group activities by category: behaviour change, social change, commu-

nity mobilization media, advocacy

Group work

13.00 – 14.00 Lunch

14.00 – 15.30 Plenary presentation of group work, brainstorming, validation Plenary discussion

15.30 – 15.45 Reminder: Participants at meso (intermediary) and macro (national)

levels – instructions for group work

Presentation

15.45 – 16.30 Development of implementation plan for participants at meso and macro

levels; group activities by category: social change, capacity-building, advocacy

Group work

16.30 – 16.50 Coﬀee break

16.50 – 17.30 Development of implementation plan for participants at meso and macro

levels; group activities by category: social change, capacity-building, advocacy

Group work

17.30 – 18.30 Plenary presentation of group work, brainstorming, validation Plenary discussion

18.30 – 18.45 Conclusions

DAY 5

Time Session Training method Responsible Necessary documents

and tools

9.00 – 9.15 Report day 4

9.15 – 11.00 Identiﬁcation of responsible organizations for each intervention in

the implementation plan

Plenary discussion

11.0 0 – 11. 20 Coﬀee break

11.20 – 12.00 Identiﬁcation of responsible organizations for each intervention in

the implementation plan

Plenary discussion

12.00 – 12.40 Conclusions, recommendations and next steps Plenary discussion

12.40 – 13.00 Closing remarks Closing remarks

155

Annex 4

Identiﬁcation of main strategy participants

(audiences)

Identification of problem

Overall objectives

Behavioural objectives

Communication objectives

Main groups of participants

At community level

Primary participants (individuals) = whose behaviour we want to change

Secondary participants (interpersonal) = who have inﬂuence on primary participants at the level of the family

Tertiary participants = who have an inﬂuence at community level: local leaders, religious leaders, teachers, doctors, opinion leaders, local associations, etc.

At intermediary level

Who will be responsible for the implementation of the strategy: authorities, NGOs, media?

At national/regional level

Who are responsible for policy development, assigning ﬁnancial resources and ensuring State and international policies?

Community Individual

Secondary

Tertiary

Intermediary

National/regional

* See Global Communication Strategy Development Guide for Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Nutri-

tion Programs, UNICEF, 2015.

156

Annex 5

Behavioural analysis

Identify actual knowledge, attitudes and practices

Participants Primary Secondary Tertiary Intermediary

level

National/

regional level

What is the knowledge of each participant category

in relation to the problem?

What are their attitudes?

What are their practices?

Desirable changes

Participants Primary Secondary Tertiary Intermediary

level

National/

regional level

What is the desired behaviour for each participant

group?

Behaviour determinants: advantages and barriers

Participants Primary Secondary Tertiary Intermediary

level

National/

regional level

What are the main advantages/interests for this

group to adopt the desirable behaviour?

What are the barriers to adopt the desirable behaviour?

* See Global Communication Strategy Development Guide for Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Nutri-

tion Programs, UNICEF, 2015.

157

Annex 6

Identiﬁcation of messages and arguments

Primary Secondary Tertiary Intermediary

level

National/

regional level

Participants

Desirable behaviour

What would you say to each participant group to

recommend this behaviour (message)?

What arguments would you oﬀer to these groups

to change their behaviour or to support others in

adopting a new behaviour?

What would be the advantages?

Information channels

Sources of information

* See Global Communication Strategy Development Guide for Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Nutri-

tion Programs, UNICEF, 2015.

158

Annex 7

Activity planning

After conducting the analysis, setting the objectives, identifying the participants,

channels and messages, you should plan the activities. In order to achieve the desired

behavioural results, you will need at least two years. Once the strategic design ele

ments (e.g., goal, objectives, approaches, communication channels, and activities)

are decided, they should be spelled out in a concise strategic design document that

includes an implementation plan.

Activity planning format to be used in exercises during strategic planning workshops

Number Activity Channel Source Timeline Responsible

Primary participants

Number Activity Channel Source Timeline Responsible

Secondary participants

Number Activity Channel Source Timeline Responsible

Tertiary participants

Number Activity Channel Source Timeline Responsible

Participants at the intermediary level

Number Activity Channel Source Timeline Responsible

Participants at the national/regional levels

* See Global Communication Strategy Development Guide for Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Nutri-

tion Programs, UNICEF, 2015.

159

Annex 8

Generic pre-testing questions for various

prototypes of communication materials

The table starts on the following page.

* See Eﬀective Communication for Measles and Rubella Elimination in the African Region: Guidelines,

UNICEF, 2015; Communication Pretesting, Media Monograph 6. Communication Laboratory, Com-

munity and Family Study Center, University of Chicago, 1978; and Guy Scandlen, Pre-testing: A short

handbook. 2008.

160 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Radio and television spots

(Sample size: 10–20 people)

Films and videos

(Sample size: 10–20 people)

Posters

(Sample size: 10–20 people)

Pamphlets/booklets

(Sample size: 10–20 people)

Please tell me in your own words what the

spot said.

