Advocacy for statistics Presentation by PARIS 21 Secretariat

Advocacy for statistics Presentation by PARIS 21 Secretariat High-level forum on strategic planning for statistics: Bangkok, 6 -8 June 2006

OECD Countries and Multilaterals Developing Countries Partnership: PARIS 21 Constituencies and Linkages Policy makers Statisticians Ministers of Finance, Sector Ministers, etc. Central Stat. Office, Sector Units, Central Banks, etc. Development Agencies, WB, IMF, RDB, etc. OECD Statistics Office Mngers, UN Specialised Agencies; Stat. units in intl orgs High-level forum on strategic planning for statistics: Bangkok, 6 -8 June 2006

1. Policy makers and funders in developing countries Key messages: • Role of statistics in improving development outcomes • Desirability of developing a culture of evidence-based policy and decision-making • Integration of statistics into policy frameworks (PRSs, SWAps, etc) • Need for better statistics and better use of statistics to improve use of resources, including aid effectiveness • NSDSs as a coherence framework to organise the development of their statistical system • Appropriate and sustained financing for statistics from national budget High-level forum on strategic planning for statistics: Bangkok, 6 -8 June 2006

2. Policy makers and funders in OECD countries and multilateral development agencies Key messages: • Role of statistics in improving development outcomes • Integration of statistics into both national and donor policies • Statistics needed to improve aid effectiveness • Need to support the design and implementation of NSDSs • Financial and technical assistance, placed within the context of NSDSs • Donors should coordinate better and harmonise their reporting procedures with national systems High-level forum on strategic planning for statistics: Bangkok, 6 -8 June 2006

3. Statisticians and analysts in developing countries Key messages: • Role of statistics to under-pin development progress • Need to address the new key priorities for statistics • NSDSs to serve as a coherence framework for all national/ official statistics and statistical programmes, however they are funded, including to coordinate donor programmes High-level forum on strategic planning for statistics: Bangkok, 6 -8 June 2006

4. Statisticians and analysts in OECD countries and multilateral development agencies Key messages: • Role of statistics in development and of new priorities for statistics to under-pin development progress • Importance of NSDSs as a coherence framework and for technical assistance to be provided within the context of NSDSs • Donors and specialised agencies should be better coordinated; and should harmonise their reporting procedures with national systems • OECD NSOs to provide more and better organised technical support to developing countries High-level forum on strategic planning for statistics: Bangkok, 6 -8 June 2006

Why statistics? • If statistics improve and are used to inform decisions, policies are more likely to succeed • Good statistics are essential for the design and management of national policy frameworks such as PRS and for MDG monitoring • Better statistics also help donors by informing aid allocation and by monitoring implementation and outcomes • Investment in statistics will pay for itself many times over by improving the efficiency of resource allocation High-level forum on strategic planning for statistics: Bangkok, 6 -8 June 2006

Why now? • • Greater emphasis on evidence and managing for results More sophisticated policy analysis Advances in ICT Donor alignment and harmonisation increase costs of making faulty policy decisions High-level forum on strategic planning for statistics: Bangkok, 6 -8 June 2006

Statistics through the policy cycle • Need for careful and rigorous analysis, based on good quality and transparent statistics, throughout the policy cycle • Statistics needed to : – Identify issues – Design policies – Forecast the future – Monitor policy implementation – Evaluate policy impact High-level forum on strategic planning for statistics: Bangkok, 6 -8 June 2006

Advocacy: Currently Available Tools • • • Making the Case: National Strategy for the Development of Statistics Measuring Up to the Measurement Problem by Chris Scott Better Statistics, Better Policies, Better Development Outcomes High-level forum on strategic planning for statistics: Bangkok, 6 -8 June 2006

Advocacy: Currently Available Tools • Films: (1) Measuring the Change in World Poverty, (2) La Statistique au Service du Développement, and (3) Food and Agricultural Statistics in support of Development Order free copies from contact@paris 21. org High-level forum on strategic planning for statistics: Bangkok, 6 -8 June 2006

Thank you! High-level forum on strategic planning for statistics: Bangkok, 6 -8 June 2006