Seriesf 121e

Handbook on
Civil Registration,
Vital Statistics and
Identity Management
Systems
Communication
for Development
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.F/121
Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Statistics Division
Studies in Methods Series F No. 121
Handbook on
Civil Registration, Vital
Statistics and Identity
Management Systems
Communication for Development
United Nations
New York, 2022
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.
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
Copyright © United Nations 2022
All rights reserved
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 – combines social psychology and mar-
creating demand for something which keting principles, producing behaviour
either does not exist, or it is not known and social change in a specific group, thus
if it exists, and testing is required to find ensuring a long-term effect. The core of
out. Demand creation is a unilateral the approach is the plenary involvement
action coming from a service provider. of “target groups”, named in this case
It doesn’t envisage the full participation strategy participants, in the process of
of the “target groups” in the process and development, implementation, monitor-
includes raising awareness of the service ing and evaluation of the strategy. The
and aggressive promotion. In social pro- communication for development focuses
grammes it is less efficient and effective on existing undesirable behaviours in
and doesn’t ensure sustainability of the a certain group and aims to produce
use of the respective service. 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,
v
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
ix
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
xi
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
1
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.);
(c) Civil registration officers at the central and provincial government
levels;
(d) Management officers at the central and provincial government levels.
Why communication for development is important 3
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.1 Countries should identify incentives and/or legal provisions to use 1 Principles and Recommenda-
positive or negative motivation in ensuring compulsory civil registration of vital tions for a Vital Statistics System,
events. Rev. 3, 2014. Available at
https://unstats.un.org/unsd/
High-quality, permanent and continuous civil registration, vital statistics and identity demographic/standmeth/prin-
management provide a number of significant benefits to the individual, to the nation ciples/M19Rev3en.pdf.
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.
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-
2 Handbook on Civil Registration toral rolls may have requirements with which civil registration must be consistent.2
and Vital Statistics Systems:
Management, Operation and There is a compelling argument to be made that if accurate information is not avail-
Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021. 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.
5
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.3 3 See https://unstats.un.org/
unsd/demographic/stand-
2. As mentioned in the Handbook on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems: meth/principles/M19Rev3en.
Management, Operation and Maintenance, Rev. 1, vital statistics and civil registration pdf.
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 defined 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 4 Handbook on Civil Registration
highlight the quality of universal in relation to the people’s right towards the registra- and Vital Statistics Systems:
tion of vital facts. Civil registration is also the source that maintains population regis- Management, Operation and
ters and identity lists updated in countries where these exist.4 Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021.
3. As civil registration, vital statistics and identity management are based on the 5 Principles and Recommen-
Principles and Recommendations, a new revision of the document was developed and dations for a Vital Statistics
formally adopted in 2014. It is the most recent in a series of updates of the principles System (United Nations publi-
and recommendations for a vital statistics system, first published in 1953.5 The first cation, Sales No. 1953.XVII.8).
revision was issued in 1973;6 and the second revision was issued in 2001.7
The newest set of principles and recommendations provides guidance on establishing 6 Principles and Recommen-
a functioning system for collecting, processing, and disseminating vital statistics; dations for a Vital Statistics
System, Rev. 1 (United Nations
improving sources of vital statistics, primarily the functioning of the civil registration publication, Sales No. E.73.
system and its components; and the role of complementary sources of vital statistics, XVII.9).
such as population censuses, household surveys and public-health records.
7 Principles and recommen-
4. Efficient civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems were dations for a Vital Statistics
defined as those providing full coverage of live births, fetal deaths, deaths, marriages System, Rev. 2 (United Nations
and divorces occurring within a specific area as well as conferring legal identity to all publication, Sales No. E.01.
and managing various dimensions of legal identity and proofs of legal identity. Such XVII.10).
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.
5. The 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 field 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);
(c) The communication for development (behaviour and social change).
7. The country’s current registration systems will have to be examined thoroughly
well in advance of the establishment of the communication for development office and
the inter-agency committee. That 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. There is a difference between civil registration and identity management. Birth
8 1948 Universal Declaration of and death certificates and other vital events confirmation are an input to identity man-
Human Rights, arts. 6 and 15; agement system. Focusing just on identity management system will damage the civil
1951 Convention on the Status registration process in general. In some countries, where focus was made on issuing
of Refugees, arts. 25 and 27;
an ID to everyone, ignoring the civil registration component, the civil registration and
1954 Convention on the Status
of Stateless Persons, arts. 25 vital statistics will suffer in longer term, not offering correct vital statistics to inform
and 27; 1961 Convention on the policies and to contribute to other crucial decisions in the country.
the Reduction of Statelessness, 9. The first priority in the improvement programme would be to ensure the reg-
arts. 1–4; 1965 International
istration of births and deaths and to the extent possible of marriage and divorce. The
Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Racial Discrimi- second priority will be to ensure the link between civil registration and vital statistics.
nation, art. 5(d)(iii); 1966 Inter- And the third priority will be to make sure that civil registration provides proper and
national Covenant on Civil and timely inputs to the identity management system (ID card, voter card, driver’s license
Political Rights, art. 24; 1979 etc.). All those involved in the civil registration, vital statistics and identity manage-
Convention on the Elimination
ment processes should understand that legal identity of a person is established by the
of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women; 1989 Conven- birth registration and retired by the death registration.
tion on the Rights of the Child,
arts. 7-8; 1990 International
Convention on the Protection B. United Nations strategy for legal identity for all
of the Rights of all Migrant
Workers and Members of their
Families, art. 29; 2006 Conven- 1. Introduction
tion on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities, art. 18. 10. Everyone has the right to be recognized as a person before the law, as enshrined
9
in Article 6 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and several international
Principles and Recommenda- human rights instruments.8
tions for a Vital Statistics System,
Rev. 3, 2014, para. 286. 11. As civil registration establishes the existence of a person under the law, it has
10
been the fundamental means of granting legal identity.9 Furthermore, civil registra-
Ibid., para. 279.
tion is recognized as the ultimate source for production of comprehensive, regular and
reliable vital statistics.10
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
Introduction 7
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
certificates 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. The 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)
– 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 9
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.
2. Definitions
16. For the purpose of the operational United Nations definition, legal identity is
defined 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 certificate
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
identification authority. That 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 certificate 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. The issuance of proof of legal identity to refugees may also be admin-
istered by an internationally recognized and mandated authority.
18. Civil registration is defined 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 11 Ibid., para. 279.
requirement in each country. Civil registration is carried out primarily for the purpose
of establishing the documents provided by the law.11
19. Proof of legal identity is defined as a credential, such as birth certificate, identity
card or digital identity credential that are recognized as proof of legal identity under
national law.
20. Population register is defined12 as “an individualized data system, that is, a
mechanism of continuous recording, or of coordinated linkage, of selected informa-
12 Handbook on Civil Registration tion pertaining to each member of the resident population of a country in such a way
Management, Operation and
as to provide the possibility of determining up-to-date information concerning the
Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021. size and characteristics of that population at selected time intervals”. The population
register is the product of a continuous process, in which notifications of certain events,
which may have been recorded originally in different 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 definition 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
13 Principles and Recommenda- and persons concerned. Vital statistics provide crucial and critical information on the
tions for a Vital Statistics System, population in a country.13
Rev. 3, 2014, para. 1.
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 efforts 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
14 UNHCR registers and provides thereof), legal status, gender or duration of stay, and, in the case of displaced persons
proof of legal identity to many
whose official credentials may have been lost, destroyed or confiscated in the course of
refugees, internally displaced
persons and stateless persons, human conflict or natural disasters, honor the temporary credentials issued by an
in accordance with the relevant intergovernmental body such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
international framework, for Refugees (UNHCR), until such time as the legal identity of the individual is reaf-
including the 1951 Conven- firmed by either the country of origin or the country of refuge.14
tion on the Status of Refu-
gees, arts. 25, 27 and 28; the 26. Protection of personal data and the rights of the individual to basic privacy and
Guiding Principles on Internal consent on how their data is processed, managed and accessed by both public and
Displacement, Principle 20; and
private bodies is of fundamental importance. All Member States should adopt com-
the New York Declaration for
Refugees and Migrants, Com- prehensive data protection and privacy laws that secure the identity data of individuals
prehensive Refugee Response held by States, allow individuals to see how their data are processed and accessed by
Framework, paras. 5 (d) and (f). public and private bodies and for what purpose.
Introduction 11
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. That 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 confidential manner. The 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 identified as government functions and responsibilities.
28. The 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 modifications occur-
ring within it on a moment-to-moment basis. The 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. Specifically, popula-
tion registers are initially built from an inventory of information on the inhabitants of
a certain area (often 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 efficient
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 identification number, most commonly referred
to as a personal identification number (PIN) to each individual upon birth, retiring
it only after 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. The 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 identification to all. In addition, in Thailand, 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;. That approach results in systematic
procedures whereby all the protocols and responsibilities of all involved institutions
(public and private health institutions, registrars, population registers’ operators, offi-
cial statistical offices) 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/notifiers play a critical role in collecting the bulk of information.
Consequently, a number of countries specifically 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
staff of the health institution that actually collects the information and fills the form.
The form, in turn, may be in paper or electronic. If a paper form, once filled, it is sub-
mitted to the registrar’s office, where verification of the information in the form takes
place. The registrar, as an official of the State, has the authority to request identification
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. The process of hospitals reporting events to the local registrar can be very effi-
cient in terms of information quality and timeliness. That may be affected, however,
by the extent to which hospitals comply with the requirement to forward notifications
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. The proce-
dures of some health institutions may be stricter than those of others. That highlights
the importance of defined 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. The 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 certifications.
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, fingerprints and other biometric elements. The 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, efficient and interoperable population data system. Such integra-
tion has reaped benefits 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 certificates. Thus 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. That in particular affects 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 certificates and identity cards.
Introduction 13
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 definition, require adequate and strict protocols. The establishment and
maintenance of population registers, in the model, go hand in hand with the civil
registration function. The 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. The
identity management function is firmly incorporated by accessing the population
registers and issuing biometric identity credentials at different points in a lifetime of
an individual.
Figure 1
Model of a civil registration, vital statistics and identity management system
Live birth Health services

Civil registration Vital statistics Complementary
Certification of Vital
Death cause of death and interim sources statistics
1. Compulsory Compilation • Population census
Relatives,
2. Universal Processing • Surveys
Fetal death midwives Civil
3. Continuous/ Validation Informants
Permanent Quality control registration
Authorized 4. Confidential Dissemination
Marriage institutions Pop. register
Confers legal
ID mgmt.
identity Additional sources
• Coronary
Divorce
• Police
CR DB Vital St. DB • Health records
Annulments Simplified flow
Courts
Judical
separation
Judical Population Register

Adoption institutions • Unique ID
• Access protocols Administrative/Functional registers This model represents a holistic approach
Legitimation • Education to civil registration, vital statistics and
PR DB
• Employment identity management as recommended
Recognition • Tax by the United Nations (see Principles and
• Social assistance Recommendations for a Vital Statistics
INFORMANTS • Pensions System, Revision 3); it can be adjusted to
Identity management • Voters national circumstances and governing
agency and services • .... structures as necessary.
• Biometric ID, passports
• Capture (enrolment)
• Identification
• Verification
• Online and e-services
38. This 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 effective and equal fashion and
developing other registers for different purposes using the same definitions, clas-
sifications 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. P
urpose of the Handbook and overview
of the contents
39. The 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. The 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-fifth 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 effective 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 effort 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 benefits of compliance for both individuals and society. The general
15 Principles and Recommenda- public needs to know where, when and how to register vital events, and needs to
tions for a Vital Statistics System, appreciate why they must do so”.15 Thus, the present Handbook builds on the those
Rev. 3, 2014, para. 641.
recommendations and applies the behaviour and social change tools (communica-
tion for development) for effective programming. The Handbook contains new,
research-based approaches in the field; 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 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.
43. Chapter II focuses on research, data and behavioural analysis to inform the
development of strategies and plans, identifies stakeholders and population groups,
analyses the determinants of a certain undesirable behaviour in a certain group.
Introduction 15
44. Chapter III approaches the main determinants of a certain undesirable behav-
iour, selection of most effective 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, identification 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 specific recommendations to strengthen the national civil
registration, vital statistics and identity management systems.
48. The 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 definition of communication
for development: “Communication for development stresses the need to support two-
way communication systems that enable dialogue and that allow communities to 16 See General Assembly resolu-
speak out, express their aspirations and concerns and participate in the decisions that tion 51/172, para. 6.
relate to their development”.16
17 World Congress on Communi-
50. In 2006, the Rome Consensus from the World Congress on Communication for cation for Development: Les-
Development17 defined communication for development as “a social process based on sons, Challenges and the Way
dialogue using a broad range of tools and methods. It is also about seeking change at Forward, World Bank, 2007.
different 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”. 18 Global Communication Strategy
51. Communication for development is a systematic, planned, and evidence-based Development Guide for Mater-
approach to promote positive and measurable behaviour and social change.18 Com- nal, Newborn, Child Health and
munication for development is an approach that engages communities and decision- Nutrition Programs, UNICEF,
2015.
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 confidence
that they require to make informed decisions on issues that affect their lives and their
well-being. Supportive policies and legislation, resources and service delivery systems
need to be introduced and strengthened. But unless engagement and empowerment

