South South Cooperation: DPRK Consults Cambodia and China on Census Strategies and Processes

South South Collaboration: DPRK Consults Cambodia and China on Census Strategies and Processes

Cambodia and China are on the top of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Bureau of Statistics' list of countries to consult when it comes to experience with conducting national population surveys.

The DPRK delegation paid an official visit to Cambodia from 16 to 18 November to learn and exchange experiences in conducting the census with the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) and the Ministry of Planning.

The three-day visit encompassed discussions and sharings on the processes and strategies in the pre-census, census and post-census phases on both the national and subnational level in Cambodia. The two parties openly discussed and reflected upon the arrangements, good practices, lessons learnt as well as constraints and challenges faced when conducting the Cambodia General Population Census 2008 while examining the preparations being made for Census 2018. In this increasingly technological world, Cambodia also shared experiences in incorporating the use of newer technologies in data collection and processing to improve the production and release of data.

Knowledge sharing visits between countries to develop best practices are both meaningful and crucial for improving the national data collection processes. Well-conducted censuses are critical for providing accurate and updated information about the population for development, strategic planning and policy formation. UNFPA provides technical assistance to the Cambodia census, Inter-censal Population Surveys as well as other national data collection exercises to ensure that quality data is collected and widely used for development.