Vital Strategies

04/21/2026

Kicked off the 2026 Skoll World Forum with breakfast, bringing together leaders at the intersection of AI and public health.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed such thoughtful perspectives, experiences and ideas. The conversation reinforced both the enormous potential of AI to strengthen public health systems and the importance of addressing the operational and implementation challenges that come with it.

We're grateful for the meaningful dialogue and commitment to collaboration. Together, we can strengthen the foundations that will support impactful AI.

04/17/2026

After rigorous efforts to assess its CRVS system, Bangladesh has released the Assessment, Analysis and Redesign (AAR) Report of the CRVS System, along with a policy brief, under the leadership of the Cabinet Division, in partnership with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative.

We were pleased to have our Technical Director (CRVS), Martin Bratschi from Vital Strategies, present in person at the official release of the report and policy brief alongside government stakeholders and development partners.

This report reflects a comprehensive review of Bangladesh’s CRVS system, highlighting significant progress, persistent challenges and actionable recommendations to strengthen the registration of births and deaths. Strengthening CRVS is fundamental to ensuring legal identity for all and generating reliable data for informed policy decisions. Importantly, the findings of this report lay a strong foundation for the development of a Strategic and Action Plan (S&AP) to further strengthen the CRVS system in Bangladesh.

Special thanks to the CRVS Implementation and Core Committee, Technical Working Group, ORG, DGHS, BBS, civil society organization, and representatives from various ministries for their guidance and collaboration. We also deeply appreciate the contributions of field-level staffs and stakeholders whose insights shaped practical and context-relevant recommendations.

Gratitude is also extended to Global Health Advocacy Incubator, UNFPA, UNICEF, Johns Hopkins University Gender Equity Unit, United Nations Development Programme - UNDP, and the British Council (E- Governance Project) for their valuable feedback in strengthening this report.

📘 Full CRVS AAR Report:https://www.vitalstrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/AAR-CRVS-Bangladesh-Full-Report-2026.pdf

📗 The AAR Policy brief: https://www.vitalstrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/CRVS-Bangladesh-Policy-Brief-2026.pdf

📑 To learn more about the CRVS Systems Improvement Framework, visit:
https://www.vitalstrategies.org/resources/crvs-systems-improvement-

04/17/2026

We had a productive few days in Mexico with Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative partners and local allies, focused on two things: emerging ni****ne products and to***co taxes.

63,000 people in Mexico die from to***co every year. Both of these policy levers can bring that number down, and both are moving in the right direction now.

We left ready to take action on next steps and continue our to***co control work together.

***coTax

04/16/2026

“We chose people over traffic. We chose health over harmful habits. We decided that public space belongs to families, children, elders, visitors, and vendors, not to engines and smoke," writes Dor Samphors, Deputy Director of Administration, Phnom Penh Capital Administration, in a new op-ed published in Fresh News.

In Phnom Penh, that vision has taken shape through the creation of the Smoke-Free, Car-Free Chaktomuk Walk Street—a stretch along the city’s main riverfront that is closed to traffic every weekend, giving residents space to walk, gather, and enjoy a cleaner, safer environment.

By pairing car-free design with smoke-free policies, the city is reshaping how public space is used—reducing exposure to traffic and to***co while creating a more welcoming environment for families and communities.

Through the Partnership for Healthy Cities, Phnom Penh is part of a global network of more than 70 cities working to implement policies that protect health and save lives.

Read the op-ed: https://vitalstrat.org/4sBlWla

រដ្ឋបាលរាជធានីភ្នំពេញ

04/16/2026

Proud to have been a co-organizer of the 2026 CRVS Research Forum with United Nations ESCAP and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, a major research, information sharing, and capacity-building opportunity for those in the field of civil registration and vital statistics.

Our team led conversations on the importance of strengthening and the use of this foundational data for policymaking.

Meera Gurumurthy provided welcoming remarks and moderated a panel on community cause of death, Subhashree Dash moderated two panels on birth registration and Chen Lei moderated panels on mortality coding and on climate change and mortality.

