Statement by the UN Resident Coordinator Delivered at Program Marking the 2021 NPHC DATA USERS CONFERENCE 16th July 2021

Hon. Samuel D. Tweah, Minister of Finance & Members of the Cabinet Present.

Distinguished International & National Partners.

Members of the Fourth Estate

UN Colleagues

I wish to acknowledge the Government of Liberia and Development Partners  on  this key milestone in the implementation of the next Population and Housing Census.

The UN System is proud to be a principal partner to the Government of Liberia in the implementation of the 2021 National Population & Housing Census (NPHC). Acknowledge   the Government support and commitment as well as the hard work, responsiveness and collaboration of LISGIS as the implementing Agency of the NPHC. In general, we want to thank the GOL and the Liberian people for its support and commitment.

This commitment will ensure a comprehensive  investment in  the availability of reliable and comparable population and development data, which would help measure progress, take stock of implementation levels, plan better at national and sub-national levels and make informed policy decisions in the coming years ahead.

I also want to highlight the areas of support to the Government of Liberia by the  UN System in three major Population and Development Projects: a) The 2019/2020 Liberia Demographic & Health Survey; b) The 2021 National Population & Housing Census: c) The  Spotlight Initiative Project on SRHR/SGBV Data, through the UN Inter-Agency Data for Development (D4D) Group.

I reiterate the importance of the  Census Project as it fits into the wider context of public sector reform in Liberia, facilitating decision-making that is faster and more appropriate for local circumstances, particularly in the area of public planning, management and accountability and  promoting decentralization by making data available at the sub-national levels.

Specifically, the collaboration helps strengthen the capacity of LISGIS at central and decentralised levels for the management of an effective and efficient information system and ensure that statistical units in the emerging decentralization programme are equipped with reliable and accurate data for local council management and development programming.

I want to highlight that the census is the backbone of the national statistical system, and diverse  stakeholders will  use census data for a various  purposes. Given the broad scope of the census and its importance in planning, there is a need to involve a broad range of stakeholders from among the population to complete the census questionnaire. This is why we are all here in this Users Conference.

The conference is expected to produce a validated, comprehensive and users’ friendly questionnaire that considers the diverse data needs of the country. Its major strength lies in the need for ownership, buy-in, support and increased data utilization from all stakeholders.

The Government of Liberia cannot do it alone. It requires the support of the United Nations System, Development partners, Civil Society Organizations, friendly governments and the private sector. We will from time to time call on all of you for technical, financial and logistical support during the sojourn of the 2021 Census implementation

SHAPE YOUR FUTURE… BE COUNTED. ..TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!!!