First Somalia Socio-Economic Survey in Two Decades Shows Hardships

[Conspiracy]

Here is an intresting Survey i came across,

 

United Nations Development Programme (New York)

January 20, 2004

New York

 

A new Socio-Economic Survey of Somalia, the first such report in over two decades, shows the difficulties people face without a central government or basic public services. Most Somalis cannot afford private sector services.

 

The World Bank and UNDP prepared the report, based on a nationwide household survey. Even before the 1991-1995 civil war, economic and social statistics were lacking, but conflict and the collapse of many institutions over the last decade compounded the shortage.

 

 

The survey estimates that 43 per cent of Somalis live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than a dollar a day, and finds that nearly half the workforce is unemployed. Nearly one in four children ages 5 to 14 work to help their families get by.

 

One in four men and 13 per cent of women are literate, and only 17 per cent of children are enrolled in primary school. Access to health care is difficult: mother and child health centres are available to only one in four families and only 17 per cent of Somalis say they can afford them.

 

Some sectors have seen improvements, such as telecommunications, where the collapse of the state monopoly has allowed private cell phone companies to grow.

 

The World Bank and UNDP are jointly implementing the Somalia Watching Brief, a programme to set up data collection systems, strengthen statistical institutions, and help establish a statistical database to monitor economic and social conditions. The survey is not comprehensive, but provides a snapshot of various sectors, and the partners plan more thorough studies.

 

"This report represents a first step in providing reliable statistical data on demographic and socio-economic indicators for Somalia, which is of critical importance for informed planning and policy making to best meet the needs in the country," noted Makhtar Diop, World Bank Country Director for Kenya, Eritrea and Somalia.

 

The survey covers demographics and housing, employment and income, basic services, communication, participation of women, and environmental concerns. It was carried out with the support and participation of functioning Somali administrations and international partners.

 

"The survey is particularly important because it gives us a picture of what Somalia looks like today," said UNDP Country Director El-Balla Hagona. "It will also be important in providing indicators for more informed developmental interventions and initiatives, as well as preparing the Millennium Development Goals Report on Somalia."

 

The survey is the first in a series of joint Work Bank/UNDP statistical reports. The data collection and statistical capacity building are to be strengthened under the joint World Bank/UNDP re-engagement strategy for Somalia, with the collaboration of other development partners.

 

For further information please contact , UNDP Somalia or , UNDP Communications Office.

 

source: AllAfrica.com

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[Conspiracy]

for more information try UDP -United Nations Development programme @

http://www.so.undp.org/