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Bloomberg Philanthropies Reports on ISP’s CRVS Collaboration with Zambia
Bloomberg Philanthropies recently reported on Zambia’s partnership with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health (D4H) Initiative. The article, “Witnessing how a death gets registered in Zambia” and written by Adrienne Pizatella, describes “the journey of how a death gets registered and a death certificate issued.” ISP, which joined the D4H partnership in March, 2015, provides technical assistance to  Zambia’s Ministry of Home Affairs/Department of National Registration and Ministry of Health to improve the country’s civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system, including to improve  transfer of birth and death notifications from hospitals to the national registration system, and to improve medical certification and coding of cause of death using the International Classification of Disease (ICD) system. ISP drew on its recently launched Training Program on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics to help bring about these improvements. For more information about ISP’s D4H activities, visit our International Technical Assistance on CRVS page.

ISP joins Partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies in Data for Health Initiative
Data for Health (D4H) Initiative
In March 2015, Bloomberg Philanthropies, in partnership with the Australian government, launched a Data for Health (D4H) initiative that seeks to provide countries with tools to better collect and use health-related data. The program aims to assist 20 low- and middle-income countries across Latin America, Asia, and Africa to strengthen data collection and data use. Countries will then be better able to prioritize, deploy resources, shape public health policies, and measure the success of interventions. The D4H initiative is a partnership of the University of Melbourne, the CDC Foundation, Union North America, Johns Hopkins University, and the World Health Organization. The initiative has three areas of focus: improving country civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems as the best source for vital statistics data; developing new mechanisms for conducting public health surveys to monitor major risk factors for early death including non-communicable diseases; and assisting governments in translating data into actual policy change. The ISP is a key partner in the first area of focus—the CRVS component. For more information about ISP’s D4H activities, visit our International Technical Assistance on CRVS page.

ISP launches a global Training Course on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Systems
In September 2015, the ISP published a comprehensive training course that provides information to epidemiologists, statisticians, demographers, and others working in public health about vital statistics data gathered from a national civil registration system. The curriculum combines internationally accepted principles and recommendations for national CRVS systems with a fully customizable framework that allows the course to easily incorporate country-specific civil registration policies, customs, and administrative processes. The customization aspect of the course allows it to be administered anywhere in the world. Click here to access course materials.

11^th ASSD Conference in Gabon, November 23-25, 2015
The International Statistics Program’s Emily Cercone attended the 11^th ASSD Conference in Gabon, November 23-25, 2015. Emily accompanied colleagues from Malawi including the National Registration Bureau’s Deputy Director and Chief Registration Officers. The theme of the conference was “Promoting Use of Information and Communication Technology Solutions in Improving Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) in Africa.” The conference provided a platform for dialogue with key actors in CRVS in Africa, including the UN Economic Commission for Africa, World Health Organization, Plan International, and CRVS leaders from each country represented. More details can be found at www.statssa.gov.za.