OHCHR in Iraq's Dhi Qar reports "disruption" in census process: Teams missed some areas

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, the Director of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Iraq's Dhi Qar, Dakhil Abdul-Hussein, reported a "disruption" in the population census process, noting that census teams did not reach some areas.

Abdul-Hussein told Shafaq News Agency, “The OHCHR's office received numerous complaints that some areas, particularly provincial centers, districts, and sub-districts, were not reached by the census teams.'"

He further explained that “the government-provided contact number for reporting such issues was non-operational and had not received any calls from citizens in the province,” emphasizing that “these issues could deprive the people of Dhi Qar of their future rights, especially concerning the positive indicators from the national census.”

The census marks the first such undertaking since 1987, when all provinces participated. A census in 1997 excluded the Kurdistan Region. For decades, Iraq relied on unofficial estimates from research centers, with the Planning Ministry estimating the population at over 42 million in 2022.

Since the census began on Wednesday, November 20, calm has prevailed across Iraq, with strict security measures in place. To ensure smooth execution, the government has declared public holidays and imposed a curfew during the two days.

More than 120,000 field researchers are going door to door, collecting data from households using electronic tablets, in a process supported by the United Nations.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called on citizens to cooperate with the teams, emphasizing that “the census is crucial for improving services and planning future projects.”