Regional Workshop on National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) in the Caribbean Community 27 – 29 July, 2009, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

Regional Workshop on National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) in the Caribbean Community 27 – 29 July, 2009, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Regional capacity building initiative to strengthen Pacific Island countries’ national statistical systems – the importance of statistical planning

Gerald HaberkornManager, Statistics and Demography ProgrammeSecretariat of the Pacific CommunityNoumea, New Caledonia(www.spc.int/sdp)

Structure of Presentation

1. Pacific community: some introductory remarks 2. Background to statistical planning in the Pacific

Community3. Strategic Planning: 2 parallel models 4. Main Lessons learned

Pacific Community9,7 million people (2009) 15 countries, 7 territories, 3 sub-regions:

Melanesia (5)• Papua New Guinea (6,7 million), Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu,

New Caledonia (FR)

Micronesia (7)• Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau,

Kiribati, Nauru, Guam (US), Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (US)

Polynesia (10)• American Samoa (US), Cook Islands, French Polynesia (FR), Niue,

Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna (FR), Pitcairn (57 - UK)

MAP LAYER

SPC Member countries and territories

Marshall Islands

Kiribati

Tuvalu

French Polynesia

Tokelau

AmSamoa

SamoaWallis etFutuna

PitcairnIslands

CookIslands

Niue

Fiji

Vanuatu

New Caledonia

SolomonIslands

Papua New Guinea

Tonga

Nauru

Palau

Guam

CNMI

Federated States of Micronesia

TEXT LAYER

One of hundreds

Majuro, RMI, 1945

Kwajalein and Ebbeye, RMI, 2006

Current

Population density, Ebeye, RMI

South Tarawa, 2007, Seawall

Who are we? Secretariat of the Pacific Community

Oldest inter-governmental organization serving Pacific island countries and territories (1947);

Providing technical advice/training, contributing to national/regional capacity building in 22 member countries (15) and territories (7);

Some 390 professional and program support staff covering a wide array of scientific/technical disciplines, from land and marine resources to health and social resources, including statistical advisory services, technical demography, population and development

• 2005 RHOPS and 2006-2008 SDP Strategic plan• Extensive discussions with development partners• Statistical planning at the time:

• annual work programs at best

• many activities implemented in response to available funds – not (necessarily) determined by national needs for data/information

• Project planning/management (synonymous with financial monitoring)

• Long-term/Strategic Planning (seen as domain of planners)

1. Background to Statistical Planning in the Pacific Community

• Development of joint programme with AusAID and ABS – two stage process

• Enhance NSO capacity in project planning and management

• Assist with capacity strengthening/building in strategic planning

• Stage 1 (three outputs)• Project planning/management training in 3 countries

• Field testing (in initial stage of activity implementation)

• final review/evaluation (of training, field operations, initial outputs)

Results• in all 3 countries, field operations on schedule

• in 2/3, under budget, massive response rates (95%), quality data outputs


Stage 2: two components

• Extension of project planning/management training to other countries engaging in major collection activities (censuses, HH surveys)Note: since this project initiative, such training has become an integral component of ALL our census/survey TA activities (alongside dedicated training activities on: sampling; data processing; Data analysis and Report writing; data dissemination)

• Piloting of strategic statistical planning


Stage 2: 2nd component: country-based

• Piloting of approach in Marshall Islands• 3 tangible training outcomes

• Work through context of how to develop strategic plan• Work through all distinct strategic planning steps• Develop draft strategic plan

• 7 workshop modules

2. Strategic Statistical Planning in the Pacific Community

Seven workshop modules

1. Work through context of how to develop a strategic plan2. Review SWOT Analysis previously undertaken by participants3. Commence development of Strategic Plan – focus on Vision and

Mission statements (break-out into two working groups).

4. Drafting of Strategic Plan’s Vision and Mission statements (plenary)

5. Discuss and set strategic objectives and begin work on first draft (working groups)

6. Finalize first draft of RMI Strategic Statistical Plan (plenary)

7. Review importance of ongoing plan monitoring, evaluation and regular reporting


Workshop Results

1. Draft plan completed at end of workshop2. Finalized in-country/by e-mail with us over following 2

months (last minute change of document title: p-4)

3. Translation into Marshallese4. Debrief to politicians and endorsement


Achievements/lessons learned

(+) Excellent workshop dynamic – helped by• novelty of topic, • course structure (interactive, mix of formal lecture, practical

application; intensive half-day sessions)

(+) Completion of quite a formidable draft – even more so given it was a first for most participants

(-) involvement of participants from wider “statistical community” was disappointing

(-) no integration into national development framework(-) Outcome: strategic plan/forward work programme for

NSO – not for NSS(… but like Tony emphasized yesterday: we have to start somewhere)


Model 2: sub-regional approach (pragmatic rationale)

• No NSS in place (yet) in most Pacific island countries and territories => choice:

i. developing one from scratch, or ii. in stages, beginning with development of NS0-focused

long-term strategy as starting point• Opted for (ii) – at subregional level

• Cultural/political similarities, provision of greater “statistical reference” group (community of interest) at that level than in small national-territorial administrations

• Greater time efficiency (not necessarily greater cost-effectiveness)


Model 2 (three modifications to national workshop)

• Seven modules spread over 4 days• Formal training in plenary – break-out working groups

in 3 groups of 2 countries/territories• Three co-trainers/instructors

=> As with national workshop, countries required to undertake SWOT analyses at home prior to coming to sub-regional workshop


Workshop Results (bit premature – work in progress)

1. Draft plans completed by all 6 countries/ territories at end of workshop

2. Countries to review draft with their respective offices (Statistics, Planning), and where possible with a wider group of statistical stakeholders at home

3. Send second (amended) draft to ABS-SPC instructors by end of July for review, and commencement of interactive refinement/ editing

4. Final draft expected to be completed by end of September


Achievements/lessons learned (thus far: p-6/7)

(+) Excellent workshop dynamic (helped by novelty of topic, interactive course structure, plus mix of formal lecture/practical applications; intensive full-day sessions)

(+) Enhanced dynamic given wider “community of interest” (resembling a virtual sub-regional statistical system)

(+) Completion of 6 formidable drafts – as with earlier national workshop, this was a first for most participants

(-) should have allowed more time (7 intensive half days converted into 3.5 full days = good maths, not very good pedagogy)


Employ two-pronged approach:

1. Two-stage approach for remaining small island statesi. sub-regional training/strategic plan development

targeting NSOs plus planning agencies, before =>

ii. possibly pursuing a more statistics-wise approach at a later stage in-country.

2. For the larger countries (PNG, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga) pursue a country-based strategy

• (greater number of players -> good base -> building a national statistical system in these countries).

3. Main lessons learned

• Looking for greater traction at a CARICOM/Paris21-type initiative (specially to get NSS focus going).

• Acknowledge importance of the political environment (p-7).

Thank you

3. Main lessons learned

Documents

Regional Workshop on National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) in the Caribbean Community 27 – 29 July, 2009, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad