Building Statistical Capacity to Monitor Development

Francesca PerucciFrancesca PerucciUnited Nations Statistics DivisionUnited Nations Statistics Division

UNSD-SADC Statistics ProjectUNSD-SADC Statistics ProjectFirst Meeting of the Steering Committee First Meeting of the Steering Committee

Durban, 14-16 July 2006Durban, 14-16 July 2006

Monitoring development goals and the impact on statistical systems

Monitoring requirements in countries have increased the demand for official statistics

National and international reports have increased the visibility of official statistics

Monitoring reports are important advocacy tool for strengthening statistical capacity and improving statistics

Monitoring requirements have called the attention to shortcomings in the availability of data

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

1-10 11-20 21-30 more than 30Number of indicators

Perc

enta

ge o

f cou

ntri

es

At least 2 datapoints

Countries with +20 indicators* (%)

Africa 81

Northern Africa 80 Sub-Saharan Africa 81All other developing regions 77

World 78

How many countries can produce MDG indicators?

Countries in Africa with at least 2 data points for any given indicator

* Based on data produced by countries

Countries with +20 indicators* (%)

Africa 23

Northern Africa 40 Sub-Saharan Africa 21Other developing regions 65

World 44

How often are the necessary data produced?

Countries in Africa with at least 3 data points for any given indicator

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

1-10 11-20 21-30 more than 30

Number of indicators

Perc

enta

ge o

f cou

ntrie

s

No. indicators with min. 3 points

No. indicators with min. 2 points

* Based on data produced by countries

Assessment of data availability

Country data in Africa are available for most of the indicators but less frequently than elsewhere

Country data are less recent

Lack of data especially in some crucial areas such as employment

Implications for capacity building Results of the assessment were presented at various meetings

with NSOs (ex: Rome, Oct. 2005, Cape Verde, Dec. 2005)

Results were circulated to national statistical offices of all member states

Discussion on the results and the implications for countries’ capacity took place at the Statistical Commission in March 2006

A resolution was proposed by countries for its adoption at the current session of ECOSOC –being held in Geneva this month

Building statistical capacityThe challenge

Ensuring that the necessary statistics and indicators be made available in the short term to allow countries to monitor progress and inform the necessary policies

Developing sustainable statistical systems in countries

Ensuring that indicators be available in the short-term at the international level to promote and inform the political debate

Building statistical capacityThe way forward

Strengthening the network of national statisticians in the region and the dialogue across regions

Stepping up the discussion to the political level (from the region to the UN Stat Commission to ECOSOC and GA)

Bring the demand for technical and financial assistance to donors within a consistent framework (bilateral and multilateral donors should improve their coordination mechanisms)

The Development Account is an integral part of the technical cooperation activities of the economic and social entities of the United Nations under the umbrella of the Executive Executive Committee for Economic for Economic Committee for Economic for Economic and Social Affairs (EC-ESA)and Social Affairs (EC-ESA)

The Development Account

• Development Account projects aim at capacity-capacity-building building through sub-regional, regional and interregional economic and technical cooperation among developing countries

• The projects serve as a natural extension to the normative and policy activities of the implementing agencies in their follow-up the United Nations follow-up the United Nations conferences and summits in economic and social conferences and summits in economic and social affairsaffairs. Projects are executed by members of EC-ESA.

• The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs acts as Programme Manager of the Account. Programme Manager of the Account.

The Development Account

The approachThe General Assembly established that

Development Account projects should:• demonstrably strengthen national development

capacity ensuring project sustainabilityproject sustainability• use information and communications information and communications

technologytechnology and networking of expertisenetworking of expertise• use partnershipspartnerships and South-South South-South

cooperationcooperation.

The Development Account

• Project sustainability is ensured through consistent and proactive involvement of involvement of stakeholdersstakeholders in project design and implementation.

• Project sustainability can also be promoted through the co-financing of pilot activities by co-financing of pilot activities by partners. partners.

Project sustainability

• Information and communications technologies (ICT) are at the core of many Development Account projects because of their multiplier potential and adaptabilitymultiplier potential and adaptability to development activities beyond the project scope.

Information and Communications Technologies

• Development Account projects emphasize the importance of building knowledge networksbuilding knowledge networks— supported by information and communications technologies—which allow countries directly to access information on good practices.

• Capacity-building through networking of local networking of local expertise offers collaborative opportunitiesexpertise offers collaborative opportunities, often beyond those originally envisioned by project designers.

• Networks can create additional regional and create additional regional and interregional linksinterregional links conducive to capacity-building in specific fields, thus leading to requests for further networking and technical assistance.

Networking

• The Development Account supports the creation and strengthening of development partnerships between development partnerships between the United Nations and outside institutionsthe United Nations and outside institutions.

• 80 per cent of projects are executed by more than one executed by more than one entityentity and often in collaboration with other UN entities. Many projects engage regional organizations and local, regional, and/or international non-governmental organizations.

• All projects emphasize exchange of experience and exchange of experience and cooperation activities among developing countries cooperation activities among developing countries within and outside the region

Partnership and South-South Cooperation

• To date, 94 projects have been approved by the To date, 94 projects have been approved by the General Assembly out of regular budget funds General Assembly out of regular budget funds for a total amount of $67 millionfor a total amount of $67 million

Development Account Projects

Development Account Projects in Statistics in Africa

Title Entity Region Theme

06/ 07T: Strengthening statistical capacity in support of progress

towards the internationally agreed development goals in the Southern African Development

Community region DESA and

ECA Africa Statistics

06/ 07J : Strengthening African statistical systems to generate gender-disaggregated data to suppport policies to promote

gender equality and empowerment of women

ECA with DESA and

ESCAP Africa

Advancement of women and

statistics

06/ 07R: Collection and analysis of data and trends on drugs, crime,

and victimization in Africa

UNODC with ECA and

DESA Africa

Social development, social integration

and statistics

04/ 05V: Strengthening statistical capacity-building in support of the

Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) in the region of the

Economic Community of West African States

DESA, ECWA and ECA Africa Statistics

Development Account Projects in Statistics Title Entity Region Theme

06/ 07A: I nterregional cooperation on the measurement

of the informal sector and informal employment

ESCAP with ECLAC,

ESCWA and DESA Global

Macroeconomics, finance, social

development, social integration and

statistics

06/ 07B: I nterregional cooperation to strengthen social inclusion, gender equality and

health promotion in the Millennium Development Goal

process ESCAP Global

Advancement of women and

statistics

06/07F: Strengthening the statistical capacity of Central Asian countries to

monitor progress towards the Millennium Development Goals

ECE with DESA and

ESCAP Asia Statistics

THANK YOUTHANK YOU