Depending on the nature of the content, ask one

or both of the following questions:

First, I would like to show you this [image, photo-

graph] that we wish to use in a poster. Please tell

me what you see?

(Probe: What feelings does it evoke; what is it

telling you?)

If you are developing a pamphlet/booklet,

follow some of these procedures:

A. What do you think the message of the ﬁlm/

video is? What do you think the ﬁlm/video was

trying to tell you?

Our organization is developing a pamphlet/

booklet on ____________ for your community.

We would like to seek your advice on the cover.

Here are three designs [show designs A, B, C].

Which one do you like best, and why?

B. What do you think was the main reason this

ﬁlm/video was made?

• To entertain people?

• To inform people about something?

• To persuade people to do something?

Did you feel that the spot was asking you to do

something in particular?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

Now I would like to show you the poster. Please

tell me, in your own words, what is the message

of this poster? (Probe: What it is telling you?)

Which colour do you like best for the cover?

[Show choices A, B, C]

Did the spot say anything you don’t believe to

be true?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what was not true?

In general, do you think it is a good idea to have a

ﬁlm/video on _________ ?

What is good or bad about it?

If the people interviewed cannot read: Please

looking at this poster and tell me what you think

it is telling you?

These are the titles we are considering: [show

choices A, B, C] Which do you like the best?

Did the spot say anything that might bother

or oﬀend people who live in __________?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

Did the ﬁlm/video say anything that might

bother or oﬀend people who live in ________?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

Do you feel that the poster is asking you to do

something in particular?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

Here are the images/photographs/drawings

we are thinking of using [show some]. In your

opinion, what are they saying?

Do you think this spot is intended for someone

like yourself or is it for other people?

(a) Like myself; (b) Others; (c) DK;

if “others”, why?

Do you think this ﬁlm/video is intended for some-

one like yourself or is it for other people?

(a) Like myself; (b) Others; (c) DK;

if “others”, why?

Is the poster saying anything that you don’t

believe to be true?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what is not true?

If the people/person interviewed do/does not

understand the images, tell them: We hope that

these images are show _________.

How can we improve them so that they to do

that?

Was there anything you liked very much about

the spot?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

Was there anything you liked very much about

the ﬁlm/video?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

Is there anything in the poster that might bother

or oﬀend people who live in _________?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

If you are testing a completed pamphlet, use

the following questions:

I would like to show you a pamphlet that we are

developing for your community. As you can see,

it contains pictures and some text. Please read

the text underlined in red and let’s talk about

them when you have ﬁnished.

161

Annex 8 Generic pre-testing questions for various prototypes of communication materials

Radio and television spots

(Sample size: 10–20 people)

Films and videos

(Sample size: 10–20 people)

Posters

(Sample size: 10–20 people)

Pamphlets/booklets

(Sample size: 10–20 people)

Was there anything you didn’t like?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

Was there anything you didn’t like about the

ﬁlm/video?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

If the poster contains images of people, ask: Do

the people you see in the poster remind you of

yourself or your friends or do they look quite dif-

ferent from you or your friends?

• Like him/her and friends

• Diﬀerent from him/her and friends

• Don’t know

If diﬀerent, in what way?

I will read each text underlined in red and ask you

to tell me, in your own words, what message are

they conveying:

[Go over each text underlined in red]

Compared to other spots on the radio/television

these days, how would you rate this spot:

• Excellent

• Good

• Fair

• Poor

• Don’t know

Do you think this ﬁlm/video should be shown to

other people like yourselves, or would it be bet-

ter to show a diﬀerent ﬁlm/video instead?

Is there anything in particular that you like very

much about this poster?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what;

What do you think the pamphlet is saying or ask-

ing people to do?

Is there anything in the pamphlet that you do

NOT believe is true?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what ?

Is there anything in the pamphlet that might

bother or oﬀend people who live in ________?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

What can we do to improve the spot so as to give

the intended message?

Is there anything you don’t like about the poster?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

Do the people in the images remind you of your-

self or your friends/people in your community?

• Like him/her and friends/community

• Diﬀerent from him/her; friends/community

• Don’t know

If diﬀerent, in what way?

What can we do to improve the poster so that it

sends the intended message?

Is there anything you particularly like about the

pamphlet?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

Is there anything you don’t like about the

pamphlet?

Y, N, DK; If yes, what?

