Joint ECE-UNDP Assessment of official statistics related to gender equality in Eastern Europe and CIS

1. ECE Work Session on Gender Statistics Geneve, 18-20 October 2004 Joint ECE-UNDP Assessment of official statistics related to gender equality in Eastern Europe and CIS Social and Demographic Statistics Section UN Economic Commission for Europe - Statistical Division UNECE Statistical Division

2. Why the assessment UNDP wanted to re-focus the activities on gender statistics in the region in order to better target it to the needs of countries Objective fully shared by ECE An opportunity for ECE to better focus its own activities to the needs of the countries UNECE Statistical Division

3. Countries participating in the assessment UNECE Statistical Division

4. How the assessment was carried out • Questionnaire sent to Gender Statistics Focal Points (GSFP) in NSO • Ad-hoc country visits (Ukraine, Serbia & Montenegro, Azerbaijan) • Consultations with donor active in gender statistics in the region (Statistics Sweden) • Workshop on gender statistics for Central Asian countries (Ashgabat, July 2004) UNECE Statistical Division

5. Key results • Gender is recognized as an issue to be addressed in the social and economic development of the countries by most government officials but not all • Most of the NSOs have an institutionalized programme on gender statistics but no legal framework • Gender statistics programmes are confined into social and demographic statistics and there is little gender mainstreaming in NSOs • Some GSFP act as such on an ad-hoc basis • There are data gaps UNECE Statistical Division

6. Key results • Some users are frustrated because they find official statistics not easy to access and not providing the information they need • Only three countries have not produced gender publications in the last 5 years, but the coverage and quality of the existing ones vary from country to country UNECE Statistical Division

7. Key results • Gender statistics is an area where the donor community provided a lot of support and results are visible • UNDP-ECE could identify the areas where future assistance may be needed • It is possible to distinguish two sets of countries in respect to the development of gender statistics programmes UNECE Statistical Division

8. Data Gaps • Poverty • Participation in decision making • Participation in elections • Entrepreneurship • Gender attitudes • Domestic violence and other VAW • Informal employment • Time-use • School attendance UNECE Statistical Division

9. Data Gaps The need to have data on these areas is particular relevant for the CIS and EE region where there is a general tendency to underestimate gender issues UNECE Statistical Division

10. The reasons for the data Gaps • Lack of sex-disaggregation in on-going data collection activities • Lack of resources to initiate new data collection activities • Underutilization of existing data • Underutilization of existing data collection activities to include gender-relevant modules UNECE Statistical Division

11. Lack of sex disaggregated data • Production of statistics • Business • Agriculture • Transport • Dissemination of statistics UNECE Statistical Division

12. An example: EntrepreneurshipNumber of countries with sex-disaggregated data UNECE Statistical Division

13. Regular data dissemination Sex is forgotten when data are disaggregated using other classifications UNECE Statistical Division

14. Data Collection Data Presentation It is a matter of … Gender Sensitization Gender Mainstreaming UNECE Statistical Division

15. Lack of resources • VAW • Time-use • Informal employment • Trafficking Lack of technical resources Lack of financial resources UNECE Statistical Division

16. Underutilization of existing data • Poverty • Wages • Employment by occupation and status • Census data Better understanding of users’ needs Better understanding of data availability UNECE Statistical Division

17. Inclusion of ad-hoc modules on on-going data collection • Informal employment • Labour Force Surveys • School attendance • Social and demographic surveys • Census GSFP to interact with the methodology department and more involved in the activities of the NSO Technical assistance to design such modules UNECE Statistical Division

18. Main message To Countries Commitment to Engender the production and dissemination of official statistics • Laws/regulations • Tools to mainstream gender into NSO • Optimal placing of GSFP in the organization of NSO • Permanent mechanisms to assure a constant dialogue with users UNECE Statistical Division

19. Main message To International Organizations To continue the support of gender statistics • technical and financial assistance - • To help countries to implement the above • To help countries to address “emerging” issues • VAW • Time-use • Informal employment • Gender attitudes UNECE Statistical Division

20. Main message To International Organizations Two approaches • To address emerging statistical issues common to countries • VAW • Gender attitudes • Time-use • Informal employment • To address the improvement of gender statistics programmes – two-tier approach • More developed programmes • Less developed programmes UNECE Statistical Division

21. Main message To International Organizations Two approaches • To address emerging issues • To help countries to address “emerging” issues • VAW • Time-use • Informal employment • Gender attitudes UNECE Statistical Division

22. Production of Sex disaggregated data UNECE Statistical Division

23. Emerging issues UNECE Statistical Division

24. Legal framework UNECE Statistical Division

25. Common issues in ECE • Mainstreaming of gender into the production of statistics • Data gaps • VAW • Human trafficking • Informal employment • Legal framework UNECE Statistical Division

26. Issues to address in ECE Gender sensitization programmes in statistics Legal framework: good practices? Reorganization of gender statistics programmes Development of methodologies in emerging areas UNECE Statistical Division