SAC Vice Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win addresses 2nd work coordination meeting of Central Census Commission
NAY PYI TAW August 22
The Central Census Commission held the second work coordination meeting on 2024 population and housing census at the Ministry of Immigration and Population here this afternoon, attended by Patron of the commission Vice Chairman of State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win.
Present were Chairman of the commission Union Minister for Immigration and Population U Myint Kyaing, commission member deputy ministers, Nay Pyi Taw Council member and officials. Chief Ministers of regions and states attended the meeting through video conferencing.
The Vice-Senior General said the first meeting was held on 20 January 2023, during which characteristics of census, history of previous censuses in Myanmar, aims and benefits of censuses, preparations for 2024 population and housing census, current ongoing preparatory measures, and adopted 19 resolutions.
Five resolutions are still under implementation stage and the other 14 were completed.
SAC reestablished the central commission on 25 February 2023 under Notification No 75/2023 for the success of the entire census collection project.
The commission must steer the work in accord with the policy, approve detailed programs and directives submitted by the relevant bodies, coordinate with ministries, region/ state governments, and look into the requirements in forming census committees at different levels and for the success of the census.
Because of its extensive work volume, majority of world countries usually conduct a census every ten years.
Hence, Myanmar must conduct another census after a period of ten years in 2024. Census must be conducted even in the smallest administrative areas to have a correct and accurate population and economic indicators to help strengthen the foundation of genuine and disciplined multiparty democracy and Union system based on democracy and federalism.
Hence a population and housing census will be carried out in the whole country during the period from 1 to 15 October 2024. A trail census will be conducted in 100 designated areas in 20 townships in October this year as a preparation for the success of the coming census and to identify possible difficulties.
The Ministry of Immigration and Population is playing the main role in taking preparatory measures for the success of the population and housing census,
and the relevant ministries, organizations and region/state governments should lend a helping hand in the task through collective efforts. SAC will give guidance and approval for important issues submitted by the relevant ministries in connection with census in time. During his meeting with members of Rakhine State Government and state level departmental officials on 31 March 2023, the SAC Chairman Prime Minister urged ministries to cooperate in preparations for census, and field surveys. Officials should closely monitor and supervise the work of setting up census units in regions and states and conducting the trail census successfully according to schedule.
The Ministry of Immigration and Population successfully enumerated census and household registration in 2014 and has experiences on collection of interim population in 2019.
Now, the ministry is making preparations for collection of census and household registration to be enumerated in 2024.
The country could have techniques and monetary assistance from the international organizations for enumeration of past census. But, the forthcoming census 2024 must be done through the collaborative efforts of government departments and organizations as well as public participation, and the State budget will be spent on the process.
It is necessary to emphasize correct data and quality, meeting international set standards, necessary index and socioeconomic data for enumeration of the census. As the census is concerned with all, relevant ministries have to efficiently share necessary resources and technologies for the census process.
Enumerating the census needs to spend a lot of resources including time, monetary affairs and man power. As such, the results of census must be useful for the State, and all have to strive for accomplishment of the census process as a national duty.
The Vice-Senior General pointed out that the census process would face various challenges and security measures as well as other unexpected difficulties. Hence, preparations must be made for successfully overcoming possible challenges and difficulties and solve them.
Census process is a national concern, and result from the census enumeration is important for the State. Only when people correctly answer the questions, will the data be good.
So, media sector plays a key role for raising the awareness for the people. So, news agencies and social media must be applied on a wider scale for raising the public awareness about census including songs, articles and video clips.
The census and household registration enumeration in 2024 will be implemented on a self-reliant basis by spending the state budget through the collaborative efforts of ministries.
They all have to cooperate with each other in collecting the firm and exact data like the past census. As such, it will be a milestone for the country in successfully enumeration of the census amid the challenges.
Chairman of the Central Census Commission Union Minister U Myint Kyaing reported on preparations to enumerate the test census before the primary census, formation of the supervisory committees in regions and states, plans to form the district, township, ward and village-tract census committees, preparations to conduct the training courses on census, raising the public awareness for census, and cooperation of relevant ministries and organizations for successfully collection of census across the nation.
Secretaries and member deputy ministers of the central census commission and region and state chief ministers who are chairmen of region and state census supervisory committees discussed work process for successful collection of census and household registration in 2024, and plans of relevant ministries for their cooperation in the process.
Meeting attendees also participated in the discussions on collection of the census.
The Vice-Senior General coordinated the reports and gave a concluding remark.