Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses: Major changes

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December World Census Programme Endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission in March 2005 and adopted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council in July 2005 Three essential goals of Programme: for Member States to carry out a population and housing census during the period and to disseminate census results in a timely manner to agree on a set of acceptable international principles and recommendations governing the conduct of a census to facilitate countries in conducting censuses

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Revision of the Principles and Recommendations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Rev. 2 adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission in March 2007 English version published and available on UNSD website census/default.aspx census/default.aspx Translation into the other 5 UN official langages underway

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Principles and Recommendations Main features of the review process Extensive international consultative process Gradual process through regional and international consultations Meetings exchanges On-line discussion forum

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Principles and Recommendations - major changes Orientation Emphasis on production of outputs for evidence-based decision making Recognition of an integrated statistical system for the production of outputs Non-prescription of data sources for outputs

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Outputs/tabulations Basic/essential tabulations Top priority Providing minimum statistics for countries in difficult circumstances Population (20) Housing (7) Recommended tabulations Adequate for meeting essential data needs for evidence-based planning, monitoring and implementation of national policies Population (33) Housing (19) Optimal tabulations Meet the needs of most data users nationally and internationally

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Core topics Main variables for recommended tabulations Population - 31 core topics with 25 direct and 6 derived Housing - 21 core topics Permit national and international comparability of data by use of common concepts and definitions Developed through international consultative process

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Changes in core topics - Population Non-core to core Date of birth of the last child born alive Births in the past 12 months Household deaths in the past 12 months Deaths among children born in the past 12 months Country of birth Year or period of arrival Disability status Core to non-core Time worked Alternate core topics Place of previous residence Place of residence at a specified date in the past

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Changes in core topics – Housing New core Fuel used for cooking Main source of drinking water Information technology and communication devices in the household Core to non-core Year or period of construction Useful floor space Rental and owner-occupied housing costs Separate core topics – previously one Type of toilet Sewage disposal

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Principles and Recommendations - major changes Introducing definition of Place of usual residence (a) The place at which the person has lived continuously for most of the last 12 months (that is, for at least six months and one day), not including temporary absences for holidays or work assignments, or intends to live for at least six months; OR (b) The place at which the person has lived continuously for at least the last 12 months, not including temporary absences for holidays or work assignments, or intends to live for at least 12 months. Impact on regional and international data comparability

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Principles and Recommendations - major changes New classification of living quarters: With clearer distinction between conventional and non-conventional housing units Enlarges the taxonomy of collective living quarters

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Principles and Recommendations - major changes Alternative approaches Introducing elaboration of alternative approaches Traditional census – most countries Register based census Rolling surveys (with national variants) UNSD website – national examples of alternative approaches

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Concerns raised against traditional censuses Periodicity of data production Prohibitive costs Untimeliness of census results Under-coverage In some cases questionable data quality Inflexibility

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Principles and Recommendations – major changes Contracting out Funding for the census Quality assurance (instead of quality control) Enhanced section on census mapping including on geo-coding and contemporary GIS Focus on hard to capture and enumerate population groups Homeless Indigenous populations Promotion of, and training on, use of data

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Concluding remarks Principles and Recommendations, Rev. 2: English version available in print form and on UNSD website Translation into all UN official languages underway Accompanied by: set of handbooks technical reports web-based knowledge base Other activities of the 2010 World Programme

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International standards, contemporary technologies for census mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12 December 2008 Thank you