of the population is ensured, legislative reform and service and supply efforts on their
own, will have limited long-term impact.
53. Sustained behaviour and social change is effective only when combined with
19 UNICEF Communication for changes in the broader socioeconomic environment within which families and com-
Development Position Paper. munities live.19 That includes addressing underlying and contextual factors such as
Available at www.unicef.org/ government policies, inequalities and systems of representation, as well as issues
cbsc/files/C4D-Position-Paper.
related to poverty, discrimination and sustainable livelihoods. Within an enabling
doc.
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 often take time, are challenging to
measure and require sustained effort and application of resources. The need for them
is often 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, influence attitudes and support the behaviours of
those who have an impact on the well-being of concerned families and communities.
55. The 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 specificities 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. The 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 fit the specific
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 fulfil their roles, with particular attention to the
capacities, self-efficacy and confidence 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.
Introduction 17
2. Social-ecological model
58. Communication for development is a concept based on several theoretical mod-
els. The main theory behind is linked to the social-ecological model.
59. The social-ecological model20 is a theory-based framework for understanding 20 Global Communication Strategy
the levels of influence on an individual behaviour. That model shows clearly that Development Guide for Mater-
changes at individual and social levels may happen only when all five hierarchical nal, Newborn, Child Health and
Nutrition Programs, UNICEF,
levels are involved and contribute to these changes. Figure 2 shows the five levels of 2015.
the social-ecological model: individual, interpersonal, community, organizational
and policy/enabling environment.
Figure 2
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)
60. The individual level of the model refers to the characteristics of an individual
that influence behaviour, including knowledge, attitudes, behaviour, self-efficacy,
developmental history, gender, age, religious identity, racial/ethnic identity, sexual
orientation, economic status, financial resources, values, goals, expectations, literacy,
stigma and others.
61. The interpersonal level focuses on the 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.
62. The community level includes relationships among organizations, institutions
and informational networks within defined 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-
istration area, provided that the registration office is accessible to every segment of
the population in the area. However, attention should be paid to the fact that different
communities may coexist within the same geographical area. Specific approaches may
be required for each if there are significant differences in their respective systems of
values, beliefs, norms, etc.
63. The organizational level concerns organizations or social institutions with rules
and regulations for operations that affect how, or how well, for example, civil registra-
tion services are provided to an individual or group.
64. The 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. The 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
Advocacy
Organizational
(organizations and
Social mobilization
Community
organizations)
Social change communication
Interpersonal
(family, friends,
social networks)
Behaviour change communication
and social change communication
Individual
behaviours)
Introduction 19
67. By applying a combination of those strategies through a systematically planned

and evidence-based process, communication for development can make a significant
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;
(c) Increased demand and utilization of civil registration services;
(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. They include:
• Health belief model;
• Stages of change (transtheoretical) model;
• Theory 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;
• Diffusion of innovations theory;
• Communication theory;
• Social marketing theories and the social network; 21 Theory at a Glance: A Guide
• Social support models for the community level; for Health Promotion Practice.
National Cancer Institute, US
• Theories of organizational change; community organizing and development;
Department of Health and
• Social movement norms for the organizational level; agenda-setting theory Human Services, 2005; and
for the policy level.21 Communication for Develop-
ment Strategic Vision and Policy
While such theories and models are not described in the present Handbook, they con- Framework for Implementa-
stitute the ground for the guidance and approaches contained in it. People in a techni- tion of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan
cal role involved in formative research, communication analysis and civil registration, 2014-2017.
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. S teps for developing and implementing a strategic

communication programme
69. There are certain basic components to consider when developing a communica-
22 tion for development programme. Figure 4 summarizes the five steps that comprise
See Global Communication
Strategy Development Guide the majority of strategic planning models.22
for Maternal, Newborn, Child
Health and Nutrition Programs, Figure 4
UNICEF, 2015. Steps in most strategic planning models
Step 1:
Data collection
and analysis
Step 5: Step 2:
Evaluation and Strategic design
re-planning
Communication
for
development
planning
process
Step 3:
Step 4:
Development and
Implementation
testing of messages
and monitoring
and materials
70. In addition to the five 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 different systems concerned, including not only those systems,
but also a wide array of users and contributors. It is paramount for the communica-
Introduction 21
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 reflection
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 different perspectives
and capacities into analysis, planning and action.
74. This Handbook provides detailed guidance for the different actions to be taken
within every step of the process.
E. B
enefits 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. The population registers receive a continuous flow 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 identification 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 qualified to vote at various electoral levels: for
president, for members of parliament at the national or state/provincial level, and for
candidates for municipal offices. In fact, a civil registration system that yields exact
and accurate information contributes greatly to the accuracy of the electoral rolls and
to the efficient organization and monitoring of elections.
78. At the international level, accurate and comprehensive vital statistics provide
for comparison and evaluation of the differences 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 identification cards
with advanced security features, including fingerprints, and the issuing of visas and
passports. An individual’s personal identification number may be linked to a variety
of social security benefit 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 official civil registration certificate
(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-effective
efficiencies.
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. The 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 often 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 officials 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. The 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 files dealing with social security, morbidity case registers,
electoral lists, taxation and military service files. They 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 difference 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. The availability of mortality
data for small political subdivisions has helped in delineating health problems and
formulation of relevant policies. The subnational data on cause of death has enabled
health planners to focus on the specific morbidity conditions of different communities
and even ethnic groups. Road accidents, violence and suicide continue to be significant
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 23
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 significant influence on total fertility, and thus
can be instrumental in developing policies to limit the size of families.
92. The 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, classified 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. They 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 identification 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 offer a bigger protection of
women’s rights in marriage and in the process of divorce. That will contribute to a
better protection of child rights, ensuring the responsibility of parents towards their
children after divorce. The official registration of marriages, in combination with clear
punitive system, could prevent child marriage. The 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 field, 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. Those 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 certificates 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 effective programmes to combat
inequalities among various population groups.
100. The 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 identification of
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.
23 See “Uses of civil registration
records and vital statistics in
102. That the use of information in civil registration vital statistics records is very
population policymaking and important to monitor a country’s population policy goal attainments is supported by a
evaluation”, paper presented 1993 report.23 The report found that demographic data from civil and vital event reg-
by the Statistics Division, istration played an important role in the development of a country’s policies and pro-
Economic and Social Commis- grammes on population, environment and socioeconomic development, and in the
sion for Asia and the Pacific
(ESCAP), at an East and South
monitoring and evaluation of those policies.
Asian Workshop on Accelerat- 103. It was found that, in order for those policies to be effective, the country must
ing the Improvement of Civil set targets for regions, provinces and even communities. In that regard, vital statis-
Registration and Vital Statistics tics obtained from civil registration have clear advantages over survey data because
Systems, held in Beijing in
1993.
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-specific 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. Those 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 differences 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, effective 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. That 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 after birth and shall have a name. Another covenant, on consent to
marriage, minimum age for marriage and registration of marriage, proclaims that all
24 See www.un.org/en/devel- marriages shall be registered in an appropriate official register by the competent
opment/desa/population/ authority. The link between human rights and registration of vital events was empha-
migration/generalassembly/ sized in the World Population Plan of Action adopted in 1974.24
docs/globalcompact/E_
CONF.60_19_Plan.pdf. 108. The Plan of Action identified a number of areas requiring research in order to fill
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 effectively imple-
ment those human rights.
Introduction 25
109. The 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. 25 See www.ohchr.org/EN/Profes-
sionalInterest/Pages/CERD.
110. The United Nations also adopted the International Convention on the Elimina-
aspx.
tion of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,25 and the Convention on the Elimination
26
of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.26 See www.un.org/women-
watch/daw/cedaw/.
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 effectively, 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 benefits for 27 See www.data2x.org/partner-
women and girls.27 A legal record can help women retain their share of assets and ships/crvs/.
other protections in the event of divorce. A marriage certificate 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 offered to the mother during a rea-
sonable period before and after 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. There, 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. The 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 certificates to prove that they have met the age qualification for enter-
ing into a legal marriage. Since it contains information on parental filiation, the birth
certificate 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,
a death certificate for the previous spouse or a certificate of divorce would provide
evidence of eligibility to remarry.
117. Other benefits 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, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left
28 Samuel Mills and others, Civil behind”. The 2030 Agenda, delineated by General Assembly resolution 70/1 (2015)
Registration and Vital Statistics “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, contains
(CRVS) for Monitoring the Sus- 19 goals and 169 targets. The final list of indicators proposed by the Inter-Agency and
tainable Development Goals Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators included 230 indicators,
(SDGs). Paper prepared for
the eLearning course on Civil
67 of which can be measured effectively by using data derived from well-functioning
Registration and Vital Statistics civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems. Some targets and
Systems, 2017. 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”.28 There is also a clear indicator, 16.9,
which states “By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration”.29
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
29 See https://unstats.un.org/ vital records. In addition, civil registration should be considered a national institution
unsd/demographic/crvs/ for the promotion and protection of human rights.
Global_CRVS_Docs/news/
CRVS_and_the_SDGs_2016. 121. A country that operates a population register or wishes to establish one relies
pdf. heavily on the notifications of vital events recorded in the civil registration system to
update its files. Therefore, 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.
The 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 notification of
certain events recorded in different 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 benefits 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.
27
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;
(c) Identification of problem areas, social and behavioural barriers to registration,
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.
A. O
rganization and management of the
communication for development concept note
Role in civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

systems
126. The development of an effective 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 office should be an integral part of the entire process,
from initial planning to finalization 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. The 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. The 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. The 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
benefits of registration; if they lack the ability or the self-confidence to effectively reg-
ister vital events; if they are not supported by their family, peers and communities;
and if opportunities are not available for communities to influence 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-
nificant improvement in terms of increased coverage. Generating demand for reg-
istration must be a long-term, continuous process that addresses the different 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 certificates both in Span-
ish and in the local language.
130. In a communication for development programme, there are two crucial ele-
ments: effectiveness and efficiency. They should be given consideration at every step
of the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation process. Effectiveness
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 specific behaviour and social
change results based on an analysis informed by evidence; developing monitoring and
Organizational aspects of communication for development 29
evaluation frameworks, mechanisms and tools that can actually track behavioural and
social changes; and taking corrective action as necessary based on such information.
Efficiency 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, efficiency 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. The 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 specific 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 affected 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. The 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. The communication for development programme should not neglect the sys-
temic approach to ensure that strategies and plans will be implemented in an efficient
and effective 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 effect 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
different 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.30 30 Handbook on Civil Registration
134. The organization of the communication for development programme needs to Management, Operation and
respond to the existing civil registration, vital statistics and identity management sys- Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021.
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
systems in terms of data collection, but could contribute for communication purposes.
The 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. The 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. The Head of the communication for development
office will report directly to the Head of the respective department. The communica-
tion for development office is recommended for an effective implementation of social
change interventions. However, if the creation of an office is not possible, then at least
one responsible person should be hired. Although, in countries with low registration
rates more qualified professionals should be dedicated to increase the demand in civil
registration services.
136. In some cases, the country does not have a national registration office 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
31
agency at the national level to enforce and standardize the work of civil registration
Ibid.
and vital statistics.31 In that context, in the Philippines, the National Statistics Author-
ity technically supervises local registration office 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. Thus, there would be a need to create
a communication for development office, even if reduced to one person at the central
level. The office 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. The 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 Office of the Prime Minister and so on,
whereas the vital statistics system is the responsibility of the national statistical office.
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
different government agencies involved in civil registration, vital statistics and identity
management systems.
138. Although the ideal situation is to create a communication for development office
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. Those guidelines may be adapted and revised in accordance with
circumstances in the country concerned, the communication for development office
staff and all others involved in those aspects of an overall registration improvement
programme.
139. The communication for development office 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
offices 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 office 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. The communication
for development office should participate in meetings and processes pertaining the
overall civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems improve-
ment plan. It is beneficial 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 afterwards set the stage for the contribution
of the communication for development programme. The communication for develop-
ment office 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 reflected 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. The communication for development office provides technical guidance and
resources to the network of subnational and local civil registration offices and to the
partners and allies of the communication for development programme. It should
contribute to shaping communication for development functions at different 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 office directly organ-
izes communication activities like media campaigns, advocacy meetings or digital
engagement campaigns.
142. The actions described in the Handbook are based on the assumption that there
is a communication for development office at the central level, even if it is just a small
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. The communication for development office will be responsible for the develop-
ment, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the national communication for
development strategy. The office 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. The communication for
development office 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. The office will be in charge
of documenting and disseminating good practices and lessons learned. The communi-
cation for development office 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 office will
involve high-level officials in the promotion of the strategy. Thus, 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. The office should also hold extensive consultations with regional and district and
local officials to identify local media, community leaders, influential spokespersons
and community organizations. The communication for development office 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 officials 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 fields, 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;
(c) Development of the impact goals;
(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:
(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. S tructure of the communication for

