Haiti’s Statistics and Informatics Institute (IHSI, after its French initials) will receive the technical and financial resources needed to conduct the country’s 5th general population and housing census through the support of an $8 million grant from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The project will help boost up high-quality, reliable and timely socioeconomic and demographic data output and make it available to public sector and private institutions as well as to international organizations and the civil society at large.
On top of causing extensive damage to Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital, the devastating earthquake of 2010 triggered massive migration and population changes, particularly prompting many people to move from rural to urban areas. This, coupled with preexisting population shifts, has rendered the 2003 survey data obsolete.
The project will also contribute to strengthen Haiti’s statistic-production ability, enabling it to generate relevant social and demographic data in a timely and reliable fashion that meets international guidelines as well as best methodological and technical practices.
The poorest sectors of society will benefit directly from the project, as the information provided by the survey will help the government determine the geographical location and detect the specific needs of each segment of the population based on updated and reliable information on the socioeconomic situation of each group.
The benefits for the IHSI will include new equipment, technical training courses for its personnel, and financial assistance to perform surveys. The program will also enhance the institute’s ability to analyze, publicize, and otherwise put to constructive use the data collected.
Aside from the IDB’s grant there will be other donors—the World Bank will provide $10 million and Global Affairs Canada $6.1 million, while Haiti will contribute $6.4 million in local counterpart funds.
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The Inter-American Development Bank is devoted to improving lives. Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance and training to public and private sector clients throughout the region.