Regional Developments for Improving Statistics in the Pacific Islands

1. Regional Developments for Improving Statistics in the Pacific Islands Presentation by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Luxembourg, 6 May 2008

2. Background • The Forum Economic Ministers prioritised: • “the upgrading of their statistical offices…” and “…encouraged the timely production of economic and social statistics to support better outcomes”

3. Background • In recognition of the constraints manifested in national statistical information systems, including: (i) lack of resources and technical capacity; and (ii) limited processing systems. • Uneven progress in statistical development – problems with timeliness and quality of data • Mixed performance in the implementation of SNA

4. Background - Policy Initiatives • Establishing data priorities – better statisitcal planning; • Improving working conditions; • Strengthening the independence of statistics offices; • Improving co-ordination between agencies; • Creating demand; and • Strengthening regional approaches to supplement national efforts.

5. Background - The Pacific Plan - endorsed in 2005 by Forum Leaders • Proposed as a plan to strengthen regional cooperation and integration • Framework proposing regional approaches as a response to common issues, challenges and capacity constraints

6. RegionalApproaches: Why and What are they? Background • Policy context: growing awareness that FIC Governments may need to consider appropriate regional approaches to improve the delivery of certain public goods and services. • Regional approaches are essentially about addressing our common challenges through collective action - only where they assist with achieving national priorities. • Increasing FIC access to high quality services through pooling of resources, and by broadening economic opportunities through the creation of larger markets.

7. RegionalApproaches: thus far? Background • The regional and international actors have: • provided ongoing capacity building assistance; (ii) supported data collection; and (iii) provided TA and direct support.

8. Background • However, these efforts have not been sufficient to deliver a sustainable national capacity/ solutions. • Weakness in co-ordination and co-operation amongst agencies – collection, production and analysis. • Corollary: need to address the structural bottlenecks, given the diseconomies of scale and isolation, through strengthened regional approaches.

9. Preliminary Study – On regional Solution • Examined, one regional option: pooling of resources to be responsible for “high level analytical” economic and social statistics, and to advise on basic data collection methodology, including developments of censuses and household or industry surveys.

10. Some Benefits • Greater comparability - opportunities to apply consistent methodologies, classifications, legislation, revisions policy, where appropriate; • Improved publication and dissemination systems leading to improved quality, timeliness etc; • Standard of administration of statistical organisations - priority setting, staff, recruitment and training and career paths of national statisticians; and • Clearer mechanism to provide coordinated assistance to the development of statistics.

11. Regional Benchmark Study - Objectives • Assessment of current situation; • Stocktake of country needs and priorities; • Confirm a minimum set of statistics needed within FICs; • Applying a Strategic Planning framework in making this assessment; • Propose appropriate regional solutions and modalities for support of national priorities/ requirements; and • Implementation Strategy.

12. Regional Implementation Strategy • Draw on lessons from national efforts to provide statistical services; • From identified constraints outline service delivery model/s that consider all possible modalities/ configurations of regional/ international support; and • Include some cost and benefit analysis of the possible regional approaches/ solutions.

13. Preliminary Discussions/ Directions • A long term (sustainable) strategy towards coordination of demand and supply consolidation is essential – including capacity supplementation

14. Preliminary Discussions/ Directions • Value of a minimum set of data to be maintained at the national level – support for the rest, in all or some areas of collection, production, analysis and dissemination to be provided through regional support. • Need for national statistics needs assessment/ planning, and better use of administrative data. • Donor support, in principle for the approach, to inform future support at national/ regional levels.

15. Conclusion • Pacific Plan provides a legitimate basis for strengthened, and innovative regional approaches to help sustainably overcome underlying structural constraints found in FIC jurisdictions. • Political support - the Forum Leaders and Economic Ministers have mandated the need to examine possibilities for strengthened regional approaches in the area of statistics.

16. Conclusion • A long term strategy to be developed – with the aim of strengthening NSO’s and improving national outcomes. • Detailed situation analysis, and strategic planning important steps to deepening and broaden international/ regional support to assist with improving national statistics outcomes – through Benchmark Study.

17. Conclusion • more co-ordinated regional and international effort – great number of active players; • region strategic plan which is based on national priorities – which is cognisant of national capacity and resulting abilities to sustain up-scaled efforts. • Important to identify and develop regional solutions that can supplement national efforts, as long as they add value to achieving national development strategies.

18. Thank you/ Vinaka Vakalevu ___________________ Any Questions? 19 September 2007