162

Annex 9

Minimum human resources required for

strategy development and implementation

1. Registrar general of civil registration (or equivalent)

2. Head of agency in charge of vital statistics (if civil registration and vital statistics

are not combined)

3. Head/director of the communication for development office

4. Assistant head/director

5. Research and planning officer

6. Secretary

7. Since extensive travel may be required, one person in charge of travel; and

depending on the circumstances, a driver

8. Officers on the inter-agency committee

9. Communication for development subcommittee

10. Officer responsible for training

11. Officer responsible for media relations

12. It may be advisable to have a project director to oversee the overall registration

improvement programme (including implementation of other components, e.g.,

legal framework, administrative/organizational improvements, and automation

of the registration systems)

13. Other personnel seconded from other departments/agencies, as required (pre

suming that their salaries would continue to be drawn from the department of

their regular employment)

The human resources listed above are guidelines only and should be adjusted in

accordance with the size and complexity of the country undertaking a communica

tion for development programme within the overall civil registration and vital statis-

tics improvement programme. Note that the human resources requirements for the

latter are not covered in the present Handbook because they are not within its scope.

163

Annex 10

Job descriptions of personnel for the

communication for development oﬃce

Staffing

The following is a brief description of the types of qualifications and experience

required:

Head of office: This position requires a top-level person, with expertise in a wide vari

ety of fields, such as communication in general, including its educational components,

with considerable experience in another government office, as well as a high level

of organizational skills, knowledge and experience in research and writing briefing

papers to government officials as well as speech writing. The person must have an

understanding of how the Government works and the ability to communicate effec

tively with different groups, e.g., the medical profession, lawyers, government offi-

cials, and to draft long-term plans for monitoring and evaluating the programme, and

knowledge of communication for development, behaviour and social change, social

norms. Desirable qualifications and experience include a university degree in commu

nication, social psychology, public administration or related discipline, and adequate

experience in communication and education. Good judgment and ability to act inde

pendently are required.

Assistant Head of office: This position requires a person with experience and exper

tise in working with the media of the country, knowledge of which media are most

effective in each region and for which specific target groups, and the ability to write

press releases, radio/television spots, broadcasts, speeches and so on. This person

would serve as assistant to the head of the office and would help in drawing up and

implementing the first wide-scale communication for development strategy. Desirable

qualifications and experience include a university degree in communication, journal

ism or related discipline, and adequate experience in communications, advertising,

public relations or equivalent combination of training and experience. Experience

with government communications would be an asset.

The Assistant Head of office should have experience in administration and a high

degree of ‘‘people skills” for communicating with other government departments and

officials at the regional/local levels. This person would be responsible for the actual

bookings in commercial media campaigns, coordinating and placing advertisements

in print media, broadcast spots and other media, drawing up detailed budgets and

approving invoices for payment to commercial media. The Assistant Head of office

would also coordinate participation in talk shows and public affairs programmes.

He/She would also be involved in communication for development interventions at the

regional and lower administrative levels by providing suitable material, establishing

guidelines, and, with the Head of office and the Administrator of regional government

services, determining the most effective methods of communicating the message both

164 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

regionally and locally, especially to less privileged target groups within the population

(e.g., illiterate persons, people living in rural areas with poor communication access

and/or cultural or traditional barriers to registration).

Research and planning officer: The person in this position would perform responsi

ble professional work in the research and evaluation of a broad range of complex sub-

jects and would be responsible for analysing the results and recommending courses of

long-term actions to senior government officials. Duties would include the prepara

tion of comprehensive reports and recommendations and would require participating

in meetings with a wide range of government officials and representatives of profes

sions and occupations, as well as preparing submissions to the cabinet. Those duties

should be performed with a high degree of specialization, independent action and

judgment. Desirable training and experience would include a university degree in

public administration, the social sciences or a related discipline, considerable expe

rience in government planning and development, or any equivalent combination of

training and experience.

Secretarial/administrative support: The person in this position, in addition to provid

ing secretarial support services would assist with administrative work. Duties would

include typing/text processing and production of correspondence, reports, briefing/

information papers to other departments, texts of training handbooks for officials,

complex recommendations and campaign material, such as texts for radio/television

spots, public service announcements, news releases, speeches and so on. Experience in

word-processing and computer skills would be essential.

After government approval of the programme is obtained and a high-level advisory

committee is appointed, it will probably be necessary, to expand the staff of the com

munication for development office by adding persons with writing/research capability

to develop appropriate material, such as actual lessons for use in schools at various

levels, material for trainings, information sessions with specific groups, and drafts

for speeches, as well as material for pamphlets, print advertisements, broadcast spots,

press releases and so on, and a general news relations programme.

In addition, action at an early stage should be taken to obtain the services of an artist/

graphic designer to work on the requirements for graphic material; beginning with

distinctive logo to identify the programme, as well as commissioning a piece of music

that will be used consistently. Such services would be required on a relatively short-

term basis and would best be obtained through contracts.

Travel

The communication for development office staff may be required to travel extensively

throughout the country to learn first-hand the conditions of each area and the deter

rents to registration, and to meet with local official before formulating an overall strat-

egy. Therefore, in this case, provision for transportation would have to be included.

