Data and Methods During Conflicts

Abdulrazak Karie, National Bureau of Statistics

Data is crucial for Somalia to identify marginalized and vulnerable populations and understand who is being left behind. It also helps track progress, identify gaps, and address inequalities in areas such as population development, reproductive health, national development plans, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Africa’s Agenda 2063. This paper intends to assess the impact of the recurrent conflicts in Somalia on the data collection plans, including challenges such as accessibility (security risk), land disputes, clan clashes, climate change (Droughts & Floods), and enumerating nomads who have no permanent residence and look for water and pasture. It will also explore the content of the questionnaires and their implication for the safety of the respondent and the interviewer, as the data collection tools have posed significant, particularly in the partially accessible areas. The paper will review the nationwide surveys conducted in Somalia over the last ten years 2014-2023, including the Population Estimation survey conducted in 2014, the Somali Health and Demographic Survey (SHDS) in 2018, the labor force survey in 2019, the Somali Integrated household budget survey (SIHBS) 2022. The paper will shed light on the field teams' challenges and compare the response rates and data quality. Keywords: Surveys, conflicts, climate change, nomads, Data and Methods.

Keywords: Data and Methods, Data visualisation , Census data, Qualitative data/methods/approaches

See paper.