development office
148. As an example, it is proposed that the communication for development office
be staffed by four members. According to the circumstances of each country, there
may be staff 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 office and
the identity management agency. It could also be supplemented by consultants, if
resources permit. The proposed positions are the following:
• Head of the office (Director)
• Assistant to the Head (Assistant Director)
• Research and planning officer
• Secretary
149. The Head of the communication for development office should be a person with
overall expertise in communication for development, who would report directly to the
registrar general. The 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 office.
151. One approach would be to second from existing government service a top-level
expert in communication for a period sufficient 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 office 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 office is established, and step
in as Director when the person who was initially seconded to the office returns to his/
her regular position.
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 qualifications 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. The 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 effectively 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 office during the planning
period and for the launch and initial evaluation of the national programme. Then,
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 effective 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 office, annex VI pro-
vides brief job descriptions of the types of qualifications and experience that would be
required of personnel in the communication for development office.
159. In principle, the communication for development office 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-
32 Principles and Recommenda- tion, and the value of vital statistics.32 The local registrar’s functions should also
tions for a Vital Statistics System, encompass activities designed by the system’s management to promote the efficiency
Rev. 3, 2014. of the system, such as implementing communication programmes or securing sup-
port from local leaders to inform community members. For fulfilling his/her func-
tions, the registrar is expected to play an active role at community level.
161. The 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
33 Ibid. national and regional civil registration and vital statistics committees.33 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. They 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.
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. I nter-agency committee and communication

for development subcommittee
163. The success of behaviour and social change for civil registration, vital statistics
and identity management systems depends on the effective 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. The coordination of communication for development efforts linked to civil reg-
istration, vital statistics and identity management systems is an important factor for
smooth and efficient operation,34 as reflected in the Principles and Recommendations. 34 Ibid.
They recommend the establishment of both civil registration, vital statistics, identity
management and inter-agency coordination committees comprising staff 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. The 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. The
objectives of such committees should focus on active involvement of interested techni-
cal, professional and governmental groups.
166. The Handbook on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems: Management,
Operation and Maintenance, Rev. 1, describes coordination in similar terms and states
that coordination efforts 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.35 35 Handbook on Civil Registration
167. Following formal approval by the Government of the proposed civil registration, Management, Operation and
vital statistics and identity management programme, the Government will officially Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021.
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. The Deputy Minister would keep the Minister up
to date on the progress and plans of the committee. The Director of the communica-
tion for development office would be a member of the inter-agency committee. The
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.36 The committee will include also other government officials with the relevant 36 Ibid.
expertise/experience, as well as demographers, statisticians, epidemiologists among
others. The 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 offices (e.g., health
and education, social and economic development) are represented by senior officials.
169. Depending on the system of registration in the country officials 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 office of the registrar general or
health department staff.
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. Suffi-
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. That 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. The 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. The 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. The composition of the communication for development subcommittee needs

to be carefully considered and should reflect 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 effects 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 office
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
different vital events prioritized in the overall improvement programme and the cor-
responding benefits of the civil registration, vital statistics and identity management
systems. The subcommittee should ideally include representatives of relevant civil
society organizations, women and youth associations, and/or the population that will
benefit from the programme. The 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 efforts, and it may not be possible in the initial phases. For that rea-
son, there should be flexibility 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;
(c) Agency in charge of the population register;
(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 specific 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;
(c) Office of the Prime Minister/President;
(d) The government’s central planning agencies;
(e) Department of information and communication.
177. The 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.
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. After the communication for development subcommittee is appointed to oversee
the activities of the communication for development office, 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;
(c) Contribution to and approval of the national communication for develop-
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. The 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. They 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 affect 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. The 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 beneficial 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. The 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 reflected 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.
D. S etting priorities and identifying the goals and

objectives of the communication for development
programme
1. Identification problem areas and setting priorities

183. An efficient 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”. They should be available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Rus-
sian and Spanish upon request. The 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;
(c) Civil registration is defined as the continuous, permanent, compulsory
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.
37
185. Such an evaluation should identify the determinants and bottlenecks37 of a com- See UNICEF, Enhanced
Programming and Results
plete and timely registration and the production of vital statistics. Determinants would Through Monitoring Results
be grouped according to their nature, and would be prioritized for action in the fol- for Equity Systems (MoRES),
lowing broad categories (see table 1). Briefing Note, 2013.
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. Thus, the following main issues may be identified:

(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.
(c) Perceptions and social norms, lack of knowledge, fear, beliefs, traditional
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 identification 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 specific to communication for development. The
communication for development subcommittee or the communication for develop-
ment office should be represented in the inter-agency committee and influence the
formulation of other priorities as relevant to the communication for development pro-
gramme too.
188. The 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. The 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
coverage has been achieved should not be a primary concern. Afterwards, applicable
communication for development interventions for each bottleneck will be identified
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. There may be resistance to having a child’s illegitimacy recorded on a birth
registration record. Or marriage may be performed only by tribal custom, officiated by
a person with no knowledge/experience in registering the event. A communication for
development programme tailored to a particular country and to specific target groups
should be able to work out those problems.
190. The 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 different
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 figures for the number of actual births and deaths that
occur. Those figures 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 affect their departments/agencies.
194. For example, the health department may find 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 field, there must be
reliable information on the future school population in order to create sufficient facili-
ties and hire teachers. Planning for housing, future employment needs and economic
growth would also be affected by lack of accurate information that could be obtained
from effective civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems.
195. At the initial meeting of the inter-agency committee, one of the first 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
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 specific
problems first-hand from representatives of the persons concerned, who may provide
good suggestions about most effective 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. That 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 specific but rather
should indicate the general direction that, in the committee’s opinion, should be
taken. A draft working document identifying the problem areas and suggested strate-
gies could then be produced by the director of the communication for development
office under the direction of the registrar general (or equivalent) and presented to the
next meeting of the communication for development subcommittee. After 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. The 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. The 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 specifically what the outcomes of the programme will be.
200. Those 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;
(c) Achievable in that the behavioural results correlate to a target that can
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.
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);
(c) Advocacy objectives (e.g., to change policies).
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 final 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. The activities should help to achieve the objectives and
the objectives should help to achieve the programme goal.
203. The 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?
(c) If they are not doing it now, why not? Are they practicing a similar desired
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. The 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;
(c) To require high standards of data and information;
(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;
(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;
(c) For deaths, to achieve 90 per cent of registration coverage within three
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. After 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.
E. M
ajor activities of coordination and management
bodies
1. Formulation of the preliminary national communication

for development concept
207. The formulation of the preliminary national communication for development
plan would be undertaken by the communication for development office, under the
direction of the registrar general and the communication for development subcom-
mittee. It should be noted that later, after government approval, a very detailed action
plan will be developed. The 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. This preliminary plan for the communication for development programme
should define general goals and objectives and contain an outline of the strategy at the
national level. Also, generalized recommendations should be made concerning effec-
tive techniques for reaching not only the general public, but also difficult 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. Identification of the communication objectives and indicators for the commu-
nication for development programme will occur after extensive behavioural analysis,
identification of participant groups and of the most effective communication imple-
mentation plan will be developed. That will normally happen once the preliminary
plan is approved, and sufficient 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
affairs 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 offer
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. The communication for development subcommittee, with major input from the
communication for development office, will prepare detailed plans for presentation
to the Government for approval of the proposed programme and the commitment
of sufficient resources for its implementation. The concept approved by the Govern-
ment might be used also to leverage funds or start discussions with the development
partners.
212. The first 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.
(c) At the national level, it is important that the Government gives whole-
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,
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. The 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 first 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 staff 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. The 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;
(c) Description of deficiencies of present systems, with special focus on those
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. The 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. The 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 specific period, for example for the first year, with
another separate estimate for the second year, ongoing monitoring and evaluation and,
where necessary, adjustment of the programme. The budget should also include staff,
offices, telephone, supplies, equipment and travel. There should also be a budget allo-
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. That
includes meeting with community leaders (arranged through regional/district offices),
meeting with people who will assist with registration, such as municipal employees
who act as registrars, formal and informal leaders and traditional birth attendants.
The 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 specific target groups.
218. It will be difficult to determine at this point what would constitute “sufficient
resources” for the communication for development programme. To forecast the
required resources is difficult, and there are many factors influencing the programme
and which will be determined only once the full strategy and action plan are devel-
oped based on research, after the approval of the Government is obtained. See chapter
IV for details on potential costs to be considered.
219. There 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 office can be made, including staff salaries, office space, equipment, supplies
and travel. There should be an allocation for the communication for development
subcommittee meetings and for consultation and meetings with regional/provin-
cial/state/county officials 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. This 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. These resources may include external consult-
ants or subcontractors. Rapid qualitative assessments can be an in-house task of the
communication for development office, or, in a decentralized system, of appropriate
officials in those jurisdictions, provided that proper resources are allocated. More sci-
entific research and in general quantitative studies require a higher level of expertise
and important time investment. The communication for development office 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 staff 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 office may
opt for directly performing the tasks or hire an external consultant or firm.
221. The 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 effectiveness, 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, effective and effi-
cient programme. In such cases, budgetary provisions should be made for a consultant.
222. If an advertising agency is to be involved in the media campaign, then neces-

sary provisions should be made. The client, in this case the Government through the
communication for development office of the department of registrar general or a
decentralized government authority, would be responsible for thoroughly briefing the
advertising agency. The 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.
That estimate will have to be revised and finalized later in accordance with the specific
implementation plan.
224. With the above in mind, the inter-agency committee will convey a figure 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 office and the communication for development sub-
committee and use tentative estimates for the rest of the overall campaign. The 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?
(c) How much does the committee estimate that the Government will make a
firm commitment to allocate to the programme?
225. In preparing the budget, the importance of interpersonal communication should
not be underestimated. Sufficient financial 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 effective means of communication is
person-to-person contact with respected opinion, community leaders; spiritual and
religious organizations; peers; health and registration officials in local offices, 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 specific 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. The 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 first step
covering only the preliminary planning stage. The preliminary stage would include
the establishment and operation of the communication for development office and the
inter-agency committee and the communication for development subcommittee, and
planning for the necessary training materials and meetings.
228. The 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 office and the communication for development sub-
committee. That budget should cover an extended period (e.g., 3 to 10 years) with a
budget figure determined for the initial and for each of the subsequent years.
229. The drawback of the two-step budget process is that the Government may
approve the first step but then, after 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 afford the proposed
programme or that it should cut down in costs so the implementation will not be effec-
tive. This situation will be discouraging and might stop all progress in improving civil
registration rates.
230. Strong preparation for meeting with the Government is essential. The strategy to
be used should be planned in advance, carefully considering what approach would be
most effective. 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. The 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 office.
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 benefits that would accrue due
to improved civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems. The
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. The
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 influential ministers and officials 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 financial resources,
will receive recognition both within the country and internationally.
233. The proposal will conclude with a request for the Government’s approval and
commitment of sufficient financial 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 sufficient 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. The 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.
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 identification of groups that will partici-
pate in the programme (i.e., target groups in traditional communication jargon), of
determinants affecting demand for registration, of most effective means of communi-
cation, and of communication capacities within civil registration, vital statistics and
identity management systems. The social-ecological model should inform the com-
munication analysis.
237. Specific communication objectives will be derived from the communication
analysis. Expected results should reflect actual change in different behaviour and
social dimensions at the different levels of the social-ecological model, and indicators
should be selected or developed to track such changes.
238. The 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. The 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. The 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. The 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, defining strategies and planning for
action. The 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. The 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.
38 See Guidelines on the Legislative
243. Formulation of a national strategy will include a long-term implementation plan, Framework for Civil Registra-
similar to the indicative implementation plan outlined in the annex below. tion, Vital Statistics and Identity
Management, (forthcoming).
244. The present Handbook does not elaborate on the review of the legal framework 38
39
or preparation of administrative and instructional handbooks for use by the local reg- See Handbook on Civil Registra-
tion and Vital Statistics Systems:
istrars and other vital statistical personnel, including all routines of data processing
Management, Operations and
and so on,39 which are certainly components of the overall civil registration, vital sta- Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021.
tistics and identity management systems improvement programme.
245. The present Handbook also assumes that there is a registrar general’s office to
administer the system. In instances in which there is no administering office, the
agency responsible for identity management can initiate and lead the communication
for development programme, in coordination with the national statistical office.
246. In any civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improvement
programme, it should be anticipated, however, that preparation/modification of the
legal framework, particularly the drafting 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. Therefore, 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 finalization of the legal frame-
work, in case legislative approval is required for the electronic automated collection
40 Ibid., chap. VII. and storage of registration data.40 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 after 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. The 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. The 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 effort 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 benefit 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. They 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 efforts in developing countries.
53
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);
(c) Identify sites for data collection;
(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.
A. Introduction
252. The 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 office 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, Theoretical 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. The 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 influence 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 affecting demand for civil registration, vital statistics and
identity management should be checked against existing research. Considering the
available evidence, data gaps need to be identified to inform decisions on obtaining
primary data through additional studies commissioned to a research firm or consult-
ant, who should apply relevant theories as appropriate. Methods for data collection are
discussed in the present chapter.
256. Practitioners may find an interest in using a causality analysis framework as a
means to document what is already known and what is left 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 often mis-
leads the determination of objectives and/or strategies by focusing on effects 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 after the approval of the initial
programme and the commitment of funds by the Government. The 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 offer different
perspectives, including representatives from the general population. The frame-
work provided by the present chapter should be considered in data collection and
First steps for an effective communication for development strategy 55
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 identification of major determinants of registration (see the
following sections).
258. The 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 officers towards a particular population group), many others will be
specific to and exclusive of a concrete event (e.g., taboos related to death). An analysis
should clearly identify which factors affect all vital events, and which are specific to
particular events.
259. Guidance outlined in the present chapter can be applied in situation analysis for
different intervention aims, including all geographical levels and specific 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. The 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 reflect significant 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, Theoretical framework, in the Introduction of the present Handbook pro-
vides information on the planning process, including the necessary steps to
follow. 41 41 See Global Communication
Strategy Development Guide
262. When developing a communication for development strategy, each step should for Maternal, Newborn, Child
be as participatory as possible. Participation in all steps of the process allows commu- Health and Nutrition Programs.
nity representatives to participate in the decision-making process, offers them a sense UNICEF, 2015.
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-
tification of goal and objectives, formative research, identification 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
and the recommendations. A template agenda for the planning workshop

is provided in the annexes.
(c) During the planning workshop the following main questions will be
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 fine-tuned.
The main questions to ask to ensure an effective 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?
(c) What are the training needs and for whom should they be planned?
(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 Three includes the development and testing of messages and materials. The
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. The responsibility for
evaluation resides with the communication for development office. After 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.
C. Formative research
1. Steps to be taken in planning the formative research

