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The
Fifth Population Census
JOINT COMMUNIQUE
July
23, 2007
On July 22, 2007, the Oversight Committees for the MDTF-National
and the MDTF-South jointly and unconditionally approved
the proposal for Phase II of the Fifth Population
Census. The Fifth Population Census is one of
the most significant milestones in the implementation of
the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). It is the first
step towards power sharing, wealth sharing, the
elections and the eventual referendum in Sudan. It will
also provide data required for policy decisions and
planning.
Taking on this national priority and responsibility, the
Census will be mainly funded by the GoNU. The overall
budget for implementing the Census is estimated at
$102.3 million, of which the GoNU will contribute about
$ 68.5 million. The GoNU disbursed $14.3 million for
FY2006. It is committed to paying $54.2 million for
fiscal years 2007 and 2008. GoNU funding will be used
mostly for operational costs, the bulk of this funding
will be used for the payment of salaries. The balance is
funded by the MDTF in two phases.
MDTF funding of Phase I amounted to $ 12.4 million, most of
which has already been disbursed. The MDTFs contribution
to Phase II amounts to $22 million, which will finance
major goods procurements that are critical for the
various Census stages from mapping to training,
enumeration and data entry and analysis, thus ensuring
support to all the remaining critical stages of the
census.
The international community have also been funding the Census
through bilateral channels. Bilateral funding from the
EU, DANIDA, and the Netherlands amounting to
approximately $12 million is allocated through UNFPA
which is using these and its own funds for the provision
of technical assistance to both Census agencies. UNFPA
is also using the funds in its financial support for
coordination, training, and advocacy activities and for
the Census Monitoring and Observation Committee.
The implementation of the Census rests with Sudan’s
Statistical agencies – namely the Central Bureau of
Statistics (CBS), and the
Southern Sudan Commission for Census, Statistics
and Evaluation (SSCCSE). Direct technical support is
provided to both agencies by UNFPA in both the North and
South, and by the US Census Bureau, Statistics Norway,
and the French Corporation in the South.
In the Oversight Committees for the MDTF-National and the
MDTF-South, the GoNU reiterated its commitment to the
full funding of the Census. The Census remains one of
the most critical national priorities and as such both
governments are determined to provide the support needed
for its realization. All partners acknowledged the
critical timeline of the Census implementation and
emphasized their commitment to ensure the timely release
of funds.
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