Tirana, 12 May 2009 – During a ceremony to mark the conclusion of data collection for the Albania Demographic and Health Survey ninety-five enumerators received special recognition for interviewing over nine thousand households across the country.

The planning and implementation of the Albanian Demographic and Health Survey was a joint project between The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children`s Fund (UNICEF), the Ministry of Health, the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), the Institute of Public Health (IPH), the Swiss Cooperation Office (SCO) and the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Speaking at the event, Rahel Bosch, Deputy Country Director, Swiss Cooperation Office, Albania praised those involved commenting, “I have been really impressed by the quality, sensitivity and the accuracy of your work. Thanks to your efforts we have been able to collect data that will inform development in Albania in the years to come”.

The Albanian Demographic and Health Survey collected population-based data to support decision making in the areas of population and health and will inform project development from 2010. The Joint Programme on Gender, being implemented as part of Delivering as One UN, is set to be one of the key beneficiaries of the results findings. The targets of the survey were women and men of reproductive age. The process of date collection was fully computerized for the first time, through the use of hand-held computers.

The survey will define key demographic rates in Albania, particularly fertility and under-five mortality rates. In addition, the publication of the survey`s findings at the end of the year will provide insights into, among other; the direct and indirect factors which determine the level and trends of fertility, the level of contraceptive knowledge and practice of women and men, immunization coverage among children, prevalence of childhood diseases, pre-natal and post-natal care and knowledge and attitudes about sexually-transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

Photo: Rahel Bosch, Deputy Country Director, Swiss Cooperation Office, Albania presents a certificate of appreciation to one of the enumerators of the Albania Demographic and Health Survey during an event at the Tirana International Hotel.

For more information please contact:

Anila Miria
Communication Officer
UNICEF Albania
amiria@unicef.org

Flora Ismaili
Population and Development Programme Analyst
UNFPA Albania
fismaili@unfpa.org.al