DFID Department for International Development UNFPA/PARIS21 International Expert Group Meeting Mechanisms for Ensuring Continuity of 10-year Population Censuses: Strategies for Reducing Census Costs – A Donor Perspective Presentation by Julia Bunting - DFID Pretoria November 2001

DFID Department for International Development Stating the obvious! “Censuses are expensive. The resources needed to carry them out are difficult to estimate and sometimes even harder to acquire” Source: DFID (1998) Counting Heads II – a practical guide to census management

DFID Department for International Development Census Funding – Donor Perspective Donors are becoming aware of need for census data but message needs reinforcing However, increasing donor fatigue towards financing censuses There is increasing recognition in international fora of the need to consider alternative strategies DFID Department for International Development

DFID Department for International Development DFID Department for International Development Possible strategies for reducing costs Need to ensure that existing strategies are the most cost effective Need to evaluate costs and benefits of new techniques Need to look at more innovative methods Need better understanding of costs and benefits of regional collaboration

DFID Department for International Development Possible strategies for mobilising resources Need to ensure the available resources are mobilised effectively Need to consider other potential sources of funding Census activities need to be incorporated into the wider statistical plan Stress importance of census to effective decision and policy-making DFID Department for International Development