Session 12. Digitizing civil registration and vital statistics Brisbane Accord Group Session 12. Digitizing civil registration and vital statistics Civil Registration Process: Place, Time, Cost, Late Registration UNITED NATIONS STATISTICS DIVISION Workshop on Operation of Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity Management Systems and the Production of Vital Statistics Reports for the Eastern Mediterranean Countries (Group 1) Casablanca, Morocco, 19 - 23 March 2018 with

Digitization Digitizing administrative processes is a sine qua non of contemporary approaches to government functions Digitizing would refer to generating a series of numbers that represent a document, signal and so forth Digital information is not subject to damage or degradation over time - it consists of strings of numbers recorded and stored in an appropriate device As digitizing a certain process or information is not possible without using information technology, the meaning of the term also encompasses computerization of these processes and information – that is, the use of automation by way of computers and software.

Digitization In the context of the civil registration, vital statistics system, population registers and identity management, digitization refers to developing an enterprise information system – that is, an information system that provides a technology platform that enables all four components to integrate and coordinate business processes on a robust foundation Taking into consideration that information systems tend to be fairly complex and multi-layered, recent developments include the introduction of a separate discipline – governance of enterprise information technology (GEIT) – concerned primarily with organizing the resources of an enterprise or organisation for the purpose of satisfying stakeholders GEIT is meant to bring alignment between high-level strategic objectives with operational level activities and work outcomes - it allows for developing precise blueprints enabling all stakeholders to understand the business processes even if they lack the full understanding of information technology.

Digitization project lifecycle

Digitization – requirements hierarchy

Digitization – key considerations Well established system foundation Business process map (participants, processes, time periods, outputs, bottlenecks Legal review Selecting technology Hardware basic maintenance of the population and civil registers and related data processing does not require the most advanced technological features available compatible with the environment (battery power, durability) and is user friendly (screen size, durability, weight) Software developed platforms rather than ‘homegrown’ solutions users will expect to have the necessary access to service provided by the system handy and as interactive as possible

Digitization – key considerations Data safety Transmission Storage – scanning old records Authenticity – minimizing identity theft for systems that allow online provision of certificates Confidentiality – robust security setup, multi-layered protection, hierarchy for allowing different levels of access, physical security Digital identity Unique and constant identity – a virtual Identification Card – assigned to an individual that authenticates him/her to all portable digital devices Also in the digital world, such as online banking, commerce and even in the physical world whenever such identification may be required Involves biometrics, such as fingerprints or iris scanning, which is increasingly available on contemporary portable digital devices