269. The following steps can be taken to make a formative research plan.42 42 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);
(c) Identify sites for data collection;
(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.
2. Methods for data collection

270. The analysis should be grounded on data collected from various sources. Infor-
mation needed for conducting the situation analysis is often 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 office should first review the existing
sources of recent secondary data that may include:
(a) Sociodemographic data from population and housing censuses, household
surveys and administrative records;
(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;
(c) Reports from governmental institutions (starting with official registration
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;
(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 office 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 identification of addi-
tional participant groups, particularly segments of the general population identified
as strong influencers 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 after 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 quantified, as they can offer an in-depth view on existing issues. It can
provide insights for the design of quantitative research and explain its findings
afterwards. 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, field 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 affect-
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
43 An important resource centre recommended especially for small-scale research and research with the most deprived
for participatory methods, and underserved groups.43
not only research, is hosted by
the Institute for Development 275. Research can be used for different purposes: formative research, assessment of
Studies. See www.participa- immediate reactions or pre-testing, monitoring processes, or evaluation of outcome
torymethods.org. and impact.44 At that stage, the programme uses formative research to conduct the
44 situation analysis and establish the programme’s baselines. The chances for primary
Guidance on how to research,
monitor and evaluate strategic data collection and the concrete methods to be applied depend on the available
communication can be found resources. As suggested in chapter I, the initial plan presented to the government for
in Essentials for Excellence: approval and allocation of sufficient resources should include a budget line for forma-
Research, Monitoring and tive research that will inform the complete strategy. But if there is a possibility of con-
Evaluating Strategic Communi-
ducting research before government approval, that should be done.
cation for Behaviour and Social
Change with Special Reference 276. If scarce resources limit the capacity to conduct formative research, at least an
to the Prevention and Control in-depth review of secondary data, consultations with key informants and stakehold-
of Avian Influenza and Pan- ers through focus groups and interviews, and direct observation in registration sites
demic Influenza. UNICEF, 2008.
Available at www.unicef.org/
should be carried out. Findings could be presented in a stakeholders’ participatory
cbsc/files/Essentials_for_excel- meeting with the involvement of relevant experts and field staff. The same meeting
lence.pdf. would be used as a forum for developing the basic inputs of a shared communication
situation analysis with the support of a skilled facilitator. The analysis would then be
further completed by the communication for development office 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. The causal analysis will be a first step, after an analysis of
determinants is conducted. The 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?
(c) What are the registration rates in various regions?
(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?
278. Communication for development is one of the key components of an over-

all civil registration, vital statistics and identity management improvement pro-
gramme. The 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 findings 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;
(c) Description of the effects of the problem on the affected population. In
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. The 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. That behavioural component will be the concrete focus of the
demand creation programme’s contribution. The problem statement should indicate if
additional research is also required.
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 identification 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 specific to encourage civil registration. The problem
analysis addressed in the present chapter should have been, in fact, conducted during
45 See UNICEF, Enhanced Pro- this very initial work of the communication for development subcommittee for the
gramming and Results Through identification of problem areas and priorities as part of the preparation of preliminary
Monitoring Results for Equity documentation for the Government.
Systems (MoRES), Briefing Note,
2013. 282. The analysis of determinants and bottlenecks45 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).46
46 See Global Communication Table 2

Strategy Development Guide Description of determinants by category
Health and Nutrition Programs, Categories Determinants Description
UNICEF, 2015.
Enabling environment: The social, Social norms Widely followed social rules
political, budgetary, and institutional of behaviour
determinants necessary to achieve results
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 Availability of essential Essential commodities/inputs
of the relevant instructions, actors and commodities/inputs required to deliver a service or
system(s) accountable for the provision adopt a practice
of services, pro-motion of practices and
Access to adequately Physical access (i.e., services,
behaviours
staffed services, facilities facilities/information)
and information
Demand: The geographic, financial, social Financial access Direct and indirect costs for
and cultural factors that facilitate or hinder services/practices
the target population with regard to ben-
Social and cultural practices Individual/community beliefs,
efiting from the services, facilities, systems
and beliefs awareness, behaviours, practices,
or desired practices
attitudes
Timing and continuity Completion/continuity in service,
of use practice
Quality: Compliance with minimum Quality of care Adherence to required quality
standards that are defined through national standards (national or interna-
or international norms for effective coverage tional norms)
of a service, system or practice
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.
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/ Non-availability of qualified human resources
coordination (e.g., very short training, city hall where there is a plural-
ity of options).
Supply Availability of Lack of proper registers made available by the courts
essential (which slows down the process).
commodities/inputs
Access to adequately Considerable distance to access adequate services and
staffed services, information.
facilities and Lack of infrastructure and information (i.e., no training
information 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
register a marriage.
Social and cultural Primacy of customary rather than civil marriage.
practices and beliefs 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 It takes too much time to gather all necessary documents
continuity of use 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.47 47
Ibid.
Figure 6
Determinants by level of intervention
Social norms
Quality of care
Legislation Societal/Policy
Budget
Commodities and info

Services/
Staffed services
Organizational
Social norms
Management
Practices and beliefs
Timing and continuity Community Quality of care
Budget
Timing and continuity
Financial access
Social norms
Practices and beliefs
Quality of care
Family/
Timing and continuity
individual
Financial access
285. In general, it should be emphasized that the greatest barrier to registration is

lack of awareness of or indifference 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. The communication for development programme should provide people with
information about the benefits 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 influence the delivery of civil registration services and build trust between
service users and providers. The following factors usually contribute to a low level of
registration, and indicate indifference 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;
(c) The custom is not to register vital events, especially in some cultures;
(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 ineffective registration in several countries mentioned below
illustrate the type of problems that might also be present in any given country. The
analysis of problems under the framework proposed in the present chapter and the
identification 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.
287. Along with specific strategies, the Government should increase the demand
for vital event certificates (or copies of vital records) and should enforce the laws and
reporting procedures. Examples of how that can be done within different cultures is
to require official vital event certificates 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. Thus, in the long run, constraints will have a diminishing effect on the
completeness of the system and will eventually disappear.
288. The examples described below illustrate how a wide range of factors including
perceptions, cultural beliefs and traditions, social norms and so on affect the registra-
tion completeness and timeliness in Botswana, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Peru, the
Philippines and Zimbabwe. The examples also illustrate how sociobehavioural factors
interact with and are often influenced 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 affairs 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 influence 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 after that period of seven
days and after the naming ceremony, so no registration of the child happens during
that period of confinement.
291. In Burkina Faso people do not speak about deceased nor mention the name. The
burial is usually done within few hours after 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 Recommendations48 states that gathering considerable information 48 Principles and Recommenda-
about individuals in a single system, including sensitive medical data on fetal deaths tions for a Vital Statistics System,
and causes of deaths, raises fears concerning disclosure as well as acquisition of too Rev. 3, 2014.
much knowledge regarding individual lives. In cases in which concerns about intru-
sion into the private lives of persons and about confidentiality 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
efforts 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 officers, 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. The communication for develop-
ment programme can serve to strengthen the interpersonal communication capacity
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 influence
service delivery.
D. Programme analysis
294. The 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. The 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. The
extent to which the programme addresses the social and behavioural factors described
and covers the priority populations and geographical locations identified in the above
problem analysis should be determined.
295. The systems’ structure and capacity for communication for development is also
analysed: is there an ED/COM office within the agencies responsible for civil registra-
tion, vital statistics and identity management? What is the level of staff’s dedication
to communication at different 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. The actual contribution of the different 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 significant participants in the programme at national, subnational and
local level. That 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 effective they have been.
297. An inventory of existing policies is needed to identify the parameters for the
demand creation programme. That 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
identified 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
affect demand and provide opportunities for the delivery of the communication for
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-
tiation and strategic partnerships; development of strategies; implementation of com-

munication strategies; strengthening of staff 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 field
of public health, can be adapted and/or applied to civil registration, vital statistics and
identity management communication for development programmes.49 49 A useful resource is the Social
and Behavior Change Commu-
300. As mentioned in chapter I, the programme analysis is one of the steps that could nication Capacity Assessment
be easily addressed as part of the elaboration of the concept for communication for Tool included in the C-Change
development programme to be presented for the government’s approval and commit- SBCC Toolkit, FHI 360, 2012.
ment of funds. It includes three versions: for
organizations, donors and
networks, and individuals.
E. Identification of participants and their behaviour Available at https://c-change-
program.org/resources/sbcc-
301. Following the programme analysis, the analysis of the participants and their capacity-assessment-tool.
behaviour is needed. While the analysis of their behaviour is addressed in the follow-
ing paragraphs, the identification 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 influence on the identified 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. That way, the main principle of the
communication for development is the full participation of all identified 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. Identification of participant groups is a core element in communication for
development since specific 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 benefits 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. The 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. Therefore, such groups are not expected to be mere recipients of
information, but to take concrete actions to achieve behavioural objectives.
50 Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, The Social-Ecolog-
1. Identification of participants (social-ecological model) ical Model: A Framework for
Prevention. Available at www.
305. As presented in the Introduction, communication for development bases its cdc.gov/violenceprevention/
approaches on the social-ecological model,50 which represents a theoretical framework about/social-ecologicalmodel.
html; and Global Communica-
to understand the levels of influence on a certain behaviour. There are five nested,
tion Strategy Development
hierarchical levels of the model: individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, Guide for Maternal, Newborn,
and policy/enabling environment (see figure 7). Table 4 provides a brief description of Child Health and Nutrition
each of the levels of the model. Programs, UNICEF, 2014.
Figure 7
Social-ecological model
Policy/enabling
environment
Organizational
(organizations and
Community
organizations)
Interpersonal
(family, friends,
social networks)
Individual
behaviours)
Table 4
51 See Global Communication Description of the levels of the social-ecological model51
for Maternal, Newborn, Child Social-ecological model Description
Health and Nutrition Programs, level
UNICEF, 2015. 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 Local, state, national and global laws and policies, including policies regarding
environment (macro) 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 identified for each
of the above-described levels. The 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-
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. These
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 specifi-
cally designed for participants at other levels in order to build the supportive environ-
ment for high demand for civil registration.
308. There 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. The present Handbook works on the assump-
tion that determinants to effective 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. Those groups encompass
the general public; representatives of institutions, professions and agencies; senior
government officials; and personnel working directly within the registration or vital
statistics systems. Those groups are presented in the next section so as to enable accu-
rate analysis and planning.
310. In order to facilitate the identification and visualization of the participant groups
and their interrelations from a social-ecological perspective, it is common to place the
groups in five concentric circles, putting the primary participants in the centre and
other participants in the subsequent circles (see figure 7).
311. Primary participants are the persons whose behaviour is the main indicator of
programme success. The primary participant does not necessarily coincide with the
beneficiary of the intervention. For instance, in birth registration the beneficiary 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 influence their behaviour. They share the same cultural
and social environment with primary participants and may also be directly affected
by the problem(s). That 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. They are organizations responsible
for civil registration, vital statistics and identity management, or other professional
groups that can contribute to the achievement of results. They may include NGOs,
mass media at the regional level and executive bodies of various state authorities.
315. Participants at macro (policy and enabling environment) level are those whose
actions indirectly influence 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. They are essential for defining 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. That 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 identification of participant groups is mainly looking at people, we may
find 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 officials from the Ministry of Health would be
macro-level participants.
317. It is not rare to find difficulties in placing actors at the right level. Specially
during participatory analysis and planning involvement of stakeholders, significant
amounts of time are spent in discussing if a given participant group should be cat-
egorized as primary, secondary, tertiary, meso or macro. The 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.
Identification of participant groups should be specific to the possible extent, avoiding
generic terms like “stakeholders” or “community members”. The more the planning
exercise takes place at the local/micro level, the more specific the identification of par-
ticipant groups can and should be.
318. The identification 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 signifi-
cant influence 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. After all possible participant groups have been identified on the basis of the prob-
lem analysis, the communication for development subcommittee and the communica-
tion for development office 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. The focus should be put on tertiary, meso and
macro participants who have the most influence 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 identified at the moment of creation of the
communication for development subcommittee. Following the identification of par-
ticipant groups, the communication for development programme would benefit from
updating the membership of the subcommittee as needed.
321. It is important to tailor the communication for development activities to each
group. The identification of such groups is the initial step in the design of effective
communication for development programmes. The 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;
(c) Vital statistics 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. Those are categories of participant groups, not the actual participants (people)
themselves. One same category may include various people at the same or different
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, different participant groups within one
same category should be analysed separately since they may face different challenges,
be expected to play different roles, and therefore participate in different 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 significant 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 office
identifies the leaders of those groups and their influential 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. The 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
registration system is used, then the directory listings must reflect the actual regis-
tration organizational structure in a manner that will not only facilitate contacting
specific 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 definitely 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. The directory should include the name, position or title, postal address, email
address and telephone number (and fax or telex number) of every leader or influential
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 staff
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 identified. Individuals have an important role in providing information for
notification forms or directly declaring the occurrence of vital events. Moreover, their
active demand, as people directly concerned by the benefits 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 benefits.
Nevertheless, additional objectives and results may be defined based on the analysis,
like improving attitudes, beliefs or self-efficacy of specific 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 benefits, 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 fulfilling 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 specific groups, whose behaviour should
be changed, paying particular attention to interpersonal communication, community
mobilization and capacity-building.
331. The 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 different sce-
narios. The list of appropriate informants for priority vital events provides a base for
segmentation of the general population into concrete participant groups.52 52 Principles and Recommenda-
tions for a Vital Statistics System,
332. Live birth and fetal death: the head of the institution (or designee) if the event Rev. 3, 2014.
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 influenc-
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”. This type of message appeals to both their role as
potential informants and as influencers of parents.
339. Other participant groups within the nearest relatives may need to be identified
depending on the social dynamics and cultural norms specific 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 define a strong influence 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 influential source of information and opinion
for other couples who are planning marriage or parenthood. As satisfied users, newly
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-effi-
cacy by guiding others across the procedure, or dispelling negative rumors about civil
registration. The 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 staff 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 staff in local registration units, would be the concrete
tertiary participants within this category. Staff 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 staff 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-
53 Ibid. tion services. According to the Principles and Recommendations,53 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. They 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 office of the registrar
general (or equivalent) should be able to provide a comprehensive list of local regis-
trars. Also, list any appropriate civil registration staff. In compiling lists of local civil
registration staff, 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. The 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 specific information on the cause of death in detail.
346. Doctors are respected opinion leaders. They have the power to influence 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 officials, 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. They often implement health educa-
tion activities, often 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 staff of post-natal care
facilities should require birth certificates, 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 certificate
certifying the cause of death in accordance with the specifications of the International
Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.
350. In other jurisdictions, certification of the cause of death may be listed only on the
statistical form. The latter is common practice in countries that use books to record the
vital event to comply with legal requirements, and in addition fill 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 certification
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.
They 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.
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 qualified, 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. They 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
officials. That 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. Three other departments: health, justice and the interior, are also involved in the
registration of vital events.
358. The 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 officially with the
Government. The religious authority may also grant divorces, which must be reported
to government officials.
359. In addition to their eventual specific responsibilities in registering marriages
and divorces, local clerics, priests, imams and so on may have a strong influence 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. Therefore, in many contexts they are considered key
allies in behaviour and social change communication interventions. Their role may
be even more important when determinants to registration have a nature cultural or
social norms. In such cases they often 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 office 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.
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 filling out the official marriage registration forms and getting them to the proper
government officials. They 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 influence 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 officially registered by religious leaders, who are licensed by
the Ministry of Justice, in Namibia, or the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security, in
Botswana. They are obliged afterwards to submit data to the state authorities.
363. To gather information required for a comprehensive listing in that category of

