UNFPA and GOL Observe World Population Day

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs and the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), on Monday 12 July, observed World Population Day under the theme: “Everyone Counts”.

World Population Day is celebrated annually on 11 July, to highlight population issues and their relation to development. Activities marking this year’s celebration in Liberia were focused on the 2008 National Population and Housing Census and its thematic areas of analysis. These included maternal and child mortality, gender, youth and adolescents, fertility and marriage patterns, migration and urbanization, population projections, education and literacy, labor force, and employment.

In a statement delivered on behalf of Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf by Gender and Development Minister Madam Vabah Gayflor, the Liberian leader said “The importance of census goes far beyond the apportionment of political seats within a country. Census data as I know it can be used for the provision of basic social services like education, safe drinking water, infrastructure, and health.”

“With our country massively broken following a protracted civil crisis, we need all relevant data we can gather to give direction to the planning process of our reconstruction and development initiatives”, the President added. Also speaking at the program, UNFPA Resident Representative Esperance Fundira renewed the United Nations in Liberia’s commitment to the finalization of the remaining phases of the census, including the analysis of the 14 thematic areas and dissemination of the final results at national and county levels.

“The UN will continue to support the Government to ensure that the data is made available to stakeholders in their respective areas of work, thus contributing to the ‘lift Liberia’ agenda”, she said.

LISGIS distributed CDs containing the final results of the 2008 census which users can utilize to general personal frequency tables, and graphs to those who participated.