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afrol News, 6 September - Libyan authorities are in the process of mapping development indicators throughout the extensive country with the assistance of the UN development agency (UNDP). The wealth of data from this closed country is keenly waited for both locally and internationally. Libya's National Authority for Information and Documentation (NAID) is carrying out a comprehensive regional development mapping survey to understand how development varies around the country, improve development planning, and guide budget allocations, Jalal Elmuntaser from UNDP Libya reported today. UNDP is providing technical and advisory support for the project. The survey covers each of Libya's 31 local governorates (sha'biyat) and seeks to identify development needs, priorities and management constraints, Elmuntaser says. Even before the final results are gathered and analysed, the survey is already becoming useful. Based on the initial findings, teams from NAID and the governorates have established a new basis for central budget allocation, incorporating four key criteria - population density, standard of living, economic growth, and population size. The General Planning Council is adopting this approach as a tool for budget allocation planning. - The mapping survey will offer a wealth of valuable data for use in both local and central planning, Ammar al-Taief, Deputy Secretary of the General People's Committee told UNDP Libya. According to the UN agency, the project is gathering demographic and socio-economic data that the government is using to classify governorates by development level and assess the need for support from the central budget. Libya, the fourth largest country in Africa, is bigger than France, Germany and Spain combined, but has a population of only 5.3 million. "This poses a number of challenges for infrastructure and human development, since living standards and income levels vary widely between the densely populated coastal areas and cities, and the rural and desert areas," says Elmuntaser. The survey was playing an important role in improving local development planning, bringing together information on local needs and priorities and assessing government performance to improve budget targeting and cost-effectiveness, he adds. The project was equipping the governorates with information management systems and statistical databases and training teams from each governorate in data collection, analysis and planning.
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