the directory, first 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
file in a government office. It will be up to the communication for development office
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 officials would be
charged with the responsibility for the preparation of lists of persons authorized to sol-
emnize marriages in their localities. That will be a difficult list to obtain and maintain,
so be sure to allocate sufficient staff resources to look after 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 file 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 efforts to promote demand for civil
registration.
366. These officials 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 office. In many countries, local civil registrars are author-
ized to both solemnize and officially 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.
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 officials and members of law societies may be identified as meso-
level participant groups. They 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 officials 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 Office of the Attorney General should be able to provide lists of the courts
and principal officials. There 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. The 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 influential in urging that political action be taken. For those purposes, the national
or subnational level representatives with capacity to influence policy and law making
would be classified as macro-level participants.
Main users of civil registration/vital statistics information and data

372. The main users of civil registration, vital statistics and identity management
information and data include planners, policymakers, development partners and
researchers. They have a significant stake in any improvement programme and can
be very influential in persuading the Government to commit sufficient 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 identified under other categories, who will
also have an important role in implementing the communication for development and
other components of the improvement programme. This is the case for instance of the
officials 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. The 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. The national Government should be checked first. The 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 offices and offices dealing with identification
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 often 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 classified 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
officially registered, and if not to provide information on how registration should be
accomplished and of the benefits 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 effort 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 official 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 benefits of high-quality civil registration, vital
statistics and identity management systems, the individual realization of human rights
often depends on the availability of documentation delivered by the civil registration
services or by the identity management system. Moreover, official vital statistics are
used for planning public policies aimed at fulfilling human rights, as well as for moni-
toring progress, therefore becoming an essential tool for good governance. Therefore,
all organizations concerned with those important rights have a stake in ensuring the
effectiveness of such systems and should be involved in all improvement programmes.
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. The national Government may have an office concerned with human rights,
which could supply lists of the various organizations and their presidents or other
officers (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. They 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 identified as
relevant secondary participant groups. Adult education initiatives often 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. The expertise and know-how of
adult educators can definitely be a game changer in implementing behaviour and
social change activities. Their 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. Therefore, 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 staff persons who are experienced in developing a course of study and actual
lessons for students in different 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 effective 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 effective communication
channels, the involvement of trusted sources of information is paramount for develop-
ing positive attitudes towards a new behaviour.
386. Some individuals have already been proposed as potential tertiary participants
in virtue of both their specific role in civil registration, vital statistics and identity
management and their position as respected opinion leaders and influencers. There
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. That 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 effective 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 fields.
That category includes also the opinion leaders in social networks and online. The
identity of such leaders must be based on evidence, taking as a reference the specific
groups whose behaviour the programme is attempting to shift. 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 influence 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 confidence 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
influential 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 influential people may be classified 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 benefits 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. That 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. The
first ladies could serve as agents of change and influencers 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 officials at the high-
est level, since lack of knowledge and interest in registration often prevail among
high-level government authorities concerned with civil registration and vital statistics
systems. Therefore, 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.
392. As mentioned previously, in order to effect 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 sufficient resources to undertake an effec-
tive long-term programme, including its communication for development component.
Therefore, the Head of State and relevant ministers are at the top of the list. Deputy min-
isters are very influential 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 first 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 officials,
as well as representatives of local governments, should be involved for their support,
cooperation and participation in the registration improvement programme.
393. The importance of the enthusiastic participation of local leaders cannot be over-
emphasized. They are considered as opinion leaders, therefore in the tertiary partici-
pant group. Their importance may be also grounded on their political autonomy and
their capacity to decide on resource allocation. Subsequently, they could be classified
as tertiary, meso-level or macro-level participant groups. The 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
affected 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. Then, obtain a similar list of deputy ministers. The next subcategory will be a list
of the heads of appropriate offices of the regional or state, county or provincial govern-
ment offices.
396. The final listing in the overall category is of local government officials. 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 officials.
Other secondary participant groups

397. The participant groups listed previously are identified based on their roles and
responsibilities in civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems,
the experience in the field of communication for development. However, each com-
munication for development programme needs to develop its own list of participant
groups according to evidence. Other influential 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. The landscape may signifi-
cantly differ from one local setting to another within one same country. That is why,
at least in priority areas where grass roots-level approaches will be implemented, an
operational plan will be developed with a clear identification of the participants for
that specific region.
2. Behavioural analysis
398. After the identification of the participants groups, an analysis of knowledge, atti-
tudes and behaviours of the identified participants needs to be conducted. The 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 officials, donors, community leaders, religious lead-
ers, parents), and separate data collection instruments should be developed for each
group. That data will help to understand how ready the majority of the intended popu-
lation is to change their behaviour.
400. The results of this analysis can constitute the baseline research, that is, the bench-
mark against which to measure the programme’s progress and final impact:54 54 See Global Communication
• Identify the basic social, cultural, normative, geographical, literacy, and eco- for Maternal, Newborn, Child
nomic challenges related to the problem facing the people the programme Health and Nutrition Programs,
would like to reach; UNICEF, 2015.
• Identify factors inhibiting or facilitating desired changes;

• Identify current awareness, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs (especially related to
rumors about interventions), norms, level of efficacy, 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
specific 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 identified. 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 identified for a targeted analysis that may show differences
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 identified 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?
403. The 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-efficacy 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 fulfilment of their respon-
sibilities by the different 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.
That 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-
fied. 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 officials in a timely manner.
405. The 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. The 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 certificates 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 influence primary par-
ticipants. A local religious leader may be responsible for correctly filling out the official
marriage registration form, and at the same time be expected to use his/her influence
to encourage people to register all type of vital events. Both roles should be consid-
ered in that analysis. The 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. The analysis should facilitate understanding of the changes in attitudes and
practices that are required to correct identified inequities in civil registration related
to gender or other variables.
407. Then the main existing facilitating factors for each group to adopt the expected
behaviour will be analysed. This segment starts with the identification of the ben-
efits 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
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, benefits 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.
They 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 fulfilling 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 effectively 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.55 55 Inspired by UNICEF’s Human
Rights-based Approach to
411. Finally, inquiring about the communication habits and resources of the popula- Programming. See https://
tion will complete the analysis. While the communication landscape analysis will pic- sites.unicef.org/policyanalysis/
ture the communication landscape in the country considering the general population, rights.
in that case the focus is put on the particularities of the selected participant groups
and vulnerable segments of the population. That portion of the analysis identifies
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 specific 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 influential groups.
The 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. The analysis should consider the particularities of each vital event. While some
factors may affect the entire set of vital events (e.g., registration perceived as an alien
exercise instead of a public service), some others will be very specific, like the reluc-
tance of talking about dead persons in certain cultures.
F. Identification of potential partners

414. The identification 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
need to make use of the existing assets and capacities. During the programme-devel-
opment process the most relevant partners have been identified, initially for setting
up the communication for development subcommittee and further completed on the
basis of the identification of participant groups. Institutions/organizations represent-
ing organizational and policy levels of the social-ecological model would be potential
partners. Thus, guidance included in the present section can be taken into account in
the previous steps not only for the identification 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 findings 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 findings of the situation analysis. The communication for development
office 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 effort to get their cooperation by
giving visibility or producing some benefits for them, facilitating their contribution to
the analysis, the expression of their concerns and interests, and sharing information.
The 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;
(c) Expertise pertinent for the development and implementation of the com-
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 office should be strategic in defining
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 office may find an interest in applying some systematic tools for bet-
ter understanding the different actors, their roles and their relations. To that end a
combination of a stakeholder analysis and a social network analysis can provide good
insight. That 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 influence. Dif-
ferent strategic options for their engagement will be discussed based on the results of
the analysis.56 56 Guidance and tools for stake-
422. A social network analysis can provide an additional layer of information by pic- holders’ analysis and engage-
ment are available at www.
turing formal and informal relations among the different stakeholders.57 That can be
thehealthcompass.org/filtered-
done by linking them with lines or arrows coded to identify the nature of the relation- search/stakeholder; and
ships they represent. The exercise provides information on the level of centralization www.fsnnetwork.org/sites/
and interconnectedness of the network, the position of each of its members, missing default/files/en-svmp-instru-
connection lines between stakeholders, and stakeholders that can act as a bridge mente-akteuersanalyse.pdf.
between conflicting positions. 57 Although developed for a
423. Working with partners is a way to avoid duplication of efforts and increase the different context, the Social
cost-effectiveness of the programme. Partnerships will add value by providing access Network Analysis Handbook
provides simple, practical and
to expertise and data, by sharing resources and by increasing access to intended friendly guidance for prac-
population. titioners. Available at www.
rescue.org/sites/default/files/
G. Communication landscape analysis document/1263/socialnetwor-
kanalysise-handbook.pdf.
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 defined, it will be possible to work out the most
effective 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. The assessment
of communication capacity will inform decisions regarding the selection of the most
effective 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 specific 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-
tion capacity can lead to the identification 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
58 See Global Communication and social media) that are used or preferred by the participant group(s);58
(b) Penetration and role of traditional media (storytelling, folk songs, pup-
Health and Nutrition Programs. pet shows and so on), and its current use in similar behaviour and social
UNICEF, 2015. change programmes;
(c) Existing mechanisms for community participation like town hall meet-
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 often available in many countries, in the hands of a gov-
ernment department (e.g., the Department of Information or Communication) or the
59 Media landscapes by BBC private sector, including communication and advertising firms and non-profits.59
Media Action in some develop- Other relevant programmes, which in principle would be allies of civil registration,
ing countries may also serve as vital statistics and information management, especially those in public health, may
an example.
have data or similar analysis. That 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.
89
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
• 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
A. A
pproaches to address the main determinants
of a behaviour
60 See Global Communication 60
Health and Nutrition Programs.
UNICEF, 2015. 1. Introduction
430. All effective communication for development strategies are based on communi-
cation theories and models that explain or represent the behaviour and social change
process. Theories 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.
Theories 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. These 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 flow 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 flow.
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
effectively in defining 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 effective 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. The 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 certificate when the event is registered. Such a certificate 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). Those are direct benefits to the
mother and child and can act as incentives to registration. The mother would under-
stand the positive side of registration for herself and for her baby.
435. The policy of issuing a free certificate 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 certificate only. After the first certificate is issued, a
Methods and tools to be used in the communication for development programme 91
fee should be charged for all subsequent certificates in order to provide revenue to help
maintain the registration office.
436. To make birth registration more relevant to people, link birth registration to
entitlement to social services, and increase the demand for certified copies. For exam-
ple, a birth certificate 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 first visit to a post-natal health-care facility or for immunization purposes, staff
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 certificate for that child.
438. If a woman has been absent from work on maternity leave, production of a birth
certificate will offer the justification for absence, and companies should offer 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 certificate for the child should
be mandatory.
439. A marriage certificate could also be a requirement to prove eligibility for family
benefits, or a death certificate could be required if the death, of a parent has triggered
an application for support benefits to the Government. The strategy should be directed
to making the purpose and reason for registration relevant to the people. The Govern-
ments should find incentives for marriage registration.
440. In some countries and regions, where the population has specific religious ritu-
als related to birth, marriage and death, the presentation of the certificates 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. The communication for development approaches are inter-
related and interactive and using them in a well-planned programmes produces a syn-
ergistic effect. Table 5 provides a description of each of the communication for
development approaches.61 61 Adapted from Global Commu-
nication Strategy Development
Guide for Maternal, Newborn,
Table 5
Child Health and Nutrition
Description of communication for development approaches
Programs. UNICEF, 2015.
Communication Key features Participant groups

