THE United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has linked development of nations to the availability of reliable data

THE United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has linked development of nations to the availability of reliable data

THE United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has linked development of nations to the availability of reliable data.

Ban, who spoke at the weekend on the occasion of the World Population Day, observed that access to good data was a component of good governance, transparency and accountability.

According to the UN chief, reliable data gathering guides policy-makers in

the right economic direction and helps to respond to humanitarian crises.

He said: "Population data helps leaders and policy-makers to make informed

decisions about policies and programmes to reduce poverty and hunger, and

advance education, health and gender equality. Solid data is also needed to

effectively respond to humanitarian crises."

The theme of the 2010 edition of the World Population Day is "Everyone counts."

To Ban, people must be visible to be counted and for everybody to count

therefore, conscious efforts must be made to ensure that specific social and

economic needs of women and youths are prioritised in national economic

planning.

He added: "To be counted is to become visible. This is especially important for

women and young people. Data that is sorted by gender and age can foster

increased responsiveness by national decision-makers to the rights and needs of

women and youth and help build a more equitable and prosperous society."

The UN helmsman noted that it was promising that many countries that were unable to complete a national census in the past had reported success during this

existing round.

However, he observed that the next challenge would be to ensure the data was used to make evidence-based plans and policies that would improve opportunities for current and future generations.

According to him, it is only when the world rises to create inclusive societies that

take peculiar needs of the inhabitants into focus that the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 can substantially be achieved.

He stressed: "On this World Population Day, I call on decision-makers everywhere

to make each and every person count. Only by considering the needs of all women

and men, girls and boys, can we achieve the Millennium Development Goals and

advance the shared values of the United Nations."

In her message, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund

(UNFPA), Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, said choosing "Everyone Counts" as the theme

for 2010 World Population Day was intended to speak to the inherent value and

dignity of each human being.

According to her: "The theme Everyone Counts' highlights the compelling stories

that numbers tell us about people. In Asia, when censuses and surveys identified

sex-ratio imbalances and missing girls, governments responded, the media

reported extensively on the disturbing trends and people were rallied to action.

In Europe and other regions, policy debate heated up when data analysis examined

the levels of replacement immigration needed to counteract declining and ageing

populations."

She explained that data could reveal striking situations in countries. According to the UNFPA boss, censuses, surveys and vital statistics provide critical data to guide plans, policies and programmes to meet people's needs and improve their lives and that this data is crucial as the world strives for

universal access to education, HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, and

reproductive health and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Obaid stated that censuses were central to UNFPA's mandate and mission to support countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy was wanted, every birth was safe, every young person was free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman was treated with dignity and respect.

Population dynamics including growth rates, age structure, fertility and

mortality, migration, and more influence every aspect of human, social and

economic development. The results of the current round of censuses will be used

in statistical systems and policies and programmes for years to come.

She reiterated the UNFPA's belief in the right of everyone to be counted, especially women, girls, the poor and marginalised.

According to her, with quality data, countries can better track and make greater

progress to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, promote and protect the

dignity and human rights of all people.

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