A plan to improve civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) in Somalia was endorsed at the highest level in all relevant sectors in the country. The plan is the outcome of a comprehensive assessment workshop for civil registration which took place in Garowe on 23-26 February 2015. The workshop was inaugurated by H.E. Dr Sadiq Ahmad Enow, Minister of Health and closed by Dr Enow along with Mr Ismail Warsame, Minister of Justice, and Mr Mohamed Ali Farahi, Director General, Ministry of Interior. The event was covered by Somali television and all 3 ministers expressed in their closing remarks the commitment of Somalia for the implementation of the CRVS improvement plan.

The workshop included 46 participants from multiple sectors, of 2 out of the 3 Somalia zones (northeast and southcentral zone). Representation included sectors such as Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Ministy of Interior, Ministry of Security, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Religeous Affairs and Awqaf and Ministry of Health. This is in addition to representation from UNFPA, and several nongovernmental organizations operating in the health and human rights domain.

The recommendations for Somalia included the formation of high level steering committee for CRVS establishment, development of a civil registration act in Somalia, establishment of a national civil registration authority and infrastructure, mobile campaigns to provide birth certificates to the general population and mandatory birth, death and cause-of-death notification from all health facilities (public, private and NGOs) using mobile phone technology. WHO was requested to assist Somalia in securing funding for the implementation of the CRVS improvement plan and to lead and coordinate the CRVS improvement activities. This is in addition to providing capacity-building and teaching material for physicians on certification of deaths and capacity-building on verbal autopsy for lay reporting of causes of death.