for development
approach
Advocacy • Focuses on policy environment and seeks to develop or • Policymakers and
change laws, policies, and administrative practices decision makers
• Works through coalition-building, community • Programme planners
mobilization, and communication of evidence-based • Programme
justifications for programmes implementers
• Community leaders
Social mobilization • Focuses on uniting partners at the national and com- • National and
munity levels for a common purpose community leaders
• Emphasizes collective efficacy and empowerment to • Community groups/
create an enabling environment organizations
• Works through dialogue, coalition-building, group/ • Public and private
organizational activities partners
(continued)
Communication Key features Participant groups

for development
approach
Social change • Focuses on enabling groups of individuals to engage in • Groups of individuals
communication a participatory process to define their needs, demand in communities
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
Behaviour change • Focuses on individual knowledge, attitudes, • Individuals
communication motivations, self-efficacy, skills building, and behaviour • Families/households
change • Small groups (e.g.,
• Works through interpersonal communication, mass/ mothers’ support
social media campaigns group)
62 Ibid. 2. Behaviour change communication62

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;
(c) Promote attitude change, for example, about the registration of deaths;
(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
first 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. They 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.
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 office. The 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.
There are some instances in which it may be possible to establish an extension registry
office in remote areas in addition to the local registration office 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 office in a community centre.
448. The mobile registration unit may prove to be very helpful in rural settlements
with a scattered population, for whom long distances to the registration offices, trans-
portation and communication problems act as deterrents to registration. In such cir-
cumstances, neither a subsidiary registration office nor a government official may be
justifiable 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. The 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. The registrar may also perform individual or mass civil marriages. This 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 staff 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 identified
and listed in the directory of target groups outlined in chapter II. Their 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 office with the participa-
tion of the local registrar. Those local leaders should be taught about the benefits of
civil registration for individuals, their families, the community and the country. They
should be motivated to register promptly vital events and on how to deliver messages
to village people in face-to-face gatherings. They should also be trained on how to han-
dle pre-registration of certain vital events (if a notifier system is in place) and may be
provided with separate booklets on how live births, fetal deaths and other deaths are
recorded. The local community leader’s function would be principally to tell residents
of the registration benefits 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 specific booklets to record events attended by them, which
would immediately be communicated to the concerned local registrar for registration.
They should also instruct the mother/father to immediately register their baby even
if the child dies shortly after 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

63 Ibid. engagement63
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 define 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. That 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. The 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 shift towards desirable social/community beliefs, norms,
and practices, and are often 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 specific and measurable objectives that reflect the community’s
expectations for addressing the problem;
• 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 financial) to imple-
ment activities;
• Assigning responsibilities to community participants (and/or organizations
within the community) for specific 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 specified
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 efficacy, 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 benefits 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 effective 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 benefits 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 certificate for each newborn
child registered.
464. While this process may be very intensive, it can be extremely effective 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
health workers to develop appropriate action strategies. This 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 fields of communication and social change point out the great
influence 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 benefits 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. The type of “forum theatre” may provide a particularly effective communication
medium. The 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. That 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
flow 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. The
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 office building and is most useful in disseminating
information.
470. Those or similar techniques of community engagement may be adapted for the
programme to motivate people to register vital and civil events. The 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 effective to direct attention
to changing community behavioural norms because of the significant influence 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 often to look after younger siblings, about important health
messages.
472. Children are very effective communicators when they are presented with
information that is meaningful and important to them, so they can be invaluable in
informing their parents about registration and how it will benefit 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 effective 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. Then, 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 mobilization64 64 Ibid.
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. Those 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 leaflets. The 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 five usual phases of the
social mobilization process.
Table 6
Five usual phases of the social mobilization process
Phase Description
Building rapport and Partners organize meetings and activities to understand one another, determine
sharing knowledge commonalities, and share knowledge and perspectives with regard to the prob-
lem that will be addressed.
Problem analysis and Partners conduct exercises to analyse the nature of the problem, identify and
action plan prioritize needs, develop a common problem statement, goals and objectives,
and draft an action plan.
(continued)
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 efforts. 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.
65 Ibid. 5. Advocacy65
478. The policy/enabling environment level of the social-ecological model consists
of policy, legislation, politics and other areas of leadership that influence health and
development. A strategy used to address this level of the social system is advocacy.
Advocacy is an organized effort to inform and motivate leadership to create an ena-
bling environment for achieving programme objectives and development goals. The
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 redefine public perceptions, social norms
and procedures; (3) to support protocols that benefit specific populations affected by
existing legislation, norms and procedures; and/or (4) to influence funding decisions
for specific initiatives.
479. There are three common types of advocacy:
• Policy advocacy, to influence 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 different levels of decision makers (e.g., politi-
cians, policymakers) to publicly discuss important issues, defend new ideas or policies,
and commit resources to action. The advocacy process requires continuous efforts to
translate relevant information into cogent arguments or justifications 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
• 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. The most common barriers to influence 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 effectiveness
• Lack of reliable data about the efficacy, effectiveness 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. The policy-
makers/decision makers to be reached have limited time to spend on this issue alone
so it is important to craft clear, concise and compelling messages (i.e., what is the pro-
posal, why it is important, the benefits and positive impacts of addressing the issue, and
the specific request for action), deliver messages effectively (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 efforts should be monitored and
evaluated for impacts and outcomes.
6. Capacity-building
484. That 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. There are many
communication approaches that are developed by the actors, but they are not coordi-
nated and unified. There 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 effective communication strategies;
• Organize training for the communication for development subcommittee

at central level to support the operationalization of the communication for
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 officials;
• 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. The 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 staff
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;
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 officials, registration staff 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. The communication for development subcommittee should work cooperatively
with management to arrange for training of officials concerned with registration,
organizational, administrative, technical and legal systems improvements.
490. One of the first 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. The 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 first 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. The 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 effective 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 reflect their character. Advertising messages should
reflect local ideas and concepts. The 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. There 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;
(c) Message: this is communicated by words and pictures. For target audiences
especially, they should reflect the character of the people to whom the mes-
sage is directed;
(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 different 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
effective to use local television in rural areas wherever possible. Media effectiveness is
different 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 effective
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. The planner needs informa-
tion about the “market”, particularly get groups where there are traditional/cultural
deterrents to registration. That information would come from the research done as
outlined in chapters I and II. The media decisions follow and depends on audiences.
The plan is developed based on judgement and media objectives. The 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);
(c) Continuity: the pattern and timing of delivery of advertising messages
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
efficient and effective 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.
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”;
(c) The primary message(s) should be strong and simple and should be used
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
benefit in a communication for development programme to promote registration of
births, marriages, divorces and deaths. The 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
the benefits for the individuals and the community be well prepared and offered, the
media will probably include it in its programming.
Working with media and journalists

503. A most important consideration is that an effective 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. Effective news media relations require the development of good working rela-
tionships with journalists by building a news relations programme, staffed 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. There are “Five Fs” in developing good interpersonal relationships between pub-
lic information personnel and journalists, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for
66 See O’ Sullivan, G.A., and oth- Communication Programs:66
ers, A Field Guide to Designing a
Health Communication Strategy,
(a) Fast: respect journalists’ deadlines. If a journalist telephones for informa-
2003. Available at http://ccp. tion, return the call immediately, even if it is past normal office hours. A
jhu.edu/documents/A%20 phone message returned the next day is too late. By then, the story already
Field%20Guide%20to%20 may have been aired or printed;
Designing%20Health%20
Comm%20Strategy.pdf. (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;
(c) Frank: be candid. Never mislead journalists. Be as open as possible and
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 official 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 staff is immediately available at
all times to journalists who need further information.
510. Monitor news coverage and evaluate its impact and effectiveness. Those activi-
ties are discussed in chapter V.
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. The 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;
(c) Be brief. Limit the release to one page, two at most;
(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. There 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. After starting the campaign,
there may be other special events, such as meetings with community organizations
and groups, general or/and press tours of local registration offices 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;
(c) On the day of the event, have enough press kits for everyone. Greet the
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. The communication for development strategy is a complex framework for plan-
ning communication interventions in support of civil registration, vital statistics and
identity management. The framework proposes the creation of platforms and tools
that will lead to the achievement of different objectives related to the subject. The cre-
ated platforms could also be used to promote behaviours that are not included in the
logical framework of the strategy. The 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. This double objective will be achieved by:
• Establishing systems of interaction and dialogue with families and communi-
ties, that will influence 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 field 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.
• 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 films, 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 difficult-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 different videos that reflect the
different geographic settings, attitudes, behaviours and cultural and linguistic groups
of a given country. Any training video should create situations that are realistic and
reflect 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 benefits 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. This 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 finalized. 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. The effectiveness 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 effects 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-effective for reaching the
intended population and stimulate meaningful interactions within the population.
528. Each communication channel has characteristics that make it appropriate for
specific population groups and for achieving specific outcomes. Communication
channels should be selected to fit the communication task.
529. Different channels play different 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 effective 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 benefits and drawbacks for conveying
certain types of messages to specified 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?
(c) Will the channel reach your intended population?
(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-
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 different communication channels.67 67 UNICEF C4D Orientation
module, 2009.
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 • Simple messages can be • Can be interac- • Higher produc-
same time passed through public tive with a live tion cost than
• Combination of audio and visual element has service announcements studio audience radio Higher air
high impact on viewers or messages read out by a or if viewers call time cost than ra-
• Requires electricity and TV sets, so access may presenter or send a text dio for sponsored
be limited in low income areas • Complex messages can be message in a live programming
• Viewers tend to be more urban than rural transmitted through feature show
• Reach depends on distribution channel (e.g., programmes, drama shows,
terrestrial, satellite, cable) talk shows and info-tainment
• Well suited to communication with large popu-
lation groups
• Reaches communities to which physical access
is difficult or impossible
Radio • Can reach large numbers of people in all income • Simple messages through • High level of • Lower production
groups quickly and at the same time public service announce- interaction pos- costs than TV
• Most radio sets are small, light and portable ments or scripts read out by sible, which can be • Lower airtime
and can operate on batteries if there is no main a presenter done through live costs than TV for
electricity supply • More complex messages can debate or a discus- sponsored
• Reaches communities to which physical access be transmitted via feature sion programme • programming
is difficult or impossible. Can target audiences programmes, talk-shows and with a phone-in or
in small communities with information of local drama text-in facility
relevance if local stations are available • Reading and
• Well adapted to oral societies answering listen-
• Easy medium for communication in local ers’ letters is also
languages possible
DVD • Combination of audio and visual element has • Can convey simple or com- • Can be highly • High production
high impact on viewers plex messages interactive if used cost
• Relies on physical distribution of DVDs in a commu- • Distribution
• Coverage depends on how many DVDs can be nity setting where cost depends on
produced and distributed there is discussion ease of physical
• Requires DVD player or computer with electric- or question-and- access to target
ity supply to play answer session audiences
• Can be made for generalized or specific target afterwards
audiences
Loudspeakers • Coverage depends on physical access • Better suited to short simple • Limited • Cheap
• Good for targeting high-density population messages • No formal channel
groups concentrated in large villages, urban • Can adapt the message and for immediate
areas or camps the language to each locality feedback
• 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
(continued)

