UNDP and UNFPA Join Hands to Promote Evidence-Based Planning in Puntland

GAROWE/NAIROBI, 7 September 2007 (UNDP Somalia) — Dignitaries from Puntland State Government, Members of the Parliament, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the media witnessed the conclusion of a statistical training, held from 6-26 August with the support of UNDP and UNFPA, in Garowe on Tuesday. “Without proper data collection, it will not be possible to make informed decisions, plan effectively, or monitor development”, stated Hon. Abdi Salad Ali, while re-iterating the importance of sound statistics for good governance. He added, “The training comes shortly after the launch of the Five-Year Development Plan to guide the state in attaining the Millennium Development Goals”. “The state government has done its people proud by empowering women”, remarked Hon. Asha Gelle Dirie, referring to the female trainees. Puntland State’s government announced the formulation of two crucial working groups – for statistics and planning — at the event. These groups, comprising all major producers and users of data, will work towards building a coordinated and integrated data collection and management system for the state. On the occasion, UNDP and UNFPA assured the state government of their support to develop the statistics systems in Puntland. As part of their attempts to strengthen the statistical capacity of the state, UNDP and UNFPA supported the training of 30 staff members from the state government. Four UNICEF staff members also participated in the training programme.