Seminar on PARIS21 satellite programmes, 14 November 2007 National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) Going from design to implementation

Seminar on PARIS21 satellite programmes, 14 November 2007

National Strategies for the Development of Statistics

(NSDS)

Going from design to implementation

Professor Ben Kiregyera, African Centre for Statistics (UNECA)

Tony Williams, PARIS21 Secretariat


I. Focus of work programme

Main focus is on National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS)

- Design

- Implementation

- Scaling-up support for statistical capacity building


II. Target

Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics set a target:• “to mainstream strategic planning of statistical

systems and prepare National Strategies for the Development of Statistics for all low-income countries by 2006….”

• “…..and to have started to implement them by the following year with a view towards having better data to monitor progress towards national and international development goals by 2010”


III. Value added of NSDS approach

NSDS Design and Implementation

Participatory development

Organisational development and

management

Statistical Capacity Building best practice

Integrating NSDS into Development Policy Processes


IV. Coordination of Statistical Activities in a Country

Agri.

Health Labour

Edu.


Coordination of Statistical Activities in a Country

Agri.

Health Labour

Edu.

NSDS


NSDS as a country-levelcoherence framework

ICP DHS MICS


NSDS as a country-levelcoherence framework

ICP DHS MICS

ICP DHS MICS

National Strategy for the Development of Statistics


V. NSDS design process & Implementation

Design process

• Process is as important as the product

• Great opportunity for statistical advocacy: building political commitment and launch: “road map”

• Assessing user needs and statistical system

• Visioning and action planning

• Implementation


Building political commitment and launching the NSDS

Will need:• Successful advocacy, sensitisation, and dialogue

with politicians, policy-makers, and decision-makers• Participation by the managers of the national

statistical system in national policy discussions• Strong leadership of the NSO & the process• Cultivation of “champions”

Key outcome:• Decision and a plan to develop an NSDS


Mainstreaming stakeholders (taking a cue from PRS process)

Process should be: be participatory be inclusive use a concensus-building approach

Plans that are country-specific and country-owned

Ownership leads to more commitment, creativity, imagination, innovation and productivity.

“People support what they help to create”


Empowering statistical personnel:

more effective ways of communicating with data users

international statistical standards, concepts and frameworks

experiences especially about what is happening

in other countries

Broaden and deepen communication intra-institutional communication

inter-institutional communication


Based on NSDS principles

(developed by PARIS21 and partners )

Guide on Design of NSDS published by

PARIS21 (2004)

Some Issues in the Design and Implementation

of NSDS by PARIS21 (2006)

Guide on Integrating Sectoral Statistics in

the Design of NSDS (AfDB, PARIS21 and

Intersect)


Lead to a truly integrated National Statistical System

Labour

Education

Transport

etc

Agriculture

Health

NSO


Labour

Education

Transport

etc

Agriculture

Health

NSO

Partially coordinated National Statistical System


Rationale for integrating sectors

a lot of development data are collected/compiled by sectors (Agriculture, Health, Education, Labour, etc)

sectoral issues and concerns not been given

sufficient attention in national statistics statisticians from line ministries been largely isolated &

inadequately involved in discussion on capacity

building sectoral component of NSS tended to be under-

resourced & is in need of more voice in sectors and in

NSS


NSDS

SSPS(Health)

SSPS – Sector Strategic Plan for Statistics

SSPS(NSO)

SSPS(Edn. )

Bottom-up approach

SSPS(Agric)


Methodology

1. WHERE ARE WE NOW?

Current situation

1. WHERE ARE WE NOW?

Current situation

2. WHERE DO WE WANT TO BE?

Mission/vision

2. WHERE DO WE WANT TO BE?

Mission/vision

3. HOW DO WE GET THERE?

Strategies/Actions

3. HOW DO WE GET THERE?

Strategies/Actions

4. HOW DO WE STAY THERE?

Sustainability

4. HOW DO WE STAY THERE?

Sustainability

Statistical

capacity


Assessment of the NSS (where we are now?)

Organizational issues

• Reviewing the legal and institutional framework, linkages, and coordination arrangements

• Linkages and coordination arrangements

• Assessing organisational factors using e.g. SWOT


Using Health Matrix Network Framework

ResourcesPolicies; Financial resources; Human resources; Communication; Coordination and leadership

Indicators Minimum set of indicators

Data sources Types of data sources and standards

Data management

Data definition; flow; quality; storage; linkage

Information products

Users requirements; analysis; presentation

Dissemination

and useInfrastructure; synthesis; packaging; communication


ComponentsFramework applies to all sectors

Agriculture Education Labour Health etc

ResourcesPolicies; Financial resources; Human resources; Communication; Coordination and leadership

Indicators Minimum set of indicators

Data sources Types of data sources and standards

Data management Data definition; flow; quality; storage; linkage

Information products

Users requirements; analysis; presentation

Dissemination

and useInfrastructure; synthesis; packaging; communication


Where do you want to be? • Agree a mission and vision statement• Agree on desired results• Set priorities and strategies to deliver the

vision and results

Visioning

“Where there is no vision, a people (organizations)

perish”, Bible – Proverbs 29:18


Translate strategies into a detailed implementation or action plan, including:

• What is to be done, by whom and when (key actions)

• Actions to address each strategic issue and to reach goals

• Results and outputs to be achieved

• Detailed costs, overall budget and a financing plan

• Reporting, monitoring and evaluation arrangements

NSDS implementation planning


Arrangements for implementation likely to include:

• Managing change

“It’s not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change”, Charles Darwin – father of evolution theory

• Leadership and management capacity • Financial management and procurement

• Engaging and motivating staff


VI. To recap, an NSDS can help by:

• Addressing data limitations

• Prioritising the use of resources

• Looking across whole NSS

• Integrating statistics within policy processes

• Coordinating donor support

• Providing a robust framework and action plan for statistical capacity building

• Acting as a catalyst for change to build confidence and break the vicious cycle


VII. In conclusion• National commitment:

• Statistical systems don’t exist in a vacuum:

• Don’t frighten governments and donors:

• Lesson learning:

Country-owned NSDS will need high-level government commitmentNeed to support national policy processes

Address institutional and organisational development as well as financial realism are key to sustainability

Plans need to be costed and need to be realistic

The NSDS approach must build on what exists and learn from country experiences of design and implementation

Documents

Seminar on PARIS21 satellite programmes, 14 November 2007 National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) Going from design to implementation