| Mapping as a tool for regional and local development |
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| Tuesday, 23 December 2008 13:32 |
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The 100 maps produced with the support of
the ELS programme are derived from a household survey, a living
standards assessment of 50 selected communities in the project district
areas.
The EU/UNDP Enhancement of Living
Standards in Karakalpakstan and Namangan (ELS) projects support and
promote the involvement of people and local authorities in the
development of their own communities. The projects mobilize 100
communities by using the Millennium Development Goals as a starting
point to identify their main problems and how to overcome them. The
projects work with mahallas, associations of citizens, the Khokimiyats, regional
and district governments and communities to rehabilitate water and
other infrastructures in six pilot districts of Karakalpakstan and
Namangan region. During 2005–2006, the ELS programme hase pioneered the
use of socioeconomic mapping as a tool for regional and local strategy
development and planning.  The
100 maps produced with the support of the ELS programme are derived
from a household survey, a living standards assessment of 50 selected
communities in the project district areas. The maps now collected in
two socioeconomic atlases, one for each region, provide an overview of
the main socio-economic indicators of the two regions and the six
districts. The maps use several types of indicators to make a
preliminary assessment of the districts and communities welfare in
demographic, education, economic, health, social protection,
infrastructure and environment.The maps can be used as a reference
check for socioeconomic data and Millennium Development Goals based
indicators. They help identify where needs are highest and which
geographical areas should be targeted on a priority basis. In parallel
to these maps, during various Millennium Development Goals localization
workshops and town hall meetings, the ELS projects helped community
representatives to draw area maps. These maps represent a snap shot of
how local people see their own communities. During this mapping
exercise citizens were invited to add to the maps community resources
that could be used to address priority problems corresponding to the
Millennium Development Goals. The atlases and the area maps were
made by using existing local capacities at an affordable cost, thereby
increasing prospects for their future production and application in
regional and national planning. They represent the first attempt to map
indicators which are suitable for monitoring the national Millennium
Development Goals at local level. The maps show that there is work to
be done to improve the statistical base for monitoring progress towards
achieving the Millennium Development Goals in the regions. The maps are
an important step in that direction. |
News and Events Mapping as a tool for regional and local development