The two-day International Forum "Population Censuses: Challenges and Opportunities", organised by the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Interstate Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the United Nations Population Fund for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (UNFPA EECCA), started today in the Republic of Kazakhstan (Almaty).
During the forum, more than 140 participants, including government representatives, national statistical offices and experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and international organisations, will share practical experience in conducting the 2020 round of population censuses, disseminating the results, and applying them to census planning for the 2030 round.
Belarus is represented at the International Forum by Inna Medvedeva, Chairperson of the National Statistical Committee, Zhanna Vasilevskaya, Deputy Chairperson, Irina Bichan, Head of the Main Department of Demographic Statistics and Population Census of Belstat, and Tatiana Tishurova, Head of the Women's Health Department of the Republican Clinical Medical Centre of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus.
The Republic of Belarus was the first CIS country to conduct the 2019 census electronically. Due to the international community's interest in studying the Belarusian experience, the organisers of the event approached the Chairperson of the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus with a proposal to moderate one of the sessions of the International Forum on "Using Population Census Data: Development of Effective Policies and Forecasts of Socio-Economic Development of Countries. Population census for the business community".
Opening the session, Inna Medvedeva noted that today the population census is the main source for the formation of statistical information concerning the number and structure of the population, its distribution over the territory in combination with socio-economic characteristics, national and linguistic composition, educational level in order to determine the prospects of socio-economic development of the country. This applies both to issues of economic development in terms of the location and mobility of labour resources, and the solution of many other social problems, including the allocation of financial resources for pensions, health care, education, housing construction, schools, hospitals, kindergardens, and the development of transport infrastructure.
Addressing the participants of the Forum, Inna Medvedeva emphasised that within the framework of this session statisticians as producers are given a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the practical application of census data by academia, politicians, managers, representatives of the business community, to hear the users' opinion, their assessment and wishes regarding future censuses.
The session paid special attention to the use of population census results as an information base for socio-economic analysis and forecasting, construction of demographic projections and development of social policy.
The Forum will conclude its work on 23 May 2023.
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