165

Annex 11

Cost categories for the communication

for development strategy budget

Budgetary provisions should be made for the following components of the communi-

cation for development programme:

1. Personnel:

• Project director

• Director of the communication for development oce

• Assistant director of the communication for development oce

• Research and planning ocer

• Secretary

• Others, including members of the subcommittee

2. Operating expenses:

• Oce space

• Oce furniture

• Oce equipment, including computers and printers

• Stationery/supplies

• Telephones/electricity

3. Research and planning, including surveys

4. Travel, including within the country

5. Meetings and training sessions of the communication for development office staff,

inter-agency committee and communication for development subcommittee with:

• Medical society/practitioners

• Registration ocials/groups/stakeholders

• Registration sta at the local level

• General public

• Education ocials

• Legal profession

• Others

6. Design of all materials, including paid mass media advertisements, unpaid non-

commercial media, brochures, signs, banners and so on. An advertising agency may

be involved in this work; if so, include estimated fees for services, materials and com

mercial advertising time and space.

166 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

7. Pre-testing of listed materials

8. Production of required materials

9. Expenditures for mass media, general education and communication activities

10. Monitoring and evaluation of impact/effectiveness of programme

The components of the first stage of the overall civil registration and vital statistics

systems registration improvement programme may take approximately two years. The

initial budget should cover estimated expenditures for that period. A budget for an

additional three-year period to cover operation of the communication for develop

ment office and the communication for development subcommittee, as well as on-

going mass media campaigns and general communication programmes should also be

prepared. If necessary, prepare budgets for an additional five-year period.

167

Annex 12

Communication for development:

costed implementation plan by activity,

implementer and estimated costs

The table starts on the following page.

168 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Implementation

modality

Activity Task Implementer

Timeline

Channels

Tools/

support

materials

Budget

details

(US$)

Cost

estimate

(US$)

Expected

output

2019 2020 2021 2022

A. STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION MODALITIES

1. Planning, management

and coordination



    



 



   



 

   



 

   



 

 1. Subtotal: Planning, management and coordination    

 

 0 

2. Advocacy and

partnerships



    



 



   



 

   



 

   



 

 2. Subtotal: Advocacy and partnership    

 

 0 

3. Capacity strengthening 

    



 



   



 

   



 

 3. Subtotal: Capacity strengthening    

 

 0 

4. Individual

communication



   

 



   

 

 4. Subtotal: Individual communication    

 

 0 

5. Community and group

engagement



   

 



   

 



   

 



   

 

 5. Subtotal: Community and group engagement    

 

 0 

169

Annex 12 Communication for development: costed implementation plan

Implementation

modality

Activity Task Implementer

Timeline

Channels

Tools/

support

materials

Budget

details

(US$)

Cost

estimate

(US$)

Expected

output

2019 2020 2021 2022

6. Mass media and social

media



  



 



  



 



 



  



 

 6. Subtotal: Mass media and social media    

 

 0 

7. Social mobilization of

partners and allies



   

 



   

 



  



 



  



 

 7. Subtotal: Social mobilization    

 

 0 

8. Monitoring for results 

    



 



   



 

 8. Subtotal: Monitoring for results    

 

 0 

SUBTOTAL FOR A: STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION MODALITIES        0 

B. TECHNICAL SUPPORT/OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT



Type of

expenditure

Description          

9. Consultants/contractors

for technical support



    

 



    

 



    

 



    

 

10. Contractors for

production and

distributions



    

 

  



    

 

  



    

 

  



    

 

  

170 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Implementation

modality

Activity Task Implementer

Timeline

Channels

Tools/

support

materials

Budget

details

(US$)

Cost

estimate

(US$)

Expected

output

2019 2020 2021 2022

11. Administrative costs



    

 

  



    

 



    

 



    

 

SUBTOTAL FOR B: TECHNICAL SUPPORT/OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT        0 

C. COMMUNICATION MATERIALS/MEDIA DEVELOPMENT, PRE-TESTING AND PRODUCTION

12. Communication

materials/creative materials



    

 



    

 



    

 



    

 

SUBTOTAL FOR C: COMMUNICATION MATERIALS    

 

 0 

GRAND TOTAL    

 

 0 

171

Annex 13

Successful practices in Kenya

Knowledge, attitude and practices survey

In spite of many efforts put in place by the Government to improve civil registra-

tion, a large proportion of Kenya’s population remains undocumented. The second

meeting of African Ministers responsible for civil registration, held in Durban, South

Africa, from 3 to 5 September 2013, called on African countries to conduct a com

prehensive assessment of respective national civil registration of vital statistics sys-

tem and adopt action plans, with a view to strengthening the system. However, in

order to develop an in-depth understanding of the dynamics at community level, a

knowledge, attitudes and practices survey is necessary. A knowledge, attitude and

practices study aimed at generating qualitative information on civil registration at

the community level will enable civil registration and vital statistics to address some

bottlenecks identified through specific interventions. The survey also aimed at gen

erating baseline information and data to enable stakeholders develop an effective and

efficient strategies to fast track the improvement and use of civil registration and vital

statistics in Kenya.

