Kabul, 22nd October 2014. - A new wing of the Data processing Center was inaugurated today as an expansion to Data Processing Center of the Central Statistics Organization (CSO) in Kabul. Mr. Shir Mohammad Jamizada, President General of CSO, Ms. Akiko Kawabe, First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan, and Dr. Annette Sachs Robertson, Representative for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), graced the inauguration ceremony.
"Today one of the greatest requirements of the Central Statistics Organization will be met by opening this new wing of the Data processing center. The Central Statistics Organization which is responsible for collecting and analyzing statistical data in the country has acquired this new facility and equipment to process data, perform statistical analysis and extract results that meet international standards. Thanks to the financial support of the Government of Japan and the technical support of UNFPA", said Engineer Shir Mohammad Jamizada.
The building is designed to accommodate the data processing work related to the Provincial Socio-Demographic and Economic Survey being conducted by the Central Statistics Organization in the country. The Government of Japan provided the funding for the construction of this 285-square-meter floor with 5 million Afghanis.
"These days the importance of demographic data is recognized more than ever", said Ms. Akiko Kawabe, We hope that the outcome of the SDES project will contribute to the planning and development of this country. To that end, we trust that this new data processing space will help improve the efficiency in data analysis allowing more effective policy planning and provision of public services, which we hope will lead to the betterment of the life of the Afghan people, added Ms. Kawabe.
Data processing is one of the most vital stages of the Socio-Demographic and Economic Survey. It involves the receipt of the completed questionnaires from the district and provincial offices; the extraction and validation of the data; and the creation of socio, economic and demographic databases. This activity, when successfully completed, will provide accurate information that is crucial to government policy-making, planning, and administration. UNFPA has been technically assisting the Central Statistics Organization in undertaking the Socio-Demographic and Economic Survey since 2010. Besides the technical support, UNFPA is also assisting CSO in terms of capacity building and institutional infrastructure, which includes this new wing for the Data Processing Center.
"The construction of the data processing center is very timely as SDES is expanding to other provinces. As per CSO's original timeline, 5 provinces are scheduled for next year. With this there was a need to have data processing center for large scale surveys such as the SDES", said Dr Annette Sachs Robertson, UNFPA representative.
Currently, the Socio-Demographic and Economic Survey has been conducted in the provinces of Bamiyan, Ghor, Daikundi, Kabul, Parwan and Kapisa provinces. The exercise was partially funded by the Government of Japan with a cost of USD 13 million. It is expected that the Socio-Demographic and Economic Survey will be rolled out in other provinces with the support of other donors interested in funding this initiative.
For more information, please contact:
Eidmarjan Samoon
samooned@yahoo.com
Director of Publicity and Information
Central Statistics Organization
Local Phone: 0202104338
www.cso.gov.af
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