The expert group meeting on death registration systems and mortality statistics in the Arab region was organized in support of a study under preparation by the Statistics Division of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), in partnership with the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean of the World Health Organization (WHO-EMRO). The study focuses on death registration systems and their associated mortality statistics in the Arab region. It aims to provide an overview of the current status of death registration systems in the region and present a demographic assessment of the completeness and quality of death registration data in selected Arab States.