Addressing Data Discrepancies in MDG Monitoring: The Role of UN Regional Commissions

African Centre for Statistics

United Nations Economic Commission for AfricaUnited Nations Economic Commission for Africa

Addressing Data Addressing Data Discrepancies in MDG Discrepancies in MDG

Monitoring: The Role of UN Monitoring: The Role of UN Regional CommissionsRegional Commissions

Workshop on MDG Monitoring 5-8 May 2008, Kampala, Uganda

Ben Kiregyera, Ph.D.Ben Kiregyera, Ph.D.DirectorDirector

African Centre for African Centre for StatisticsStatistics

Outline Background

Data discrepancies: potential role for the UN Regional Commissions

Meeting data challenges: National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS)

The way forward 2

Background

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MDG monitoringThe Millennium Declaration (2000)Mechanisms in place to monitor and

evaluate the MDGs include the establishment of the IAEG on MDGs Indicators

Coordination among international agencies and an attempt to fully use available data at international level

There are still a number of challenges hampering the smooth monitoring of MDGs

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Concerns with the reporting mechanism (1) Report of the Friends of the Chair of

the UN Statistical Commission on MDG indicators (2006) identified following challenges: inadequate mechanisms for

reporting to international agencieslack of coordination among data

sources within countriesinternational agencies visit countries

to collect data rather than build capacity 5

indicators in countries often differ between countries and agencies because of country priorities

for most goals, more data available at national level & used in national MDG reports than used at international level

poor metadata for some indicators

use of imputation to fill data gaps at international level

data discrepancies between national and international sources

Concerns with the reporting mechanism (2)

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Concerns with the reporting mechanism (3)

Not all available data are used by agencies responsible for providing the MDG indicators

In many cases population estimates used to produce MDG indicators are not the same

Inadequate coordination within the country and between the country and international organizations in charge of reporting on given indicators 7

Data discrepancies: potential role of UN

Regional Commissions

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Strengthening the role of UN RCs in MDG

monitoring Several calls for UN RCs to be

involved in reconciling discrepancies between national and international data on MDGs:Report of the Friends of the Chair on

the MDG indicators (E/CN.3/2006/15)Report to the Secretary General on

Indicators for monitoring the MDGs (E/CN.3/2007/13)

IAEG meeting on MDG Indicators (Paris, November 2007)

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Rationale behind the UN RCs involvement

UN RCs: not directly responsible for collecting data on the MDGs

Play a pivotal role and serve as a useful bridge between countries and international agencies

Strong knowledge of country statistical systems

Close collaboration with countries in their respective regions

Potential to play an important role to address the issue of MDG data discrepancies between national and international estimates

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What the UN RCs have been doing

Providing technical assistance to countries: Statistical advocacy Assessments Development Account Project on MDGs in

Africa (ECOWAS, SADC)

Regional databases and reports Establish and/or improve coordination

mechanisms at country and regional levels through various initiatives (capacity building initiatives)

UNECA’s role in the MDG Africa Working Group (established 2007) 11

Cascading framework for meeting data challenges

in Africa

MAPS

RRSF

International

Regional

NSDSNational

African Charter for Statistics

Sub regional

Meeting data challenges: Designing

National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS)

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National Strategy for the Development of Statistics

Coordination is paramount in the delivery of coherent information for MDG monitoring

Designing NSDS is overarching action point of MAPS & headline strategy of the RRSF

NSDS: Assists to mainstream statistics in national

development policies, processes & budgetsA plan aimed at strengthening statistical capacity

across the entire NSSComprehensive and coherent framework: cover entire

NSS & all sectorsFramework for mobilizing, prioritizing use of

resources & coordinating donor assistance to countries

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Types of coordination Coordination between data producers and

users Inter-institutional (horizontal & vertical –

sub-national) coordination among data producers

Technical coordination of data sources: standardization of concepts, definitions, classification

Coordination between data producers and research and training institutions (academic statisticians/official statisticians)

Coordination of partners at country level 15

Partially coordinated NSS

Labour

Education

Transport

etc

Agriculture

Health

NSO

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Fully coordinated NSS

Labour

Education

Transport

etc

Agriculture

Health

NSO

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NSDS

SSPS(Health)

SSPS – Sector Strategic Plan for Statistics

Approach gives greater meaning to concept of National Statistical System

(liberating effect)

SSPS(NSO)

SSPS(Edn. )

Bottom-up approach

SSPS(Agric)

NSDS process

Rationale for integration of sectors

A lot of development data are collected, compiled by sectors:

Agriculture, Health, Education, Labour, etc

Need for voice in sectors and NSS Need to reinforce the capacity of

sectors to produce reliable information

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Scope of the NSDS1. Organizational development

(statistical awareness, coordination, networking, information sharing, statistical legislation – official statistics, professional autonomy, data

access)

2. Institutional development (Management Information Systems, Capacity

building - human resources, staff motivation, etc)

3. Infrastructure development and equipment (offices, survey infrastructure, IT infrastructure

including databases, library, etc.) 20

4. Data development (enhancing data quality, improving censuses and surveys, improving administrative data, civil/vital

registration system, new statistical products – poverty maps)

5. Data management (data archiving, integration, analysis and mining,

storage and security, databases, reporting including to agencies, dissemination, access &

use)

6. Implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting (action plan, policies, performance

indicators, targets, benchmarking, reporting system)

7. Proposed budget and financing (recurrent and development budget, investment plan - basket funding, sustainability)

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The way forward

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RC’s assessment of data discrepancies: a first step Examination of current data sources:

census, survey or administrative system Review national agencies responsible

for data collection and coordination mechanisms

Sustainability of data production: periodicity of censuses, surveys

Examination of data quality issues: coverage, consistency, reliability, timeliness and disaggregatability

The feasibility of using estimation or imputation methodologies

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Sharing the outcomes of the assessment

Present the results of the assessment to the November 2008 IAEG

Consolidation of assessments from all UN RCs

Organize regional workshops to discuss existing discrepancies and remedial measures, involving all stakeholders 24

Follow up actions Develop subsequent, targeted

capacity building activities:TrainingTechnical or financial support

Promote and strengthen the coordination at the national level within NSDS

Strengthen the coordination between national and international agencies to improve data availability and consistency 25

Thank Thank you!you!

African Centre for Statistics

Visit us at http://www.uneca.org/statistics/

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