Experts at a national webinar on Saturday warned that Bangladesh’s low rate of birth and death registration is creating major barriers to protecting citizen rights and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), urging immediate legal reforms and stronger implementation measures.

The webinar, titled “Strong Registration System for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: Bangladesh Perspective,” was organized by PROGGA with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator.

Speakers emphasized that universal birth and death registration is not only a legal necessity but also a crucial foundation for ensuring access to healthcare, education, social protection and gender equality.

They noted that SDG Target 16.9 specifically calls for legal identity for all citizens, including birth registration, while SDG Target 1.3 links registration to access to government social safety net programs.

The webinar highlighted that birth and death registration also play a vital role in monitoring maternal and child mortality, combating non-communicable diseases and strengthening disease surveillance systems.

Accurate records are essential for effective healthcare planning and emergency response services.

Experts expressed concern that Bangladesh’s current registration rates remain alarmingly low. According to data presented during the discussion, only 50 percent of births and 47 percent of deaths are officially registered, significantly below both regional and global averages.

Although nearly 67 percent of children are born in healthcare facilities, responsibility for registration still rests primarily with families rather than hospitals or clinics.

Participants argued that the absence of a mandatory registration process within healthcare facilities leaves millions of citizens outside official state records.

They warned that weak vital statistics systems are undermining policy planning in the health sector and slowing progress toward achieving the SDGs.

Md. Nazrul Islam, Country Coordinator of Vital Strategies, said strengthening coordination among relevant ministries and the Local Government Division is essential to improving implementation and supporting SDG achievement.

Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead of GHAI, stressed the need to amend the Birth and Death Registration Act, 2004.

He said shifting legal responsibility for registration from individuals to healthcare facilities could ensure universal registration coverage and accelerate SDG progress.

Partha Shankar Saha, Assistant News Editor at Prothom Alo, said leaving half the population outside the registration system poses a serious challenge to national development goals.

He also underscored the media’s responsibility to highlight legal loopholes and push policymakers toward reform.

Journalists, civil society representatives and policy experts attended the webinar, which was presided over by PROGGA Executive Director ABM Zubair and moderated by Coordinator Mashiat Abedin, who presented the keynote paper.

—