C A R I B B E A N                  C O M M U N I T Y              S E C R E T A R I A T

THIRTY- FIRST MEETING OF                                                     

THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF

CARIBBEAN STATISTICIANS                                                     SCCS/2006/31/8

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad                                                                                          

6-8 November 2006                                                                        19 October 2006

BRIEFING ON THE STRATEGY FOR THE 2010 ROUND

OF POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUSES

I.                    Introduction

For this brief presentation, reference is made to Paper RCCC/2005/13/3 entitled An Overview of the Regional Strategy for the 2000 Round of Population and Housing Censuses and Plans for the 2010 Round of Censuses in the Region presented at the Thirteenth Meeting of the Regional Census Coordinating Committee (RCCC) which was held in Kingston, Jamaica on 24-25 October 2005.  In this Paper, it was reported that for the 2010 Round of Population Censuses in the Region, it is expected that the model used in the 1990 and 2000 Round, with appropriate modifications will again be used.  In this Paper under reference, it was also reported that the process will be guided by a comprehensive strategy that will be developed.  It was proposed to hire a consultant to prepare an outline of this strategy which would then be further developed and be made  available by early 2006.

II.                  Consultant’s Report

The Secretariat would like to report that the Consultant, Mr. Sam Suharto, former Chief of the Demographic and Social Statistics Section of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) was hired and completed a very comprehensive report.  This Report was circulated and will be more thoroughly discussed in the Fourteenth Meeting of the Regional Census Coordinating Committee (RCCC) on Thursday, 9 November of this week that follows this Meeting.

This Report forms the blueprint for the way forward for the 2010 Round of Population and Housing Censuses. It is expected that project proposals to co-opt assistance from our partners will be formulated to address the major activities that were identified as needy of support at the regional level.  One such area for which funding has already been identified is to harmonise the Region’s census questionnaire as well as concepts, definitions and methodologies, which was submitted to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).  This proposal will also be discussed in the RCCC

The Secretariat would like to remind the SCCS of the significant contribution of Population and Housing Censuses in the development process and in particular as a comprehensive source of statistical information for sustainable economic and social development.

ACTION REQUIRED

The Meeting is invited to:

(i)                 note the commencement of planning for the 2010 Round of Population and Housing Censuses that would be further discussed under the Fourteenth Meeting of the Population and Housing Censuses; and

(ii)               endorse the essential role of Population and Housing Censuses in the provision of comprehensive data for economic and social development planning.

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