Newspaper • Distribution of paper copies depends on physi- • Simple or complex messages • Limited scope • Advertisements
cal access and existence of functioning distribu- • Visual illustrations can with newspapers and sponsored
tion channels support text (e.g., pictures, distributed as articles may
• Online version can instantly reach people with cartoons, graphics) paper copies be expensive,
Internet access everywhere • Readers can give depending on
• Well suited for communicating with large feedback via the size and
groups of literate people in areas of high- letters circulation of the
density population • Online version can newspaper
• Difficult to distribute in rural areas easily attract com- • Messages can be
• The same text can be read and reread by many ment and informa- distributed free of
people over a period of time tion updates, charge if they are
photos and video published in the
from readers with form of a news
Internet access story
Leaflet/flyer • Can be distributed intensively in targeted • Can be used to convey more • Limited • Cheap to produce,
locations complex information but time-consum-
• Physical access to the target community is • Can combine messages in ing and potential-
necessary for distribution text with pictures, diagrams ly expensive to
• Limited impact on low literacy populations and cartoons distribute
unless the message is conveyed clearly in
pictures
Billboard • High coverage if billboard is well placed, where • Message should be simple • None • Cost depends on
many people in the target audience will see it and have a long shelf life size and location
• Can combine text with
pictures
Poster • Coverage can be good if posters are distributed • Good for simple messages • None • Relatively cheap
widely and are well placed where they will be • Can be adapted for illiter-
seen by the target audience ate populations by using
• Time-consuming to distribute to remote areas pictures /diagrams
• Distribution depends on physical access
Noticeboard • Limited geographic coverage • Good for both simple and • Community can • Very cheap
• Location is normally in closed areas such as complex messages post feedback
camps or settlements or small villages • Can use text and pictures messages (on
• Good way to disseminate information of strictly • Easy to update with new noticeboard or in
local relevance material but labour intensive. suggestion box,
• Best suited to communities which can be
where a large proportion of attached)
people are literate
Blast SMS • Wide coverage • Message must be simple and • Limited unless • Cost depends
• Fast and easy restricted to 160 characters there is the capac- on, frequency of
• Requires mobile network coverage, which may • Unsuitable for confidential ity to respond rap- use of charges
be restricted in isolated areas information idly and effectively levied by network
• Requires widespread mobile phone ownership to high volume operator
in the targeted population group feedback • Occasional high-
• Limited impact in societies with low-literacy priority messages
rates may be offered
• Government may shut down SMS network in free of charge
times of conflict or political tension
Targeted SMS • Geographically targeted • Message must be simple and • Can be interactive • Cost depends on
• Fast and easy restricted to 160 characters if feedback is re- numbers of re-
• List of telephone numbers of targeted contacts quested. However, cipients and local
required that is advisable SMS charges
• Government may shut down SMS network in only if there is • Costs can be
times of conflict or political tension the capacity to reduced if work-
respond rapidly ing in partnership
and effective- with mobile
ly to incoming phone companies
messages

Digital: • Requires widespread Internet access and high • Good for both simple and • Can be highly • Websites are fast
Email rates of online usage complex messages interactive and easy to create
Social media • Relies on functioning telecoms infrastructure • Integration of video, pictures and update, but
Internet • Internet users are mainly educated, higher and audio with text large numbers of
Chat and income people in urban areas skilled staff may
communica- • Low penetration of low-income groups in be required to cre-
tion apps rural areas ate content and
• Unsuitable for communication with low-literacy process incoming
groups information
• Passive information option (websites)
• Proactive information option (email)
• Good channel for reaching the diaspora
overseas
Peer • Time-consuming and labour intensive • Face-to-face is the strongest • Interactive with • Can be expensive
educators, • Requires large numbers of people with physical and most persuasive form of immediate • Costs can include
community- access to the target community communication feedback training, trans-
based • Good for complex informa- port, materials
workers, tion exchange tailored to and salaries/
volunteers individual needs incentives
• 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
Theatre, • Limited geographic coverage • Good for simple, easily • Can be highly • Cost depends on
community • Good for hard-to-reach communities if there is understood messages interactive if size of perfor-
meetings, access • Good for sensitizing com- audience is mance group,
songs, dance, munity on sensitive issues allowed to partici- sophistication
poetry within an entertaining pate either during of production
format or at the end of and distances
the performance travelled between
performance
venues
D. M
essages and arguments: development
and pre-testing
534. Before launching the strategy, a theme and logo should be created to give its iden-
tity. They 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. After 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. The types of materials that will
be used for the strategy participants and the general public, as well as subject specific
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.
The Government, in fact, should play a dynamic role in the promotion of improv-
ing civil registration and vital statistics systems. The 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.
The 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. The 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. Those 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 specific
information about what registration is, why it should be done (e.g., the benefits) and
when, how and where to take action to register an event. The key to development and
execution of an effective message strategy is getting the attention of people and per-
suading them to take the action advocated in the message.
540. The message is conveyed in stages to different groups after key communication,
education and other officials are trained.
541. The first stage is the message to be conveyed to officials (agents) of civil registra-
tion and vital statistics, including the message to be conveyed to the head office of the
registrar general and headquarters staff, regional/provincial staff, and officials (agents)
of the registration process, such as local registrars in the field and their assistants (e.g.,
traditional birth attendants, schoolteachers, staff 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. The second stage is to convey the message to the population in general, with
appropriate messages targeted to specific 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 effective 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 benefits 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
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. They must be better planned, more entertaining
and more rewarding which calls for a good creative strategy.
546. The message itself should be simple, direct and meaningful. It should stress the
benefits 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 define 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 effective. 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 often illiterate/rural audiences. Every effort must be made to overcome a pro-
literacy bias in message creation. The 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
effective than using a single medium.
549. To make the message more effective, use action words and write in the active
rather than passive voice. For example, “Register your new baby right after birth to
make you and your child eligible for many benefits” 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 after they are born”.
550. Use examples to clarify the message’s precise meaning, such as “A birth certifi-
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. The 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 first. Stress and repeat the main
points in the message. Less important information should not crowd out the main
message.
553. Stress benefits. Emphasize how important the message is to the target audience.
For the message to break through the information clutter; it must be something the
audience wants or has to know. They are most interested in the benefits 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. The 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. The 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. There 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. Effective 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.
(c) Consider branding the materials (e.g., create a label or logo, theme song,
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 find the message attractive,
attention grabbing? Do they like the colors, photos, and language?
• Relevance: Do they feel that the message is aimed at them or a different

audience?
• Comprehension: Is the message clearly understood?
• Acceptability: Does the message contain anything that is offensive, 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 benefit(s) being offered?
(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 effectiveness of the materials, they should all be
thoroughly pre-tested before they receive final approval for production. That is espe-
cially true for the messages and materials to be directed to specific 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. The 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. The moderator will ensure that discussions are
focused, and questions will not reveal any bias on his/her part.
563. The sessions will be attended by representatives of any diverse groups within the
community. The information and insights gained by pre-testing should be reflected
in all material, and if changes are made, they should be again referred to focus groups
before final 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);
(c) The office’s first tasks should be to identify problem areas, develop objectives and
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.
A. M
anagement 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 first 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 effective 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. Those strategies do not have to be developed for the country as a whole. They
may be directed to areas within the country, or to specific 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 efforts should be directed, see
chapter III.
566. The initial managerial strategy should be directed to obtaining government
support and a firm commitment for sufficient funding. A lack of appreciation among
high-level government officials of the essential importance of civil registration and
vital statistics has been mentioned as one of the most important obstacles identified by
national officials in charge of civil registration and vital statistics.
567. Therefore, it is of prime importance to develop a strategic plan to outline the
critical necessity of a functioning and effective registration and the derived statistics;
to point to the deficiencies of the current systems and provide a holistic solution for
overall improvement.
568. Strategies will be required to overcome problems related to difficult geographic ter-
rain, transportation, uneven distribution of the population, literacy and deeply imbedded
cultural, social and economic patterns, that are not conducive to an efficient 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 staff, training,
essential forms and supplies, office 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 effectively. For such problems, there may be conflicting 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 significant influence that group norms
have on the actions of individuals within the community.
Resources for the communication for development programme 119
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-
specific 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
(c) Confirm objectives
(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)

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

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
• 12 months (1 year) 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. The communication for development strategy is programmed in three phases

towards achieving the intended behaviour and social change results. Strategic
approaches and specific activities for the three phases have to be detailed in the imple-
mentation workplan. The 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 firmed 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 specific channels and communication materials reviewed,
agreed and updated
• Behaviour monitoring protocol developed, piloted.
2. Phase 2 focus:
• Community engagement and social mobilization intensified
• 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
• Behaviour monitoring conducted.
3. Phase 3 focus:
• Continued pro-registration messaging through social and mass media,
community mobilization and interpersonal communication
• Efforts 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 first 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. The 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. The 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;
(c) Decide on the human resources that will be required to accomplish those
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
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
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 fill out registration forms, reporting procedures and
so on, and for financing all those aspects of training.
581. The communication for development office should be responsible for producing
some subject-specific training for special groups, including difficult-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. The 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 officially register civil events in a timely manner.
583. It is recommended that training seminars for registration officials 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 staff 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 effective.
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 office.
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;
(c) Communication for development programme for effective registration.
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 office or its equivalent may initiate an overall civil reg-
istration and vital statistics improvement programme that includes a communication
for development programme.
588. A unified 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 financial
resources permit. Efforts 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 specified time frame with the
resources available.
589. A team of experts may be organized by the communication for development
Office 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. This
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 financial cooperation with the communication for development pro-
gramme to supplement government efforts. 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 office of the registrar general (or
equivalent), the team should include persons with expertise in planning for long-term
programmes and the preparation of financial/budgetary plans.
592. The suggested time frame may be adjusted for unforeseen circumstances that
may delay the implementation of activities. The 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);
(c) The office’s first tasks should be to identify problem areas, develop objec-
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
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 effectiveness and efficiency 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. That 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
and nutrition. In addition, obtain the cooperation of regional organizations dealing

with social and economic development, human rights and sustainable development.
595. Those organizations/agencies will already have infrastructures in the country,
and their cooperation will be very valuable. They may contribute by printing com-
munication and education material, such as pamphlets, brochures and signs and get
involved in all other strategy activities.
596. The 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;
(c) Organizations serving youth may benefit from receiving materials devel-
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. They could also be a major influence in teaching about the necessity and
reasons for registration of civil/vital events, as well as the many benefits 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. I dentification and mobilization of necessary

human resources
598. Review the proposed action plans and categorize activities by assigning the best
qualified 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;
(c) Obtaining a commitment of support and cooperation from medical
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
accomplished. Where there is a task but no person(s) to do it, there would be a need to
find the appropriate person(s) and to provide the necessary training and resources to
do the job. The most difficult 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
find effective 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. The most effective 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 classified 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 office 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 office, besides having a central
office, may also have regional offices and staff 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 identifications 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. Thus, 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 flowing down to the regions, local areas and, where neces-
sary, to individual persons or specific 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.
A. Launching the programme

604. One of the first steps in the phase of implementing the communication for devel-
opment programme is establishing a date for the most effective 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 effective 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, benefits 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 sufficient time for the pro-
duction of all the required materials, training sessions of key staff, 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. Thus, the need for making
preliminary enquiries about schedules in commercial media and to make tentative
bookings.
607. When launch time is finalized, final firm 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 finalize plans to utilize free media such as
public affairs 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, influential regional/provincial/state/local
political figures 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. The 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 effectiveness. 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
Implementation of the communication for development programme 131
improvement programme, that might be a task assigned to the research and planning
officer of the communication for development office.
612. The 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 office responsible for civil registration and vital statistics systems,
such as the office of the registrar general/vital statistics office.
613. To effectively monitor the civil registration and vital statistics systems and the
specific 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 coefficients of registration of various vital events in various com-
munities targeted by the strategy.
615. That 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
figures should then be populated in a chart format, covering the previous three years,
and starting with the month of the launch, presenting figures on actual registration
on a monthly basis from each area. For delayed registrations, it is recommended to be
done separately from current registrations. The 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 offices and where transportation is difficult.
617. In order to be able to make the assessment of registration figures, civil registra-
tion management should make sure that reporting of vital records is smooth; that they
are quickly processed; and that registration figures 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 office of the registrar general.
618. The 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 deficiencies in
the registration system have been disincentives to registration
619. The 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 significant measurement. The goal is that every event
that occurs within a jurisdiction should be registered as close to the date of occur-
rence as possible. The communication for development programme should strive to
convey that message to the general population from the beginning to the end of the
implementation.
620. For example, the relevant office of the registrar general and the vital statistics
office 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-
68 Handbook on Civil Registration nance, Rev. 1.68 The communication for development office should coordinate closely
and Vital Statistics Systems: with those offices to obtain the necessary indicators to broadly assess the impact of
Management, Operation and such activities.
Maintenance, Rev. 1, 2021,
chap. IV. 621. For example, to compile a population estimate, population figures 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 office. There may be 40 births and 12 deaths
per 1,000 population, giving a rate of natural increase of about 28 per 1,000. That fig-
ure may be revised after applying the national age-specific fertility rates in the female
population of childbearing age. The 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. Those 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 effective 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
effort 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 effectiveness 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. That 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. There 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-
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 efficacy 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 specifically 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 final outcome or
impact of interventions. Instead, indicators act as “progress markers”.69 They help 69
Behaviour Change Communica-
determine whether behaviour and social change is taking place, as well as the direction in Emergencies: A UNICEF
tionality of the change. It is that information that will determine whether or not the Toolkit. 2006.
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. Then, 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 staff, 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.
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 Number of caregivers who can cite one benefit of timely registration
registration. of vital events
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
Complete vital events registration Number of registered vital events
within one month from the occurrence 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 financial 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 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.
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 find it difficult to
allocate adequate resources to set communication monitoring mechanisms in place,
whether they are qualitatively or quantitatively oriented. The following recognized
qualitative methodologies could be introduced:
• Most significant 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, after reports
on registration for the first 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 after major evaluations.
641. The recommendations for revision/adjustment of the communication for devel-
opment strategy will be considered at once by the communication for development
office established for that purpose. All approved revisions/adjustments should be
implemented as quickly as possible in order to make the strategy as cost-effective and
efficient as possible. The 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.
That information allows for the effective scientific 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 benefits from civil registration, vital statistics and identity man-
agement systems management should make every effort to properly organize, operate
and maintain them. For countries that have not yet attained high levels of internation-
ally accepted standards of efficiency in their systems. the present chapter provides sev-
eral recommendations. They are based on the goal that from 5 to 10 years (depending
on the size of the country) after 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 effective and efficient civil regis-
tration/vital statistics/identity management systems. There 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 deficiencies 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 benefits of effective registration
systems, both socially and economically
– Take all steps necessary to obtain the approval of government officials,
the head of State and other elected officials, for a long-term civil registra-
tion, vital statistics and identity management improvement programme
and a definite 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;
(c) The importance of the development of integrated systems be strongly

