Sharjah residents urged to cooperate with census staff

SHARJAH // The emirate’s Ruler, Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed, has urged residents to cooperate fully with census teams.

He asked Emiratis and expatriates to provide accurate information to census teams, who started the second phase of the survey on Sunday.

Titled “For a Better Tomorrow”, the census aims to provide accurate and up-to-date data on all residents.

It will focus on gathering data on the elderly, the disabled, job seekers and illiterate residents. It will also help to identify the number of widowed, divorced and abandoned women and determine their needs, including the condition of their homes, their income and their children’s needs.

“I am here not speaking as a Ruler, but as a father or a brother. Each woman is my sister, mother or daughter, and I urge them to tell us what they need. We are not seeking to create a problem, but to find a solution,” Sheikh Sultan said.

He stressed that the information would be confidential and be used only to help officials draw up plans and improve services for everyone.

The first phase of the census was launched in October and was concluded on November 19.

The second phase, which will run for three weeks, will gather data directly from families. Observers and researchers will conduct field audits to ensure that the survey is conducted properly so as to obtain accurate data.