Dhaka, Aug. 25 -- It is crucial to strengthen and update existing law to ensure universal birth and death registration in Bangladesh. As an active participant in the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Decade initiative announced by UNESCAP, the Government of Bangladesh has pledged to achieve 100 per cent birth and death registration by 2030. Additionally, SDG target 16.9 prioritizes providing legal identity for everyone, including birth registration. Legally assigning the responsibility of registration to hospital authorities could help Bangladesh achieve these targets.

These issues were highlighted by discussants at the two-day journalists' workshop titled "Birth and Death Registration in Bangladesh: Progress, Challenges and...