Kabul, 14 July 2015 - Central Statistics Organization (CSO) of Afghanistan and the Deputy Governor of Jawzjan, Abdulrahman Mahmoudi, signed a letter of understanding (LoU) for CSO to roll out the Socio-Demographic and Economic Survey (SDES) to Jawzjan province. This LoU seeks the Jawzjan governor's office to support SDES activities in the province. The signing took place at the CSO office in Kabul.

"The survey shows an up to date and complete status of the socio-demographic and economic situation of a province. The collected data can be used by the provincial Government, provincial departments and even by international organizations who want to work on provincial level", said Sher Mohammad Jamizada, the President-General of CSO.

The conduct of the survey requires large scale activities throughout the province and different activities of the survey are conducted in multiple phases. The first stage of the survey is sketch mapping of all establishments in the province, numbering all lanes, houses, offices and any existing building. The maps and listing will help the surveyors to find their way in the villages and districts of the province and ensure that no household or establishment is left out.

"As a representative of Jawzjan province I can guarantee you our full commitment and cooperation. We will provide CSO employees a good working environment and we will safeguard their safety", said Mahmoudi while expressing his gratitude.

The SDES is designed as a long term project to gradually gather information on socio-economic and demographic status of population from all 34 provinces. The survey builds CSO staff capacity in conducting large scale surveys. Also it's an opportunity to further improve their skills. SDES is going to provide village level data for local development policy and planning. In the provinces where the survey takes place, it creates short term job opportunities. Bamiyan, Ghor, Daikundi, Parwan, Kapisa, Kabul and Samangan have been covered by the SDES so far. The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, provides technical support to CSO to conduct the survey.

About SDES:

Since 2011, UNFPA has supported the Central Statistics Organization (CSO) to conduct the provincial level Socio-Demographic and Economic Survey (SDES). Bamiyan was the first province to conduct the SDES, followed by Ghor and Daikundi in 2012. The survey has also been done in Kabul, Parwan, Kapisa and Samangan provinces. CSO and UNFPA intend to ensure that all the provinces of Afghanistan have a complete and up-to-date SDES by 2018, so that future planning occurs on the basis of robust and technically sound data.

For more information:

Central Statistics Organization
Email:mairl@cso.gov.af
Web: www.cso.gov.af