The need for an efficient civil registration system in a country is fundamental. For

example, the registration of a newly born child is a right that ensures governments

make adequate plans for that child. It is the first acknowledgement of the child’s

existence and legal standing. Unregistered children are exposed to a number of risks,

including the risk of being trafficked, being recruited into armed groups, and being

forced into hazardous forms of labour and underage marriage. On the one hand,

effective civil registration presupposes that governments are able to make evidence-

based planning for health care provision, make appropriate budgetary provisions for

education as well as other national development agenda on the basis of registered

children. With other organizations, UNICEF has launched efforts to support estab

lishment of effective and efficient civil registration systems. UNICEF, a leading child

rights United Nations agency, places high priority on the registration of births for all

children to facilitate universal registration and certification of children. In order for

those activities to lead to maximum benefits, timely and efficient birth registration

systems are critical.

It is important that every vital event be registered. That is expressly recognized in vari

ous international conventions and charters, which provide that every child has a right

to an identity and nationality. Among those conventions are: (i) Convention on the

Rights of the Child, 1989; (ii) Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, 1961; (iii)

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966; and (iv) Convention on the

Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 1979. The 2010 Constitu

tion of Kenya, espouses specific rights for citizens that can be fully realized only with

proper documentation of every citizen, including newborns and those who have died.

172 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Recent joint reviews of Kenya’s challenges in civil registration by various government

partners have shown that the registration systems are weak, with various disincen

tives. In particular, the following have been identified as key among the disincentives

reported by parents/guardians and/or registration agents: social barriers such as cul

tural, religious and community values; inadequate human and financial resources;

lack of monitoring of registration agents; safety and security in some regions; lack of

incentives to register; and geographical distances between registration points.

In order to address the identified weaknesses, UNICEF supported the civil registration

service to plan and implement a baseline knowledge, attitudes and practices survey on

registration and certification of children in Homa Bay, Turkana and Kilifi counties.

In particular, the baseline surveys sought to determine:

• Awareness level of the registration agents and parents on the importance of

civil registration as well as their attitudes and practices;

• Eectiveness of the current registration system to ensure timely delivery of

the registration data to enable generation of vital statistics for planning pur

poses.

A review of bottlenecks facing the registration process, including challenges faced

by young parents/guardians in acquiring birth certificates for their children (espe

cially those who do not have national identity cards and in cases where the parents are

unknown), challenges faced by mothers without spouses or who choose not to reveal

the father of the child for personal reasons, inadequate infrastructure, the legal envi

ronment as well as distance were also to be explored.

The goal of the knowledge, attitudes and practices survey is to generate information

required to:

• Explore possibilities of facilitating parents to apply for birth and death cer

ticates at the point of delivery, as opposed to the current practice where only

birth notications can be obtained at the point of delivery;

• Strengthen opportunities for integrating birth and death registration with

other sectors (e.g., health, education and child protection);

• Strengthen the use of evidence-based research by the civil registration depart

ment to support advocacy for extra resource allocations towards birth and

death registration activities;

• Contribute to strengthening the legal and policy framework, as well as model

ling innovative approaches in selected regions as part of the evidence genera-

tion on what works well;

• To generate data to contribute to the development of innovative ways through

the existing information technology systems in the country to strengthen civil

registration and use them as benchmarks for the civil registration department

to improve their automated systems.

The survey establishment

Knowledge regarding registration of births in the three counties is high (75 per cent

reported that a child born in Kenya should be registered). In spite of that knowledge,

most people do not register the births of their children. That is due to the fact that

most children are born at home. The survey has shown that there is still a gap between

the level of birth notification and birth certification. More children have given noti

fication of their births, but fewer have gone further to process their birth certificates.

173

Annex 13 Successful practices in Kenya

On the other hand, the survey found that knowledge regarding death registration is

low compared with birth registration; fewer people reported that they actually obtain

a burial permit before a burial. The main reasons given for not notifying or following

the registration through to certification is lack of knowledge and the high proportion

of children who are born at home compared with those born in health-care facilities.

Distance, coupled with a generally poor road network, was also identified as a factor

influencing birth and death notification and certification.

Attitudes: There are various attitudinal factors that hinder registration of births in

Homa Bay, Turkana and Kilifi. They are mainly related to knowledge regarding birth

and death registration and distance. Close to half of those interviewed indicated dis

tance as a factor in Turkana. In Homabay, children born to single women (especially

adolescents) are faced with the problem of identity. Because the problem of “lack of

identity”, mothers find it difficult to give notification of the birth of their children.

