TASHKENT, September 17, 2021 – Training for journalists, bloggers and representatives of regional press services of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Statistics on the topic of the upcoming population census was held on September 17th, 2020. The training was organized by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) jointly with the In-Service Training Centre for Journalists of Uzbekistan in coordination with the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Statistics.
The training is part of a wider information campaign aimed at raising awareness among citizens on the importance of participating in the census. The purpose of the training was to increase the potential of journalists and bloggers from Andijan, Tashkent and Khorezm regions and the city of Tashkent to produce high-quality publications and other media content on this topic. 35 journalists, bloggers and representatives of press services took part in the training.
In the first part of the training, Mr. Kobil Berdikulov, Head of the Census Department of the State Committee on Statistics of the Republic of Uzbekistan explained the legal and regulatory framework for conducting the population census in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Mr. Usmon Abdurasulov, Press Secretary of the State Committee on Statistics of the Republic of Uzbekistan, discussed the role of mass media and press services in covering the census and informing the public. This topic was continued by Ms. Irina Zbarskaya, Chief of Department of Social and Demographic Statistics, CIS-Stat and Ms. Galina Shcherbakova, UNFPA international expert, who also shared international experience of conducting such information campaigns.
In the second part of the training, Ms. Nargis Kosimova, trainer of the In-Service Training Centre for Journalists of Uzbekistan, conducted a session on the specifics of preparing materials and on the basics of fact-checking when producing content. The participants worked in groups to practice preparing media materials and conveying main messages on the topic of the census. The ethical aspects of the work of journalists when covering the census process were discussed.
The national census in the Republic of Uzbekistan will be conducted in 2023; pilot census will take place between 1st and 25th November 2021. The first, in thirty years, national population census will be a source of key information on the socio-demographic structure of the country and will inform important government decisions in the field of social and economic policy. Public awareness of the importance of taking part is crucial for ensuring a successful running of the census.
This training was conducted with support from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, as part of the regional programme “CISPop: Better Data for Better Policies”, funded by the Russian Federation.
