09 July 2004

Dili, Timor-Leste: Following months of intense preparation, Timor-Leste is ready to count its citizens.On Sunday, 11 July, some 3,800 field staff, including UN Volunteers, will start the estimated three week process of travelling throughout the country to count people in more than 180,000 households.

Since January 2004, the country’s National Statistics Directorate of the Ministry of Finance and Planning and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have been working to prepare for the census.

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme joined efforts in April with the addition of 13 UN Volunteers to assist in establishing a network of enumerators in the 1,168 districts. The UN Volunteers worked with UNFPA and Ministry staff to train the enumerators in interviewing and mapping skills, as well as data collection techniques.

As Timor-Leste’s first census since independence in 2002, the data will provide important statistics on the demographic, health, employment, education and housing conditions of its citizens. The use of state-of-the-art mapping technology, such as GPS, also ensures that the census will be accurate; an important element given many citizens live in mountainous and remote areas of the country.

Once compiled, the census data will provide baseline statistics for the future development of the country. The information is expected to be available later in the year to all levels of government within the country, UN agencies, NGOs, and the public.

The start of the census also coincides with UNFPA’s World Population Day. Timor Leste has the highest birth rate in the Asia-Pacific region and one of the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality in the world.