There are also cultural factors, such as a nomadic way of life, which require constant

movement with their animals in search of pasture and water, that keeps them from

registering their children. Religious beliefs also influence the registration of births.

Those same reasons were alluded to as factors that impact death notification and certi

fication. In relation to death, there is a widely held perception that registration of death

isn’t important, as it cannot reverse what has already happened. Some people argued

that registration of death goes against social norms.

The community practices in those counties bring out vividly how structural forces

influence registration of births and deaths. Distance is a key factor that influences

community practices. That, together with low knowledge regarding registration of

births and deaths and a nomadic way of life, conspire to reduce registration at the

community level. Interventions should therefore focus on how to address these struc

tural barriers so as to improve practice.

Recommendations

The survey made the following recommendations:

1. The civil registration department should seek ways to integrate registration ser

vices to enable users access to information regarding registration of births and

deaths, as well as to make inquiries regarding the status of their application. That

will save time and money on the part of those seeking registration services.

2. The clergy should be included in efforts to improve birth and death notification

and certification. In Homa Bay, for instance, some religious sects were identified

as groups that do not actively encourage their followers to register the birth of a

child. Engaging with the clergy as channels of information flow from civil regis

tration department to the community should contribute to improved birth and

death registration and certification.

3. The use of barazas (public meetings) for passing information to the commu

nity is a great way to reach many people. That study, however, has shown that

most community members do not attend barazas while those who attend indi

cated that information on registration of births and deaths is not given. That

notwithstanding the registration agent is still a great source of information for

the communities. The role of registration agents should therefore be supported

by providing them with adequate information to facilitate meaningful dialogue

regarding civil registration at the community level.

4. Use of mobile registration centres will help support birth and death registration

efforts. In Homa Bay, that has helped boost birth registration as services are

brought nearer the users. In particular, the assistant chiefs should support those

174 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

who are not able to travel to registration centres by offering to deliver applica-

tion forms and bring birth certificates when they are ready. That could be done

during their monthly returns and therefore should not bring about extra costs

on the part of the registration agents. That has the benefit of reducing the cost

and saving time on the part of those who would like to have their documents

processed.

5. Awareness regarding registration of births and deaths could be enhanced further

through intensive awareness campaigns to sensitize the community on registra

tion in general but, in particular, greater emphasis on registration and certifica-

tion of deaths. People should be educated on the importance of registration of

deaths and where to go to register them. Similarly, focus emphasis should be

placed in educating people about the benefits of a death certificate for everyone.

6. The majority of residents in Turkana do not notify or register the birth of chil

dren or the death of individuals within their households. Data show that in

spite of low notification and certification levels, individuals think that others

are notifying and registering the birth of children and the death of individu

als. That gives a perfect opportunity upon which social norms may be changed

within the community in order to improve utilization of civil registration ser

vices. The study therefore makes a case for employing a strategy that focuses on

aligning their perceptions regarding what they believe others in the community

are doing. By doing so and driving individuals to conform to what they believe

others are doing, notification and certification of births and deaths will improve.

7. Owing to the large distances that people have to travel in order to get birth and

death certificates, certification is generally low. Working with civil registration

agents, the civil registrar should consider ways of taking services close to the

community by making regular trips to those communities to register people and

provide birth and death certificates.

175

Annex 14

Communication for behavioural impact

in Kenya

Introduction

A continuing global dilemma for health and social development professionals

is finding effective ways to encourage adoption and maintenance of behaviours

that enhance people’s lives, the critical challenge being that of achieving behav

ioural impact. Communication for behavioural impact (COMBI) is a methodol-

ogy for influencing and/or reinforcing a decision/behaviour/social norm, and/or

mobilizing various sectors of society to take action on a common issue and creat

ing a sense of shared responsibility. It is based on the private-sector approach of

integrated marketing communication and offers a dynamic approach to achiev

ing behavioural results in social development, and not just results in terms of

increased awareness and knowledge.

Its methodology effectively integrates public sensitization and education, informa

tion education communication, community mobilization, consumer communication

techniques and market research, all directed sharply and smartly to specific, precise

behavioural outcomes.

Rationale for communication for behavioural impact

Conventional information education communication and advocacy programmes

have been able to increase awareness and knowledge but have not been as successful

at achieving behavioural results. That was witnessed in the sense that immediately

after community sensitization, training of registration agents and official launch of

community-based vital registration, registration figures from the targeted area rise

steadily after which it gradually falls within a short period.

The performance after training could not be sustained mainly because of two major

reasons. Firstly, new mothers (not sensitized) are continuously entering the child

bearing age while those already trained are leaving the childbearing cohort. Secondly,

high turnover of registration agents (due to natural attrition, transfers or otherwise)

leading to entry of new staff into the system who are not aware of importance of vital

registration.

