YANGON, Myanmar—The Ministry of Immigration and Population and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, today jointly launched Myanmar’s 2014 Population and Housing Census Project Document, a roadmap for preparing and implementing census operations across the country.
The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Immigration and Population, the United Nations agencies, the diplomatic community and donors.
U Khin Yi, Union Minister for the Ministry of Immigration and Population, gave the opening statement, highlighting the Government’s strong commitment to conducting the census in line with international standards by ensuring confidentiality of personal data, full participation of all groups and individuals in the country, and adherence to UN Global Standards on Census Taking.
The minister stated that challenges ahead can only be overcome with the mutual commitment of the Government and international partners: “Though we have developed a clear road map to conduct the census, there is a need for adequate and timely resources to operationalize the road map. We need the support of development partners, civil society, public and private sector as well as international organizations.”
The census comes at a critical time for Myanmar, as the country embarks on political and economic reform. UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Ashok Nigam noted that the census represents the biggest and the only source of information on the size and distribution of the population in the country.
He said, “the census helps us give a voice to the country’s remarkable ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity, and plan and deliver services, in particular to the poorest and most vulnerable.”
Preparations for the census have been underway since 2012. The Department of Population has been leading efforts in the areas of making Enumeration Area Maps, designing the census questionnaire, developing a communication and publicity plan, and setting up information technology infrastructure.
“UNFPA, based on its long-standing experience, has been tasked to provide technical support, establish monitoring, oversight and quality control mechanisms to ensure adherence to international standards in census taking, and assist the Government in resource mobilization,” said Mohamed Abdel-Ahad, UNFPA Representative in Myanmar.
Mr. Abdel-Ahad underscored the importance of mutual commitment of the Government and the international development partners, for the success of the census. He highlighted that the Government and UNFPA together have committed $20 million towards the estimated $58.5 million cost of the census, leaving a funding gap of $38.5 million.
The discussion that followed brought up concerns about the Government’s capacity to undertake such a complex exercise, as the country has not had a census for 30 years. Nonetheless, Mary Callahan, associate professor at the University of Washington, presented preliminary findings from a risk assessment study for the census, which provided evidence of the ministry’s strong motivation, combined with a historic openness to collaborate with all stakeholders and the international community.
As the Minister stated: “I am sure that there will be some challenges due to a lack of experience and public awareness, left-behind technology and a lack of financial resources,” Minister U Khin Yi stated. “However, conducting the census is our own national interest. We will have to overcome all the risks and difficulties with our strong political commitment.”
For information, please contact :
U Myint Kyaing, Director General, Department of Population, Ministry of Immigration and Population, tel. 067 431 062; or
Mohamed Abdel-Ahad, UNFPA Representative, ahad@unfpa.org, tel. +95 1 546 309
