Page 192 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 4

STS579 Nazaria Baharudin et al.
Keywords
CRVS, SDGs, DOSM, Decade.

1. Introduction and Background
1.1 Introduction
Malaysia plays a vital role in realising the vision of the Decade: that by
2024, all people in Asia and the Pacific will benefit from universal and
responsive CRVS systems which has been declared during Ministerial
Conference on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific from 24 to 28 November 2014 in
Bangkok, Thailand.
CRVS is defined as the "continuous, permanent, compulsory and universal
recording and production of vital statistics on the occurrence and
characteristics of vital events in accordance with national laws, rules,
regulations and policies including births, deaths, foetal deaths, marriages,
divorces, adoptions, legitimating and recognitions" (UNSD 2014).

1.2 Background
Civil registration was first made mandatory by law in three (3) Straits
Settlement states of Singapore, Penang and Malacca in the late 1860s.
Cognizant of the importance of CRVS to the SDGs and well-being of the
Nation and its people, the Government of Malaysia has embarked on
continuous improvement and restructuring of CRVS.
The administration of CRVS remains a requisite and central priority for
good governance, thus the relevant structure and systems are consistently
reviewed and enhanced through the years when manual records were
maintained and to the present use of ICT to record all significant events of
individuals throughout the country.
Since then, the administration of CRVS in Malaysia has evolved into an
extensive framework and network based on structured and extensive legal and
functional coordination between all government agencies relevant to CRVS.
Since the enactment of the Ordinance on Registration of Births and Deaths
in 1869 in the Straits Settlement, various legal structures have been put in
place to enable structured and systematic civil registrations to this date.
Currently, Malaysia has more than 20 legal instruments to legislate and
facilitate CRVS in Malaysia, and Malaysia is in the midst of amending some of
these laws to address changes and challenges as a result of globalization and
mobilization.
The National Registration Department (NRD) is responsible for the
registration of vital event that is birth, death, marriage and divorce of Non-
Muslim. Muslim marriages are under the purview of the respective state
religious department as well as two federal agencies namely Department of
Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and Department of Syariah Judiciary

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