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
– The administrative, organizational, operational, management proce-
dures and maintenance aspects of improved civil registration vital sta-
tistics systems
– The computerization of civil registration and vital statistics systems and
other modern technologies
– A communication for development programme for effective 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
Recommendations for strengthening national civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems 139
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
register births, fetal and other deaths, marriages and divorces;
(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;
(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
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;
• After the death of a loved one, people should mourn and not seek to obtain
documents;
• Children need the birth certificate to go to school, but it can be obtained later
– there is time;
• Everyone receives a birth notification 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
Annex 1 Analysis of determinants of non-registration in Guinea: 143
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
register the birth of their children because they are unwilling to pay. In that way, many
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.
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.
The following information gaps were identified:

• People working in civil registration centres (often 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;
• The general population does not receive any information on the need to reg-
ister vital events. When they receive the birth notification, 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 confirmed that they did not really know that a death
and marriage certificate 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.
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 after his death; let him rest in peace;
• Applying for a death certificate is a painful process for relatives of the deceased;
• There is no need for such a certificate, 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;
• There is no obligation to bury in a specific 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 different partners?
• How will the plan be funded, implemented, monitored, documented and
reported?
• How will the monitoring results be used in the different 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:
• Specific in terms of an issue (e.g., behaviour, skill, knowledge, attitudes), of a
specific group and of the geographical location;
* Behaviour Change Communication in Emergencies. A UNICEF Toolkit, 2006.

Annex 2 Steps in developing a communication strategy 149
• 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
identified 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 specific 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 verification), 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 different
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 efforts;
• 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-
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
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 Presentation
vital statistics improvement programme
11.00 – 11.20 Coffee break
11.20 – 11.50 Presentation of theoretical approach to communication for development Presentation
Discussion 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 Exercise
implemented in the country
Relevant participants/stakeholders should be involved in this exercise
12.40 – 13.00 SWOT and causal analysis Plenary presentation
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 – 15.00 Group work: Exercise
Group 1. Causal analysis
Group 2. SWOT analysis
15.00 – 16.00 Presentation and validation of group work Discussion
Validation
16.20 – 16.50 Presentation on setting goals and objectives Presentation
Plenary discussion: Identification of objectives for the Plenary discussion
communication for development strategy
16.50 – 17.30 Group work: Results and indicators for the communication for development Exercise
strategy based on SMART principles, sources of verification.
17.30 – 18.15 Presentation of group work, discussion and validation Plenary discussion
18.15 – 18.30 Conclusions
DAY 2
and tools
9.00 – 9.15 Report day 1 Presentation
9.15 – 9.30 Theoretical approach: identification of participants and Presentation
circle of influence.
9.30 – 10.30 Plenary: Identification of participants groups at the Plenary discussion
micro level (individual, family, community) Exercise
Handbook on civil registration, vital statistics and identity management systems: communication for development
10.30 – 11.30 Group work: Participant analysis at the micro level (individual, family Exercise
community) – behaviours, barriers, social norms
DAY 2 (continued)
and tools
11.50 – 13.00 Group work: Participant analysis at the micro level (individual, family, Exercise
community) – behaviours, barriers, social norms
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 Exercise
and barriers.
16.20 – 17.00 Group work: Meso and macro levels – identification of participants Exercise
and barriers (contd.)
DAY 3
and tools
9.00 – 9.15 Report day 2
9.15 – 9.45 Theoretical presentation: Messages and arguments Plenary presentation
Discussion 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, Group work
existing behaviours, desired behaviour, messages, arguments
11.50 – 13.00 Group work: Micro level – for each objective, identify participants, Group work
existing behaviours, desired behaviour, messages, arguments
Annex 3 Sample agenda for the workshop on situational analysis and communication
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch

15.00 – 16.00 Group work: Intermediary (meso) and national (macro) levels – Group work
determine messages, arguments for social change and advocacy
16.20 – 17.00 Group work: Intermediary (meso) and national (macro) levels – Group work
determine messages, arguments for social change and advocacy (contd.)
153
154
DAY 4
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 Group work
level; group activities by category: behaviour change, social change, commu-
nity mobilization media, advocacy
11.50 – 13.00 Development of implementation plan for 3 categories of participants at micro Group work
level; group activities by category: behaviour change, social change, commu-
nity mobilization media, advocacy
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch
15.30 – 15.45 Reminder: Participants at meso (intermediary) and macro (national) Presentation
levels – instructions for group work
15.45 – 16.30 Development of implementation plan for participants at meso and macro Group work
levels; group activities by category: social change, capacity-building, advocacy
16.50 – 17.30 Development of implementation plan for participants at meso and macro Group work
levels; group activities by category: social change, capacity-building, advocacy
DAY 5
and tools
9.00 – 9.15 Report day 4
9.15 – 11.00 Identification of responsible organizations for each intervention in Plenary discussion
the implementation plan
11.20 – 12.00 Identification of responsible organizations for each intervention in Plenary discussion
the implementation plan
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 National/
level 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
What is the desired behaviour for each participant

group?
Behaviour determinants: advantages and barriers

What are the main advantages/interests for this

group to adopt the desirable behaviour?
What are the barriers to adopt the desirable behaviour?
157
Annex 6
Identification of messages and arguments*
Primary Secondary Tertiary Intermediary National/

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
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

Secondary participants

Tertiary participants

Participants at the intermediary level

Participants at the national/regional levels
159
Annex 8
Generic pre-testing questions for various
prototypes of communication materials*
* 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
Radio and television spots Films and videos Posters Pamphlets/booklets

(Sample size: 10–20 people) (Sample size: 10–20 people) (Sample size: 10–20 people) (Sample size: 10–20 people)
Please tell me in your own words what the Depending on the nature of the content, ask one First, I would like to show you this [image, photo- If you are developing a pamphlet/booklet,
spot said. or both of the following questions: graph] that we wish to use in a poster. Please tell follow some of these procedures:
me what you see?
A. What do you think the message of the film/ (Probe: What feelings does it evoke; what is it Our organization is developing a pamphlet/
video is? What do you think the film/video was telling you?) booklet on ____________ for your community.
trying to tell you? We would like to seek your advice on the cover.
Here are three designs [show designs A, B, C].
B. W
hat do you think was the main reason this
Which one do you like best, and why?
film/video was made?
• To entertain people?
Did you feel that the spot was asking you to do • To inform people about something? Now I would like to show you the poster. Please Which colour do you like best for the cover?
something in particular? • To persuade people to do something? tell me, in your own words, what is the message [Show choices A, B, C]
Y, N, DK; If yes, what? of this poster? (Probe: What it is telling you?)
Did the spot say anything you don’t believe to In general, do you think it is a good idea to have a If the people interviewed cannot read: Please These are the titles we are considering: [show
be true? film/video on _________ ? looking at this poster and tell me what you think choices A, B, C] Which do you like the best?
Y, N, DK; If yes, what was not true? What is good or bad about it? it is telling you?
Did the spot say anything that might bother Did the film/video say anything that might Do you feel that the poster is asking you to do Here are the images/photographs/drawings
or offend people who live in __________? bother or offend people who live in ________? something in particular? we are thinking of using [show some]. In your
Y, N, DK; If yes, what? Y, N, DK; If yes, what? Y, N, DK; If yes, what? opinion, what are they saying?
Do you think this spot is intended for someone Do you think this film/video is intended for some- Is the poster saying anything that you don’t If the people/person interviewed do/does not
like yourself or is it for other people? one like yourself or is it for other people? believe to be true? understand the images, tell them: We hope that
(a) Like myself; (b) Others; (c) DK; (a) Like myself; (b) Others; (c) DK; Y, N, DK; If yes, what is not true? these images are show _________.
if “others”, why? if “others”, why? How can we improve them so that they to do
that?
Was there anything you liked very much about Was there anything you liked very much about Is there anything in the poster that might bother If you are testing a completed pamphlet, use
the spot? the film/video? or offend people who live in _________? the following questions:
Y, N, DK; If yes, what? Y, N, DK; If yes, what? Y, N, DK; If yes, what?
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.
Radio and television spots Films and videos Posters Pamphlets/booklets
(Sample size: 10–20 people) (Sample size: 10–20 people) (Sample size: 10–20 people) (Sample size: 10–20 people)
Was there anything you didn’t like? Was there anything you didn’t like about the If the poster contains images of people, ask: Do I will read each text underlined in red and ask you
Y, N, DK; If yes, what? film/video? the people you see in the poster remind you of to tell me, in your own words, what message are
Y, N, DK; If yes, what? yourself or your friends or do they look quite dif- they conveying:
ferent from you or your friends? [Go over each text underlined in red]
• Like him/her and friends
• Different from him/her and friends
• Don’t know
If different, in what way?
Compared to other spots on the radio/television Do you think this film/video should be shown to Is there anything in particular that you like very What do you think the pamphlet is saying or ask-
these days, how would you rate this spot: other people like yourselves, or would it be bet- much about this poster? ing people to do?
• Excellent ter to show a different film/video instead? Y, N, DK; If yes, what;
• Good Is there anything in the pamphlet that you do
• Fair NOT believe is true?
• Poor Y, N, DK; If yes, what ?
• Don’t know 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 Is there anything you don’t like about the poster? Do the people in the images remind you of your-
the intended message? Y, N, DK; If yes, what? 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 Is there anything you particularly like about the
sends the intended message? pamphlet?
Is there anything you don’t like about the
pamphlet?
Annex 8 Generic pre-testing questions for various prototypes of communication materials
161
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
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 office
• Assistant director of the communication for development office
• Research and planning officer
• Secretary
• Others, including members of the subcommittee
2. Operating expenses:

• Office space
• Office furniture
• Office 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 officials/groups/stakeholders
• Registration staff at the local level
• General public
• Education officials
• 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.
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

168
Timeline Tools/ Budget Cost

Implementation Expected
Activity Task Implementer Channels support details estimate
modality output
materials (US$) (US$)
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
modality 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
Description
expenditure
Annex 12 Communication for development: costed implementation plan

9. Consultants/contractors

for technical support

10. Contractors for
production and
distributions

169
170

modality 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.
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;
• Effectiveness 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-
tificates at the point of delivery, as opposed to the current practice where only
birth notifications 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.
Annex 13 Successful practices in Kenya 173
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
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.
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
Annex 14 Communication for behavioural impactin Kenya 177
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.
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
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Handbook on

Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Studies in Methods Series F No. 121

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

2. Ensuring government ownership and commitment of sufficient

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

Why communication for development

The Handbook outlines the elements of an effective communication for development

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

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

– Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

United Nations Legal Identity Expert Group

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

Live birth Health services

Judical Population Register

1. Communication for development

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

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

vital statistics and identity management communication for development program-

3. S teps for developing and implementing a strategic

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

subgroups of population needing medical, health and nutrition programmes, family

Role in civil registration, vital statistics and identity management

(i) Development of a comprehensive media campaign, using all media

B. S tructure of the communication for

162. Coordination and establishment of communication for development inter-

C. I nter-agency committee and communication

170. Additionally, subcommittees with specialized functions could be considered

171. Strong coordination is a precondition for the communication for development

173. The composition of the communication for development subcommittee needs

D. S etting priorities and identifying the goals and

1. Identification problem areas and setting priorities

186. Thus, the following main issues may be identified:

2. Developing the main goals and objectives of the

201. Various types of objectives could be considered, for example:

(h) To improve the accessibility of registration facilities to the public;

1. Formulation of the preliminary national communication

2. Ensuring government ownership and commitment of

however there may be particular situations in which a campaign is not

221. The communication for development programme requires a high degree of

222. If an advertising agency is to be involved in the media campaign, then neces-

3. Development of the communication for development

B. The planning process

and the recommendations. A template agenda for the planning workshop

1. Steps to be taken in planning the formative research

Steps for a formative research plan

2. Methods for data collection

(b) Literature review/meta-analysis of relevant researches focused fully or

3. Analysis of causes and determinants

278. Communication for development is one of the key components of an over-

46 See Global Communication Table 2

283. Some examples of determinants collected in Burkina Faso during a focus

Categories Determinants Description

Commodities and info

285. In general, it should be emphasized that the greatest barrier to registration is

tiation and strategic partnerships; development of strategies; implementation of com-

mining the participants in the communication for development plan. As discussed

communication for development programmes. The categories of the largest target

3. S teps for developing and implementing a strategic

B. S tructure of the communication for

C. I nter-agency committee and communication

D. S etting priorities and identifying the goals and

D. I dentification and mobilization of necessary