It is worth noting that vital registration behaviours are critically dependent on service

and product availability. However, although registration agents are distributed up to

the lowest administration level (sublocation) and in all health facilities, most of the

members of the community were not utilizing them. It was therefore learned that in

vital registration the ultimate goal is behavioural impact: someone doing something.

The behaviour result aimed for in vital registration programmes will be achieved only

with effective public and personal communication that overcomes the barriers which

deter acceptance of the recommended behaviour.

176 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Implementation strategy

The programme targeted Kwale and Kilifi counties. The following strategy was

applied:

Training: Officers drawn from civil registration head office and subcounty registrars

from Kwale, Kinango, Kilifi and Malindi together with those from a supporting part

ner (Plan International) were taken through a one-week training programme from 18

to 23 April, 2016. The title of the programme was “Strategic communication planning:

communication for behavioural impact (COMBI) in health and social development

with special focus on birth registration”. The training was conducted by the COMBI

Institute of Indiana University School of Liberal Arts Global Health Communication

Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. The objective of the training was to enable partici

pants to develop skills in applying the 10-step COMBI approach to designing a stra-

tegic communication plan for behavioural impact in birth registration programmes,

and to consequently complete a partial draft birth registration COMBI plan for actual

implementation in Kenya.

Overall goal: To provide legal identity to children and avail vital statistics through

comprehensive registration and certification of births in Kwale and Kilifi counties by

increasing the proportion of mothers or fathers who report the birth of their newborn

children between the period of 0-6 months after birth

Behavioural objective/s: To have 65 per cent of mothers giving birth in Kilifi and

Kwale counties registered within 6 months

Situational market analysis: This was carried out in Kwale county. It involved vis

iting households/families and holding interviews and discussions in order to learn

about their perceptions and grasp of the offered behaviour(s) through tools such

as TOMA (Top of the Mind Analysis), and DILO (Day In the Life Of). Their sense

of the costs (e.g., time, effort, money) in relation to their perception of value of the

behaviour to their lives was explored through a cost versus value calculation. It also

involved visiting a sample of health facilities – among them, Diani health centre

and Lunga Lunga subcounty hospital – to examine where and from whom people

seek information and advice on vital registration issues and why they use those

information sources.

Communication action areas

The five integrated communication action areas were used:

1. Public relations/advocacy/administrative mobilization: This involved regis

trars from Kwale, Kinango and Kilifi each holding two talk shows and discus-

sion programmes in Radio Maisha, a national radio station, and Radio Kaya,

a vernacular radio station targeting coastal communities, for a period of three

months beginning 25 January 2018. Meetings and discussions were held with

heads of Government departments, leaders from national Government adminis

trative officers from Kwale and Kilifi counties as well as those in charge of health

institutions in the county.

2. Community mobilization: During the launch, processed birth certificates

were issued to the owners by the director civil registration and governor Kwale

county. Cultural songs and dances promoting vital registration agenda were

177

Annex 14 Communication for behavioural impactin Kenya

performed, and there were road shows in marketplaces where posters, leaflets

and pamphlets were distributed.

3. Sustained appropriate advertising: Continuous advertisements on vital regis

tration were carried out on Radio Kaya.

4. Personal selling/interpersonal communication/counseling: Posters were dis

played at health facilities and assistant chiefs’ offices, as well as at the county and

subcounty civil registrars.

5. Point-of-service promotion: Road shows informing the community where and

when to register were held in marketplaces.

Mother and child health registration strategy

Over the years, the Department of Civil Registration has been conducting awareness

campaigns to raise registration coverage, but it has not been possible to cover the whole

country due to inadequate funding. In 2013, the Civil Registration Services, with the

support of partners through the technical working group, developed a strategic plan

for 2013–2017. The CRS Strategic Plan 2013–2017 had a goal of 100 per cent registra

tion of births and deaths by the year 2017. Among the strategies proposed under the

first objective of registration of all births, was the implementation of the mother-child

health strategy to accelerate registration of births. Leveraging civil registration on the

mother-child health platform, which has 90 per cent coverage for the first Bacillus

Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine against tuberculosis, will accelerate registration of

births in the country.

The launching of the mother-child health strategy allows for registration of births of

all unregistered children born at home and presented for immunization. A memoran

dum of understanding was entered into with the Ministry of Health, and a circular

from the director of medical services was sent out to all County Directors of Health

through the county executive committees to implement the strategy. However, the

health personnel require training workshops on how to implement the strategy. The

Department, with the support of partners (WHO, UNFPA, Centers for Disease Con

trol and Prevention, MEASURE Evaluation, PLAN), implemented the mother-child

health strategy in the following 17 counties by conducting workshops for all registra

tion agents: Homa Bay, Nakuru, Bungoma, Kilifi, Migori, Kwale, Kirinyaga, Siaya,

Nairobi, Isiolo, Lamu, Marsabit, Wajir, Kitui, Uasin Gishu, Turkana and Nyamira. In

addition, the Department, through the support of World Bank, conducted sensitiza

tion workshops to health management teams in the following counties: West Pokot,

Trans-Nzoia, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet, Kakamega, Tana River, Taita Taveta, Mom

basa, Machakos, Kajiado, Makueni, Embu, Kiambu, Nyandarua, Tharaka, Meru

Muranga, Nyeri, Mandera and Garissa.

