Promoting Statistics Development in Asia-Pacific: ESCAP’s strategy and activities

1. Consultation Session “Statistical Capacity Building in South-Asia” Hotel Hilton, Colombo (Sri Lanka), 21 July 2008, 13:30-17:30 Promoting Statistics Development in Asia-Pacific: ESCAP’s strategy and activities Pietro Gennari Statistics Division, ESCAP

2. Outline of the presentation Challenges in developing & implementing programs of Statistical capacity building (SCB) ESCAP’s strategy of SCB ESCAP’s ongoing activities of SCB Interagency coordination: a proposal

3. Challenges in implementing programs of SCB Country’s perspective: Statistical system • Resources for statistics • Management capacity • Qualified staff with proper incentives • Knowledge/Use of methods & tools that are appropriate to the institutional/economic context

4. Challenges in implementing programs of SCB Country’s perspective: Institutions/strategies • Culture of evidence-based policy-making • Priority given to statistics by the national governments • Appropriate Institutional context • Coordination of the NSS • Realistic national strategy of statistics development • NSDS linked to PRSP or country policy framework

5. Challenges in implementing programs of SCB Donor’s perspective • International priorities vs national priorities • Ad hoc projects / a la carte approach • Focus on statistical outputs rather than on building capacity • Focus on the production of statistics rather than on their use/analysis for evidence-based policies • Focus on providing funds and technical support rather than on establishing an appropriate institutional setting • Short-term/volatile/not timely financial support • Lack of coordination among donors at the global, regional & national levels

6. Challenges in implementing programs of SCB ESCAP’s perspective • Not a funding agency: need to approach donors • Low priority to Statistics within ESCAP (lack of resources, abolition of the Committee on statistics) • Increasing internal support to ESCAP work programme and analytical work (competing tasks) • Priorities set by the UN agenda (MDGs) • Focus on the countries with special needs • Regional approach vs national strategies • Division of labour/coordination with SIAP

7. ESCAP’s strategy of SCB • Focus on Policy relevant areas • Developing new recommendations/standards (link with global initiatives) • New way of delivering technical assistance • Long-term projects • Strong partnership with key international agencies – Use of the UN Development Account • Strengthening cooperation with SIAP • Link TC with data collection & analytical work

8. ESCAP’s on-going projects of SCB • Regional census programme: ICT component • UNDA project on informal sector measurement • UNDA project on disability statistics • ADP Microdata management project • PARIS21/ESCAP project on NSDS • MDGs: National Coordination and international reporting system • Indicators of Violence against Women Committee on Statistics (15-17 Dec. 2008): decision on the strategic direction of ESCAP statistical work

9. ESCAP Regional Census Program: 3 Components • Promote global principles & recommendations • Support data collection on emerging issues: • Disability • Migration • Facilitate effective use of ICT tools for Census operations EGM (2006): “timely” ; “responds to country needs”; “right mix of priorities and activities”.

10. ESCAP Regional Census Program • Supporting global initiatives: • Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics • ECOSOC Resolution 2005/13 • 36th UN Statistical Commission, 2010 World Population and Housing Census Program • Responding to country needs: • EGM (2004): identification of 4 priorities (Planning & financing; Measuring emerging issues; Effective use of GIS & ICT; Data analysis, dissemination & utilization) • Information Survey (2005) on past experiences and future plans • 2nd APEX Forum (Sept. 2006): focus on census; lasting impact • But, so far no funding….

11. 3rd component: Facilitate effective use of ICT • Objective: increase country capacity to apply GIS/IT effectively for census taking • Partners: UNSD, sub-regional org; NSOs • Activities in 2007-2008: • Information survey & desktop assessment (Aug 2007; 40 countries responded); • EGM on Effective Use of IT in Population Censuses (10-12 Dec 2007; 32 experts); • Sub-regional workshop on Census Cartography and Management (15-19 Oct. 2007; 16 countries) – UNSD funding • Regional workshop on use of ICT for data capturing, editing & processing (Sept 2008) – UNSD funding

12. Results of the survey on effective use of ICT • 32 countries (including in South-Asia) indicated need for technical assistance in one or more of the following areas: • cartography/mapping, • data capture, editing, coding • database design, • tabulation and dissemination. • Planned future activities: • Training (in collaboration with SIAP); • Establishing a regional pool of experts • Facilitating country-to-country cooperation (e.g. study tours)

13. Improving disability statistics • Initial project: 2004-2006 (Rep. of Korea funding) • UN Development Account project: 2007-2009 In partnership with: ESID & SIAP (ESCAP) UNSD & ECE WHO Washington Group on Disability Statistics NSOs (Australia, Philippines and others)

14. Responding to policy and country needs • Policy and public demand: • Biwako Millennium Framework (2002) • UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (2006) • Need for international standards & better disability statistics: • No regular data collections • Underestimation of prevalence/needs • Lack of comparability

15. Key objectives of the project • Further promote the ICF approach • Promote data collection in 2010 Round Census (Regional workshop, April 08: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka) • Develop new standards for surveys - selecting one pilot country from South Asia • Improving national statistical capacity • Knowledge-sharing • Regional network of experts

16. Strategic mix of activities • Testing of questionnaire • Studies (research & analyses) • Training Manual • Workshops & training • Dedicated website & online working group • Regional network of experts • Advisory services • Country-to-country cooperation

17. Results so far … • Statisticians & disability experts trained on ICF approach (regional resource pool) • Formulation of global recommendations on census • ESCAP recognized as amajor player at the international level (UNSC mandate) • Project modality as a model approach

18. Project on Informal sector measurement • UN Development Account Project: Interregional Cooperation on Measuring the Informal Sector and Informal Employment, Sept. 2006 - Dec 2009 • Leading agency:ESCAP • Implementing agencies: ECLAC, ESCAP, ESCWA • Steering Committee:UNSD, Regional Commissions, ILO, Delhi Group, WIEGO and recently ADB • Country Partners: • ECLAC: Saint Lucia • ESCAP: Mongolia, Philippines, Sri Lanka • ESCWA: Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip) All these countries have existing quarterly labour force survey programs!

