Port-au-Prince, December 7, 2017 ... The Haitian Institute of Statistics and Informatics (IHSI) officially launched, on December 7, 2017, the fifth General Census of Population and Housing (RGPH), of which the organization in Haiti is set for the end of 2018.

This census is organized with technical support from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, and financial support from the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and Canadian Cooperation.

"The results of this census will provide reliable, useful and timely information for decision-making," said IHSI Director Danilia Altidor.

They will help to understand the behavior of the major demographic components and their intercensal evolution, the current state of the population and the state of habitat characteristics, added Census Bureau Director Daniel Milbin.         

Daniel Milbin reported on some of the innovations introduced in the census process, such as the use of an integrated GPS tablet for collecting information in the field.

"This will facilitate better collection management, better data quality and the reduction of processing and dissemination time," he insisted. The collection was done manually until now.

The fifth census, unlike the previous ones, will take gender indicators into account at all stages of the process, including the recruitment of enumerators and the data analysis. It will cover several other topics such as urbanization and migration, education, fertility, mortality in general, maternal mortality in particular, and poverty.

The pilot census will take place in early 2018. ¨It is a kind of miniature census to review the organization and methodology of the general census, develop reflexes to make adjustments where appropriate, said the Minister of Economy and Finance.

Recalling the importance of the census for the Government and the State as a whole, Jude Alix Patrick Solomon reaffirmed the willingness of his Ministry to support IHSI for the full success of this important operation.

The overall budget of the fifth census is 29.8 million US dollars. The Haitian Government contributes 19%, the World Bank (34%), the IDB (27%) and the Canadian Cooperation (20%).

The United Nations Population Fund supports IHSI at all stages of the process, from the design phase to the results dissemination, said the UNFPA Representative.

« UNFPA provides technical assistance for the census, supports national capacity building, ensures coordination among partners and manages the funds allocated to the census », added Marielle Sander.

Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant's representative at the launch ceremony, Guillaume Joseph, emphasized that this operation will generate temporary jobs.The most recent general census of population and housing (meeting international standards in force), the fourth in Haiti, dates back to 12 January 2003, while the first one took place on 31 August 1971.

At the 2003 General Population and Housing Census, Haiti had a population of 8,373,750 inhabitants, of which 37% lived in the West, the department where the country's capital is located, and 43% in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.

Fourteen years later, the country has undergone profound changes, especially after the 2010 earthquake and various other disasters. 

The fifth census will provide information on the current population size, its spatial distribution and the evolution of demographic behaviors, so as to guide the planning of economic and social development (education, health, housing, etc.) and promote the good governance.

Story : Vario Sérant

Photo : Moïse Docteur