Population census.. Will it bridge the gap between the needs of the people and what the government p

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[size=52]Population census.. Will it bridge the gap between the needs of the people and what the government provides?[/size]

[size=45]Iraq is preparing to conduct its first population census in November of next year 2024, and according to experts, implementing the census will contribute to closing the gap in the needs of the people compared to what the government provides.[/size]
[size=45]The official spokesman for the Ministry of Planning, Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi, said during an interview with (Al-Mada), “Iraq has not conducted a population census since 1997, and that census was not comprehensive, because it did not include the governorates of the Kurdistan region. Consequently, Iraq suffered from a need for data and indicators that “It depicts reality and reflects it accurately.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “There was a serious attempt in 2010 in which we reached the final stages of implementing the census, but it did not take place as a result of political differences due to the disputed areas, and all efforts did not succeed in addressing this problem, so subsequent years passed without a population census,” noting that “The Ministry has developed a plan with specific time frames to conduct the population census, which it is hoped will take place in November 2024.”[/size]
[size=45]He continues, “There are many requirements because this project is a huge and complex project, especially in light of the failure to implement population censuses that would help and provide a database, as the country has not witnessed a census for more than 26 years.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Hindawi adds, “The most prominent requirement is the provision of tablets because the process is electronic, as we need 130,000 tablets, provided that contracts are made with specialized international companies to provide them, and this process requires 5-6 months,” pointing out that “there is a trial census that it is hoped will “It takes place in May of next year.”[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the need to train enumerators, Al-Hindawi says, “Their numbers may reach more than 130,000 enumerators, and they are male and female teachers. They are trained on how to fill out the form, ask questions, use geographic information systems, and how to deal with families, as well as conducting the inventory and numbering process that “It represents the backbone of the census, and it takes two or three months to complete it.” A spokesman for the Ministry of Planning confirms that “conducting the census requires a national data processing center that contains the latest technologies, the provision of satellite images for administrative units, telephone coverage, and the Internet to transfer information quickly and accurately, in addition to other logistical, financial, and administrative requirements.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Hindawi explains, “The government has allocated 100 billion dinars within the budget to cover the expenses of this operation, and it is hoped that additional funds will be allocated next year to complete the requirements.”[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the importance of conducting the population census, Al-Hindawi explains, “The census will provide a comprehensive and complete picture of the reality in Iraq in all its aspects and sectors by documenting the demographic, health, residential, educational, and service characteristics of families, according to a basis on which plans and data based on facts and incidents are developed, to solve many problems.” “The problems associated with distributing wealth between governorates according to their population proportions without questioning or feeling unfairness between one governorate and another.”[/size]
[size=45]create a “gap”[/size]
[size=45]For his part, economic expert Mustafa Akram Hantoush believes, during an interview with (Al-Mada), that “the population census is the state’s ability to read the true position of the real statistics, of the population and the number of those who work and those who do not work, as well as job classifications and the population’s needs.” He adds, “The census contributes to knowing how the state invests money instead of it going to banks, building industrial cities, and instead of giving it to governors who are not able to work, giving it to ministries that are practically and executively capable.”[/size]
[size=45]Hantoush continues, “The state’s orientations will change in terms of planning if the population census is conducted. It will have a real reading that will be presented to decision-makers.” He added, “The lack of a population census in recent years created a gap between the people’s real need and what the state does for the people,” noting that “implementing the population census will change many current concepts and laws.”[/size]
[size=45]Rough estimates[/size]
[size=45]It is noteworthy that Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani had previously confirmed that the population census would be conducted next year, 2024, and that all financial and logistical requirements would be provided for its success.[/size]
[size=45]It is noteworthy that, over the past years, the country has relied on approximate statistical figures issued by unofficial institutions and research centers, before the Ministry of Planning issued estimates in 2022 that the population of Iraq reached more than 42 million people.[/size]
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