The 8th Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development (APFSD) is taking place next week between 23 - 26 March 2021 with the theme of Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia and the Pacific".

The 8th APFSD is an annual and inclusive intergovernmental forum and regional platform for supporting countries, in particular those with special needs, in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG), while also serving as a regional preparatory meeting to the High-Level Political Forum.

And this 8th APFSD provides a particularly exciting opportunity for members of the Asia-Pacific CRVS Community to engage regional development stakeholders in their respective spaces and showcase the important role CRVS systems play in enabling them to reach development milestones. 

First, on 25 March from 12:15 - 13:45 (Bangkok time), the Registrar-General of New Zealand, in conjunction with the Regional Steering Group for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific and ESCAP, will host a side event entitled Invisibility in COVID-19 Times, Mid-term and Mid-crisis: Are we getting every one in the picture through civil registration. The side event will focus on disparities in coverage of hard-to-reach and marginalized populations while also making the case for why individuals need legal identity credentials to access healthcare (including vaccinations), education, economic opportunities, and representation. 

This event will be moderated by Jeff Montgomery from New Zealand. Speakers include:

• Kamni Naidu, Administrator-General, Ministry of Justice, Republic of Fiji
• Mohammed Shahidul Islam, Deputy Secretary, Cabinet Division, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka
• Benuel Lenge, Director, Department of Civil Registry and Vital Statistics, Vanuatu
• Nazaria binti Baharudin, Deputy Chief Statistician, Technical Development and Social Office, Department of Statistics Malaysia

Please register here

Additionally, on 24 March from 10:00 - 12:00 (Bangkok time), a SDG Roundtable will be discussing the importance of SDG 16 - Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions in enabling countries to achieve the 2030 Agenda. To register for this event please complete the registration form here.

Finally, the schedule for many other Side Events and Roundtables relevant to the CRVS community can be found here on the APFSD website.