Implementation of the strategy saw a rise in registration coverage in the counties

where it was launched, leading to increased coverage nationally from 58.4 per cent in

2013 to 73.4 per cent in 2018.

Table 10 displays the performance of some selected counties before and after the launch

of the mother-child health strategy. In 2016 and 2017, there was a downward trend in

birth coverage. That is attributed to inadequate supply of registration materials due to

delays in printing in 2016 and industrial action by health workers in 2017.

178 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

Table 10

Kenya: birth coverage by county

County Year launched Coverage

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Kenya 54.8 55.3 58.4 67.8 65.9 64.1 60.9

Migori 2012 43.7 31.8 39.3 65.6 59.1 69.8 68.3

Homa Bay 2014 27.5 29.7 35.3 61.3 74.4 66.2 53.4

Siaya 2014 32.2 40.4 59.1 74.7 64.6 62.6 59.9

Kiliﬁ 2012 46.4 51.9 55.9 75.1 73.3 63.7 53.9

Kwale 2014 39.1 37.3 42.4 68.4 56.1 56.0 46.5

Isiolo 2016 37.6 39.3 50.6 76.6 75.2 84.4 80.2

Wajir 2016 18.4 19.4 17.5 18.8 18.4 22.2 19.0

Marsabit 2016 33.0 36.8 38.9 64.9 77.0 84.0 52.8

Nakuru 2015 49.1 47.9 46.4 69.4 74.4 75.5 69.9

179

References

Bertrand, Jane T. (1978). Communication Pretesting. Media Monograph, vol. 6. Communica-

tion Laboratory, Community and Family Study Center, University of Chicago.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. e Social-ecological Model: A Framework for

Prevention. Available at www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/about/social-ecologicalmo

del.html.

Mills, Samuel, and others (2017). Civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) for monitoring

the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Paper prepared for the eLearning course on

Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems. Washington D.C.: World Bank Group.

O’Sullivan, G.A., and others (2003). A Field Guide to Designing a Health Communication

Strategy. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center

for Communication Programs.

Scandlen, Guy (2008). Pre-testing: A short handbook. Communication for Development

Network.

United Nations (1953). Principles for a Vital Statistics System. Statistical papers, Series M, No.

19 (Sales No. 1953.XVII.8).

__________ (1973). Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System. Statistical

papers, Series M, No. 19, Rev.1 (Sales No. E.73.XVII.9).

__________ (2001). Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System, Rev. 2 (Sales

No. E.01.XVII.10).

__________ (2014). Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System, Rev. 3 (Sales

No. E.13.XVII.10).

__________ (2021). Handbook on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems: Management,

Operation and Maintenance, Rev. 1 (Sales No. E.18.XVII.18).

__________ (2022). Guidelines on the Legislative Framework for Civil Registration, Vital Sta

tistics and Identity Management Systems, Rev.1 (Sales No. E.20.XVII.9).

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (2006). Behaviour Change Communication in

Emergencies: A Toolkit. Regional Oce for South Asia. Available at www.ennonline.

net/bccemergencies.

__________ (2008). Essentials for Excellence: Researching, Monitoring and Evaluating Stra

tegic Communication for Behaviour and Social Change; with Special Reference to

the Prevention and Control of Avian Inuenza/Pandemic Inuenza. UNICEF Pacic

Oce.

__________ (2009). Communication for Development (C4D) Position Paper.

__________ (2015). A Global Communication Strategy Development Guide for Maternal, New

born and Child Health and Nutrition Programs. New York.

__________ (2015). Eective Communication for Measles and Rubella Elimination in the

African Region: Guidelines for program Managers, Communication Specialists and

Implementers. Programme Division, New York.

__________. Communication for Development Strategic Framework 2018-2021.

180 Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development

United States, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health,

National Cancer Institute (2005). eory at a Glance – A Guide for Health Promotion

Practice. 2nd ed. NIH Publication No. 05-3896.

World Bank (2007). World Congress on Communication for Development: Lessons, Challenges

and the Way Forward, Washington D.C.

Zimmermann, Arthur, and Claudia Maennling (2007). Multi-stakeholder management: Tools

for stakeholder analysis: 10 building blocks for designing participatory systems of

cooperation. Germany: Deutsche Gesellscha für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)

GmbH – German Technical Cooperation.

20-09772

ISBN 978-92-1-259179-7