Congratulations to our presenters:
📊 Eriando Rizky Septian: “Towards a connected CRVS ecosystem: Mapping the landscape of emerging interoperability systems in Indonesia”
📊 Sengo Milton: “Integration of SISCOVE and CRVS in Mozambique: A strategy to expand the coverage and quality of vital registration”
📊 Chau Hoang: “Improving community cause of death data in Viet Nam: A proof of concept”
📊 Jane Mworia: “Effectiveness of community health workforce in improving mortality reporting in Kakamega County, Kenya”
📊 Hong Tran: “Evaluating Viet Nam’s CR-Health link pilot toward broader implementation”
📊 Valens Ndagijimana Kagisha: “How prepared Is Rwanda’s CRVS system to generate data for SDG 16.9?”

Read more about : https://dataforhealth.bloomberg.org/

04/16/2026

APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED!

Learn more about lead poisoning and help tell the story behind a global health crisis.

As part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Lead Poisoning Prevention Initiative, Vital Strategies is hosting a journalist training on lead poisoning prevention in Ghana (May 19–21, 2026), bringing together journalists, reporters and content creators to turn data into powerful public health stories.

Participants will:
• Learn how to interpret and use lead exposure data
• Explore real-world sources of lead contamination
• Develop story ideas into publishable pieces

This training is free of cost, and all expenses (including stay and travel) will be covered.

🗓️ Apply by April 19
📍 Koforidua, Ghana

Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/eZpDGWEY

04/14/2026

Effective to***co control not only depends on strong laws but how strongly those laws are implemented through systems, coordination and accountability.

That’s where the To***co Control Law Enforcement Assessment Tool comes in.

Designed for use in India, the Tool helps states evaluate how effectively to***co control laws are being implemented, looking at everything from leadership and coordination to funding, staffing, and on-the-ground enforcement systems.

By bringing these elements together in one framework, the Tool offers a practical way for states to identify what strengths, critical gaps and what actions to prioritize next for stronger enforcement and improves public health protection.

Click here to read more and to view the Tool: https://www.tcimplementationhub.org/implementation-hub/resource-library/to***co-control-law-enforcement-assessment-tool-india

04/14/2026

Are you attending the 2026 Skoll World Forum?

Join us for an event hosted by Pure Earth to learn about the major sources of lead exposure and efforts underway to solve this public health crisis.

🗓️ Date: April 22
🕓 Time: 3:00pm GMT
📍 Location: Frewin Court, Oxford, UK

Register here: https://luma.com/y0y5eily

04/13/2026

We always talk about how air pollution affects children’s health. Vital Strategies worked with partners in Jakarta, Universitas Padjadjaran, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Health Agency, and the DKI Jakarta Provincial Education Agency, with support from Breathe Cities, to enable elementary school children to become citizen scientists and advocate for clean air in their communities.

Students carried air sensors for 24 hours, and what they measured revealed what they are actually breathing.

Watch the video to see Vice President, Environmental, Climate and Urban Health Sumi Mehta’s reaction to this project.

04/13/2026

To***co Vendor Licensing (TVL) is a powerful policy tool to reduce the accessibility and availability of to***co and strengthen enforcement of to***co control laws.

But implementation isn’t easy and vendor education is often undermined by to***co industry interference.

This myth-busting video equips governments to counter common industry narratives, while helping vendors understand how stronger licensing can curb point-of-sale advertising and indirect marketing tactics that drive youth initiation, while highlighting the benefits of licensing to vendors.

Watch:

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

04/13/2026

DID YOU KNOW: Distributing fentanyl test strips in the Emergency Department can be part of best practices for medical professional who want to help reduce instances of fatal overdoses in their communities.

Two physicians and a nurse from Jefferson Health share why they distribute fentanyl test strips and some best practices they’ve learned along the way.

Two physicians and a nurse from Jefferson Health talking about why they distribute fentanyl test strips and some best practices they've learned along the way. We hope that other clinical settings can incorporate fentanyl test strips into care for patien...

04/10/2026

Attending the World Health Assembly? Join the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative on Wednesday, May 20 for a timely discussion with high-level experts on how they communicate the importance of mortality data to political and financial decision-makers beyond the health sector.

🗓️ May 20, 2026
🕗 8:00am CEST (Breakfast provided)
📍 World Health Assembly, Geneva

Registration is required and space is limited.

RSVP here:
↪️ https://vitalstrat.org/41mmEb4