The United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) has called on Tanzanians to ensure that they are counted in the coming Population and Housing Census that will be conducted August 23, this year.
UNFPA Representative in Tanzania, Mark Schreiner made the call at the commemoration of WorldPopulation Day held in Babati, Manyara region. This year’s theme is “A world of 8 billion: Towards a resilient future for all – Harnessing opportunities and ensuring rights and choices for all.”
He said World Population Day is an opportunity to focus the attention on the urgency and importance of population issues warning that in a few months the world population was expected to surpass 8 billion individuals.
“I ask you to tell your neighbours, friends and family members that: you count. May we spread the message together to all people of Tanzania that: you count, and we want you to be counted in the collection of census data, which will inform progress towards the development priorities of Tanzania,” he said.
Schreiner said the process was imperative for every individual to know that: you count, and to leave no one behind. He emphasized the need for every household in Tanzania to receive the message that their participation counts toward achieving a complete and accurate census count.
He commended the government for taking bold steps to ensure that everyone is counted in the coming census adding that it was the first digital census in Tanzania.
UNFPA serves as a technical partner to the government of Tanzania in the 2022 census, and supports preparations, including through the provision of technical assistance to develop guidance materials, questionnaires, and the 2022 census cartography.
It facilitated the exchange of census knowledge and best practices through South-South cooperation, including the combined use of traditional data collection methods and geospatial technology to optimize population data accuracy and ensure that everyone is counted.
He noted that census data will inform implementation of UNFPA’s 9th Country Programme (2022– 2027), initiated this month, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Finance and Planning and in consultation with stakeholders from the public and private sector, academia and media, civil society groups and development partners.
“We thank the government of Tanzania for their strong statement of support and commitment, and we look forward to joint efforts together with our partners to implement and achieve the results of our new UNFPA Tanzania Country Programme,” he said.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Let us work together towards greater equality and solidarity to ensure that our planet can support our needs and those of future generations and protect human rights and the ability of all individuals to make informed choices about whether and when to have children.”