In support of the United Nations 2010 World Program of Population and Housing Censuses, adopted by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in its resolution 2005/13, and under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Egypt, Mr. Ahmed Nazif, the United Nations Economic and Social commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA), is holding a national seminar on “Population, Housing and Establishment Censuses in the Context of Development" on 30-31 July 2006 at Conrad-Hotel, Cairo.
The seminar, which will open at 9:30 on Sunday 30 July 2006, comes as a response to a request by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) in Egypt to increase awareness among census stakeholders of the importance of conducting population and housing censuses in preparation for the national census to be implemented in Egypt in November 2006.
The main objective of the seminar is to advocate the importance of census and its role in providing the necessary data for planning and policy-making, as core tools for monitoring the progress in achieving the international commitments to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and its uses in the context of Poverty Reduction Strategies
Participating in the meeting will be a number of Egyptian ministers, representatives of concerned ministries and government departments in Egypt, United Nations agencies in Cairo, scholars and university professors, as well as UN Goodwill Ambassadors.

A census is the primary source of information about the number and characteristics of the population. Its strengths and individuality arise from complete coverage, which requires wide support and cooperation from the citizenry. Accordingly, the Cairo seminar is expected to positively influence and ensure wide participation rate in the November 2006 national census in Egypt.