Economic and Social Council

44th plenary meeting
19 July 1995

 1995/7. 2000 World Population and Housing Census Programme

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolution 1985/8 of 28 May 1985, in which it requested the Secretary-General to proceed with the development of a 1990 World Population and Housing Census Programme and recommended that States Members of the United Nations should undertake to carry out population and housing censuses during the period 1985-1994, as well as its earlier resolutions endorsing previous decennial programmes,

Noting with satisfaction the great efforts made by countries to carry out population and housing censuses as part of the 1990 World Population and Housing Census Programme and also the activities of the United Nations and funding agencies in support of national efforts in that regard,

Recognizing the increasing importance of the 2000 round of population and housing censuses for meeting data needs for the follow-up activities to the International Conference on Population and Development, held at Cairo from 5 to 13 September 1994, the World Summit for Social Development, held at Copenhagen from 6 to 12 March 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held at Beijing from 4 to 15 September 1995, and the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), to be held at Istanbul from 3 to 14 June 1996, and to other regional and national meetings,

Stressing that periodic population and housing censuses for a country as a whole and for each administrative area therein are one of the primary sources of data needed for effective development planning and the monitoring of population issues and socio-economic and environmental trends, policies and programmes aimed at the improvement of living standards,

Stressing also that population and housing censuses provide valuable statistics and indicators for assessing the situation of various special population groups, such as those affected by gender issues, children, youth, the elderly, persons with an impairment/disability/handicap and the homeless and migrant population, and changes therein,

1. Urges Member States to carry out population and housing censuses during the period 1995-2004, taking into account international and regional recommendations relating to population and housing censuses and giving particular attention to advance planning and timely dissemination of census results to all users;

2. Calls upon Member States to continue to provide census results to the United Nations and other appropriate intergovernmental organizations to assist in studies on population, environment and socio-economic development issues and programmes;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to proceed with the development of the 2000 World Population and Housing Census Programme and to make the necessary preparations with a view to assisting countries in the successful implementation of the Programme.

Date last posted: 5 December 1999 13:27:00
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