19. Problem: Lack of sound data on informal sector and informal employment • Informal sector/employment mostly not covered in official statistics • Inadequate information available on contribution of informal sector to economic growth • Data collections typically ad-hoc studies (i.e. not part of regular national statistical systems) and with limited scope • Data collected not internationally comparable • No time series data available • Poor analysis and dissemination

20. Why don’t we have this data? • Limited resources of national statistical systems • Insufficient solid international guidelines to assist countries in selecting among various informal sector data collection methodologies • Lack of consensus on harmonized definition of informal sector

21. Key objectives of the project (1) • Improve availability of internationally comparable and sound informal sector & informal employment data by: • Developing a cost-effective and sustainable data collection methodology and tools (1-2 survey approach) • Testing the data collection methodology providing (limited) funds for its implementation • Contributing to the development of a harmonized statistical definition of the informal sector and informal employment based on the results obtained

22. Key objectives of the project (2) • Strengthen analysis for evidence-based socio-economic policies at national & international levels: • Social policies (poverty reduction, promotion of gender equality, elimination of child labor, etc.) • Employment generation policies • Industrial policies in favour of SMEs (marketing support, technology transfer support, reduction of capital and/or labour costs, etc.)

23. Strategic mix of activities • Raising awareness (advocacy) • Statistical capacity building (training courses and advisory missions) • Collection of data (“1-2” survey) • Data analysis (country and regional reports) • Data dissemination (guidelines, tabulation plan) • Knowledge management (project website, production of training materials, collection of best practices, final workshop)

24. Results so far … • Developed a Unifying Data collection Strategy • Mongolia, Philippines: • Data collection completed • In process of data checking and editing • Sri Lanka: • Data collection scheduled for October 2008-September 2009 • Finalizing questionnaires, sampling and survey design

25. Microdata management project • The Project is part of the global Accelerated Data Program (ADP) which aims at improving the quality and making available household survey/census data • Management & funding: PARIS21 & World Bank • Implementation with international partners (incl. ESCAP) • Currently being implemented in 8 countries in Asia-Pacific (of which 7 through the ESCAP Project) • Bangladesh, Fiji, Indonesia, Mongolia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam • ESCAP & PARIS21 are working with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) to cover the rest of the Pacific • Contacts with ECE to involve Central Asia

26. Key objectives Support NSOs in the region with the: • Documentation of censuses and surveys and the establishment of metadata catalogues • Development of access policies & procedures • Development and implementation of tools for the protection of confidentiality • Data quality improvement

27. Benefits of access to microdata • Generation of additional value • Broader use of data generated at given costs, overcoming limitations in analytical capacity of NSOs • New analytical insights generated • Valuable information into the quality of the datawhich may provide guidance on how censuses and surveys can be improved • Limitation of costs to society avoiding new data collections undertaken by researchers: • Additional costs for the researchers • Additional response burden for the sampling units • Often, low quality of the additional data produced (because researchers are mostly not experts in questionnaire and sampling design, do not have access to appropriate sample frames, have only limited financial resources to conduct field work, etc.)

28. (Expected) Achievements • Documentation, in accordance with international standards, of censuses and household surveys conducted after 1990 • Ongoing documentation activity as a key component of the survey process • Procedures for access to and conditions to use microdata are publicly available (via NSOs & ESCAP websites) • A regional group of experts available to assist countries in census and household survey microdata management • Availability of census and survey metadata (Via websites of NSOs, ESCAP and IHSN) • Availability of quality, safe micro datasets to bona fide users through a letter of agreement

29. Promoting NSDS • PARIS21/UNESCAP project (2005-07): advocate the importance of national strategic planning for statistical development • Four sub-regional high-level forums • South-Asia: Colombo, 13-15 Dec. 2005: • Baseline Assessment of Strategic Statistical Planning in South Asian Countries. • PARIS21 Guidelines • Exchange best practices • Dialogue with donors • Target group: National statisticians, policy makers, international and bilateral donors

30. Follow-up project (2008-9): key activities • Support to countries for designing and implementing NSDSs • Mobilization of technical and financial resources • Promotion of a better dialogue between producers of statistics and policy makers • Survey of SCB activities supported by donors

31. Inter-agency coordination: a proposal • Lack of donors harmonisation and alignment to national statistical strategies => overlaps, gaps, a la carte approach • Demand of SCB largely exceed supply • Establishment of a Forum on Statistics Development for the Asia-Pacific region, in order to: • have an overview of SCB activities, including training, in the region; • set up a permanent system for the monitoring of statistical development in the region; • strengthen modalities for cooperation with a view to leveraging on each partner’s comparative advantage. • Discussion scheduled at the 1st Committee on Statistics • Invited all (sub)-regional and international agencies implementing programs of SCB in Asia-Pacific

32. Thankyou for your attention!