Census technical committee workshop kicks off in Rumbek
By: Manyang Mayom
July 28, 2007 (RUMBEK) — The Governor of lakes State H.E. Lt. General Daniel Awet Akot inaugurated a three day workshop for the census committee in Palm tree hotel in Rumbek, South Sudan.
Mr. Isaiah Chol Aruai the chairman of workshop told Sudan Tribune that the census in Southern Sudan is proceeding satisfactorily given the difficult conditions faced by the census staff.
The fifth Sudan Population and Housing Census is a joint project sponsored by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) and the Southern Sudan Commission for Census, Statistics and Evaluation (SSCCSE).
In addition, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) provides the technical support for the implementation of the census programme.
Under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the census is a national requirement that will determine power sharing and the distribution of resources.
The CPA mandates that the census should be undertaken in all of Sudan at the same time using the same methodology, procedures, definitions, and concepts.
The census Technical Working Groups (TWG) was established in 2005 consisting of representatives from both CBS and SSCCSE, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as well as some ministries from both North and South.
The TWG is chaired by the Director General of CBS, with the SSCCSE chairman as his deputy. Since its formation, a series of meetings were held in Kenya and various cities in Sudan.
The TWG meetings have provided the platform for formulating and resolving all census technical issues for the preparation and implementation of the census.
Through the TWG, all the census tools have been developed. These include, among others, a work plan, mapping strategy and production of enumeration area maps, advocacy and publicity strategy, questionnaires and their relevant manuals.
The TWG was heavily involved in the preparation and implementation of the pilot census which took place in April 2007. The experience gained from undertaking this pilot census and results have been used to revise and refine the census tools.
However the TWG does not make final decisions for the implementation of the census programme. The final decisions are to be made by the population census Council, after receiving recommendations and advice from the TWG.
Last week Andrew Natsios, the special envoy of U.S. President George W. Bush accused the Sudanese government of delaying the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the 21-year North-South civil war.
Natsios said Khartoum is not implementing the elections and the census provisions of the CPA. Under the CPA the census is a prerequisite for nationwide elections planned for 2009 and an eventual referendum on self-determination in 2011.
However continuing logistical and political complications will most likely delay the completion of census preparations which were to be completed by November 14.
(ST)